Training grape vines up to top wire

2 main questions. How much room in feet/inches do i need to grow laterally? And at what height do prune to go laterally?

I have a different perspective based upon my own experience.

When you start a grapevine plant indoors, that is the time to make a single trunk vine. You want that vine to have only one trunk and it needs to be about one foot tall at planting. Your grapevine was too wild already when you planted it. That was the real issue. By pruning when you did (at planting time) you removed leaves that would have grown roots. You want the grapevine to grow as much as it can after being planted. That means you let everything grow without pruning that first year. Had you trained the vine to only one leader indoors, it would have continued to grow upward quickly, while growing a few side limbs along the way. That is fine. They cane be pruned off the in the late winter before bud-break or used for one or more of the cordons. If done correctly, a newly planted started grapevine should reach 5 to 6 feet the first year. And that is if the soil is only mediocre. (like mine) At one point I had vines growing up to 25 linear feet the first year, but it made them too fragile through the winter. There is a point where a newly planted vine can grow too fast for its own good. Be careful.

Another point I will make is the cordon system you are using. A two-wire system is used commercially because of the way they grow the vines (short, tight, and densely) and harvest them using machines. For one, you have your vines spaced too far apart for such a system. Secondly, the top will shade the bottom, causing ripening at two different times for each level unless you do a LOT of work during the growing season. Furthermore, unless you now grow them like a commercial vineyard (which you can't because you have too few plants), the bottom will have problems with moisture buildup, causing disease.

A backyard gardener does not need to grow vines like a commercial operation. You can use only a few vines and have great harvests. However, with longer the cordons, you will need to manage the vines differently. One of the most important things to consider with your vines is ventilation. That is going to be difficult with this system. Not impossible, but it will be challenging.

My pet peeve with all grapevine growing videos is that everyone has read books about how to grow and prune grapevines. Most of these books are instructions for commercially grown vines. Again, backyard gardeners should not be following these instructions. The entire game is different.

I learned what I am saying the hard way. I fought these vines for years, trying to follow instructions from at least 5 different books. I finally threw the towel in and tried my own methods. That is when things began to work. I now have two different growing systems, with the latest in use for only one year. Because it isn't tried and tested for several years, I will refrain from describing it.

In a nutshell, get your vines wide at the top and at only one level. The air will get under the vines to keep them healthier and all the grapes will ripen at the same time. And don't be afraid of having long cordons with this system. I had one grapevine that was 64 linear feet. I cut it back a few years ago because I didn't need that many grapes. (bushels) It is now only 32 linear feet and it still gives me too many grapes. It has one enormous bull trunk.

All the best with your grapevines!

So if i have a Y on a nee grape plant i cut 1 off.. leave the longer one. Is that what im getting?

Very well presented information to a person like me, who knows nothing about grapes. Thank you

Thank you! This was the easiest video to understand of all that I watched. Quick question for you. Is there a required height for each wire and why does it the main stem support have to be bamboo? Why not let it climb the metal fence posts that support the wire?
Thanks again!!

Great explanation. I have listened to oodles of grape training videos and was soooo confused. Thanks for this!!

Are there any disadvantages to bending the central leader to the right or left and allowing one sucker to grow in the opposite direction to make the "T" instead of topping off the central leader and allowing two suckers to grow in opposite directions?

Thanks for this!!! Excellent.

thank you for a well explained and easy to follow instructional video. 💓🌱🍇

Could you try to root those other cuttings you threw away?

Excellent video. My vines are still dormant, but I'm ready to go out and start attacking suckers. Thank you.

Super helpful. Thank youi!

This was very helpful. Thank you.

That was great. Im glad you zoomed in, it was a good lesson.

Thanks for the great guide. Very nice and clear. ....My single, solitary vine is about the same size as those in your video. Is it a bad thing to keep two main leaders rather than just one? (I think they call this 'double Guillot' rather than 'single Guillot'.) I'm just thinking that if I have only one leader and it gets broken, I'll be back to square one. I was also thinking that two leaders means more leaves, which might be better for the vine at this young stage of its life (more photosynthesis going on)... But what do I know? Many thanks...

Can u root those suckers..like tomatoes??

Great video. Tks

I can only repeat what has been said by many who follow this U Tube Tuitional. Clear instructions repeated, to guide the Newcomer every step of the way to producing great Vines. Excellent video.

Goodday sir. When the video started I was totally confused but as it move on I seemed to catch up.
Just to make sure, the following assumptions. 1.The leaves stay leaves you don't cut them off because
they provide the energy for the plant to grow. 2.The "suckers" ! they form basically the plant from where
the grapes will come. But you choose the ones that have to grow alongside the wire. 3.Suckers and
leaves will also grow from them but you only cut the suckers off you don't want and the leaves stay.
If you want a different structure you choose accordingly the suckers to remove and the leaves stay
behind. So you can form you're grapevine as you like. Cobus🐳

Awesome stuff now I understand it all thank you