Grape vine with no budding sites.

[adamc108]

Hi

I have a six year old grape vine that I have been trained up to 120cm tall and was using the Guyot system, It grows new shoots from the head and I pick two each year to lay as fruiting arms.

I had to move house last year and I couldn't take the vine with me yet so I left it outside for the summer and collected it just afew weeks ago.

It's in a large container and I grew it in a polytunnel, I left it outside as I wouldn't be there to water it.

It only put out one small shoot as it was outside and I live in Northern Ireland.

I pruned this shoot back but it's not green beneath the skin so it's not alive. it's coming time for bud break and there are no bud sites on the plant.

The vine is alive because sap is rising, it's weeping from a small side shoot I removed (I have sealed this by scorching it and melting plastic onto it to help pressure build)

My question is, will it push through new shoots even if there are no one year old buds?

I have seen a vine do this, someone had a container with a large vine that had been cut off half way up and new shoots burst out from the top.

That's what I'm hoping will happen as I have a new polytunnel now and want to continue the Guyot growing method.

Hoping someone will reassure me that it will force shoots out from the top. It has a sister vine and it has one bud that is just breaking now.

Thanks.

[ameno]

As long as it's alive it will push new shoots eventually, don't worry.
Grapes, like many deciduous shrubs and trees, have subcutaneous buds which only break the surface when all other buds along that stem have been removed.
It will take a bit longer than usual to show growth, though, as these buds have to push their way to the surface.

[adamc108]

Thanks very much.