No grapes, vine pruning advice

After having seen many beautiful arbors covered in grape vines all around
the Mediterranean, I planted a 'Golden Muscat' to train up and over for
leafy summer cover.  This American hybrid is resistant to mildew and, after
3 years a lovely vine.  I spur pruned it last winter before my accident.

But this last season it produced (over produced) hundreds and hundreds of
bunches of grapes.  While I could, I tried thinning out the immature fruit
clusters, but it just produced more! it was clearly a losing battle! When
ripening began, the local fruit rats moved in!  Their nightly revelries
included much romping and scuttling, all the while depositing the seeds and
skins on the patio and furniture below - very picky eaters! All this while,
I'm in a wheelchair & walker, fretting by the window :)

Now that I'm (almost) hale and able again, I need pruning advice for this
winter so I don't host next season's bacchanalia!  Should I cut off all the
lateral growth, leaving only the main framework? I really don't care if I
get any fruit at all, as long as I discourage the rat parties!

Many, many thanks to you who wrote me words of encouragement during these
last 9 months of disability.


Jan Smithen,
Upland, California

jsmithen@earthlink.net
Sunset zone : 19
USDA zone   : 10

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