Tame Your Vines with Pruning
By Kay DiVerde
It may be easy to just let your vines go unpruned because they may seem well contained. In actuality, it is very important to prune your vines on a regular basis in order to control their size and maintain good health. Regular pruning also encourages flowering. Don't let your vines get out of control. Make a plan to prune them consistently to enhance their health.
Deciding when to prune your vine is an important step. Consult a plant encyclopedia to determine the best time to prune the vine variety you have. As a general rule, you should prune vines that bloom on current year's growth in the early spring, before they start to grow. For vines that flower on the previous year's growth, opt to prune wait until after the vines bloom. Pruning at the wrong time of year can stunt a vine's growth and/or delay blooming.
Encourage New Growth
When you plant a vine, start out by cutting it back at least in half. It may seem like a waste of money, but that drastic cut is what your vine needs to get off to a good start and to get give it a jump start for new growth. To encourage new growth, you need to thin the vine back to one or two main stems. Also keep two or three of the strongest shoots on the sides.
Once your vine is established, your pruning plan is fairly straightforward: Trim any shoots that grow out of bounds, cut back any shoots damaged by the weather or insects, and remove all steams that are dead, diseased or weak. Also remove all suckers, as they will grow to give your vine a messy look.
Thinning, Heading & Pinching
If you are wondering what type of pruning techniques to use, use the skills you have for pruning shrubs: thinning, heading and pinching. Thinning cuts can be used to remove crowded growth. Heading back branches encourages branching on long stems. If you have a vine that flowers on new stems, cut them down almost to the ground. And if your vine becomes bare near the bottom, trim it back to only two or three inches tall. If you have a vine that clings to a surface with adhesive pads and a portion becomes loose, cut the unattached part off at a bud. Once it becomes loose, it will not refasten to the surface.
Some vines, such as wisteria, Japanese honeysuckle and Trumpet vine may grown very vigorously. These vines may need to be pruned several times during the year. In the dormant season, prune them once. Prune several more times in the summer. Growth must be kept in check. Shorten some of the stems each year, or opt to prune them back to five or six buds when the vine is dormant.
Persistance Pays Off
If you find you have a tangled, neglected mess of a vine, don't give up hope. Plan to renovate the vine in late winter or very early spring. If your vine is on a support, carefully disconnect it. Place the vine on the ground and remove the old, woody stems. Leave one or two young, healthy stems at the base. Keep one or two main stems, along with several strong shoots on the side. If you pinch the tips of the shoots, it will encourage branching. From this point on, prune on a regular basis to prevent future entangled overgrowth.
As with pruning shrubs and trees, always use quality tools with sharp blades. Sharp blades provide the cleanest cuts that heal the fastest.
With the right tools and a good plan to prune your vines at the right time, you will be on our way to beautiful, healthy vines. Vines can add such an interesting effect to your landscaping, but it's so easy to let them go unattended. While we may think the thicker they grow the better, vines really need to be thinned out to remove disease and damage, and also to encourage the beautiful coloring of new growth and blossoms. Attend to your vines on a regular basis, and you'll reap the benefits with their beauty.
Kay DiVerde is a freelance writer, horticultural researcher and consultant for Orchard's Edge. DiVerde also writes for a variety of newsletters and publications in the Midwest.
