How to Care for a Grape Vine in the Winter
By Erin McManaway, eHow Contributor 
updated: February 12, 2011
Proper winter care will protect your grapes.
Growing your own grape vines can prove a rewarding task, but it's challenging in areas with cold winters. Grape vines require proper insulation in order to survive during freezing weather. Late winter is also a good time to prune canes during their dormant period. Vines also require proper pruning to prevent overgrowth and loss of fruit due to disease during the growing season.
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
- Shovel
- Hand pruners
- Mulch
- 1Pull the vines that you would like to keep, off the structure that supported the vines during the growing season. Choose the vines that produced the most grapes earlier that year and allow all other vines to remain attached to the support structure.
- 2Stretch the vines out and lay them flat along the ground.
- 3Mix mulch, such as straw or shredded cornstalks, with ground soil to create natural insulation. This mixture should be mostly soil, with a ratio of about one part mulch to two parts soil.
- 4Mound 8 inches of the soil and mulch mix over the entire grape vine, ensuring the rooted area is especially covered. This will insulate the vine through the winter under the soil.
- 5Prune the uncovered vines during the late winter or very early spring months. This removes the dead canes and helps prevent overgrowth during the spring.
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