How to Tend to a Grape Vine Growing on a Trellis

Every seasoned grower of wine grapes and table grapes know very well the importance of proper training of grape vine growing on a trellis. This is key for a successful vineyard enterprise and with continued care and attention to detail growing grapes would ensure good harvests for years to come. Grape vines can grow on a variety of structures, natural or man-made like trees, fences, walls and just about anything it can hold on to for support.


Grape vines naturally seek sturdy support because when they produce grape clusters from their shoots and eventually ripen, their fragile branches alone will not be enough to support the produce. Damages to the primary branches would result to lesser grape production for the succeeding harvests because grapes always grow along the same branches all throughout the life of the grape vine. So, a well planned and a carefully constructed trellis should be procured by any serious grape grower that will suit a variety of requirements needed to ensure a hood harvest.


Before investing much on a good-looking trellis for your grape vine, especially if you are a beginner in the grape vine growing business, you should first determine the kind of grape variety you will have to train on the your trellis and how much they will grow. There are varieties that only grow three or four feet high so it should be wise to invest more on knowledge or understanding about grape characteristics and grape growing than about taking your time building a showpiece trellis. The kind of weather in your particular locality is also determines the height of trellis that you should use for your grape vines.


Colder weather, particularly in places where bitter winters occur would require lower trellises of about three feet to withstand extreme winter weather. Also the grower would be able prepare the grapes better during the winter if the trellis is low. Accordingly, taller trellises can be used in sunny climates.


There is a variety of trellises that you can make for your grapevine depending on your taste. There are trellises made just for functionality’s sake an others custom made to fit in a landscape setting or a showpiece in itself. There is also a variety of materials that can be used as a trellis such as pre-treated wood, iron, aluminum, stainless steel and PVC pipes.

Trellises can be varied in sizes and in construction, but one thing should be in common in all of them – they should be sturdy and well-built and they should last for a long time. Since it will take some time before making your first harvest of hard-earned grapes, usually years, your trellis should be still there standing and be there for more harvests to come.

Tending to a grape vine growing on a trellis could be a complicated task but nevertheless a rewarding effort if done properly and meticulously. As soon as the vines began growing and crawling, you’ll have to start training them on your trellis.

The main shoot which will serve as the base of the fruits should be tied vertically to the trellis and if two shoots grow from either side, they should be tied horizontally on the trellis. Grape vines grow slowly, so the process of training them to the trellis could take years but when you see rows of grape bunches dangling from the trellis after some time and ready for picking, it is all worth the wait and effort.

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