Snow drops are out on the West coast but the rest of the country is still covered in snow. Soon it will warm up for the rest of us though and we can get out our pruning shears.

Fruit trees first and then tackle the grape vines. Most people do not reduce the size of the vines sufficiently so make sure you prune a lot. All grapes produce fruit on the new growth and that is the main reason for the heavy pruning.

While we’re on the subject of grapes, the grape plant does not like to dry out and needs fairly even watering. Ground mulching around the base of the plants helps conserve moisture and will help to prevent the drying out of the plant. A good feeding of 10-52-10 plant food is also a good idea. The high phosphate strengthens the plant to produce flower buds.

Lori

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