Pruning

Pruned grape vines. Muscadine Grapes 

bear on new growth, so each spring the 

previous year’s lateral vines extending 

from the main vines or cordons, need to be 

pruned back, leaving anywhere from 

2 to 6 buds or nodes. 

Early spring is a good time to prune most trees, shrubs and vines. Learn more about how and when to prune fruit trees by referring to the fruit care calendar under Gardening Resources in the left sidebar, or entering “prune” in the search box on the right.

We’ve been doing some major pruning in the VegHeadz garden and in the food forest. Our food forest is small and we need to prune quite heavily every three or four years to keep our trees at a reasonable size.  Prunibg is also important to ensure that the ripe fruits will be within reach for hand picking.

Peter does a short training
session before
pruning begins

Almost done

Don’t waste the vines.
Wreaths and other projects
are easy to do while the
vines are still fresh and flexible.  
Mary and James made these in
about 15 minutes.

“

And then there’s the rose arbor. 
Each spring Peggy prunes the vines of the
Katrina Roses (Peggy Martin Rose—no relation).
In about six weeks, they will bloom profusely.

In the food forest, the Dwarf Black Mulberry
had become twiggy and overgrown.  
Peggy directs, George prunes, and
James hauls the cutting away.  

Pruning done.   Within two weeks (in mid March), all pruned trees were 
putting on new growth.  From left, a leafy Mayhaw which needed
little pruning, next to it a Peach, then forward is Wax Myrtle.   Large shrub in the back, 
is Elderberry, in front next to the entrance arbor is the Mulberry,
seen through the arbor is a fig, and to the right of the sunburst trellis
is an American Beautyberry, all pruned and ready for spring renewal.  

Photos by Emily Kelly