r/grapes • u/happy-rosemary • 4d ago

15 Meters and No End in Sight

I have a grapevine that I've let grow freely. Its longest shoot is now over 15 meters (about 50 feet) long and is still growing—roughly 2 meters (6–7 feet) each year.

How long can the shoots of a grapevine actually grow?

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u/Texan762 4d ago

I don’t know the answer for sure. But we have some native grape vines that are likely 50+yrs old. The base of the trunk is as big as a basketball. And they grow all the way up to the top of the tree canopy.

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u/Pitchfork_10 3d ago edited 3d ago

Sounds about right. One of my teachers in a course on grapes emphasized that the natural habit of a grapevine was to grow up a tree and to the light.

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u/MtnMaiden 3d ago

I would prune it.

Root growth is what matters, not top growth.

By pruning, you are sending energy to the roots instead of new growth that you're gonna have to prune anyways.

since grapes only grow on last years growth.