Caring for Your Garden Vine

Even though vines are one of the easiest plants to care for, there are some tips to ensure that they will grow to become a stunning focal point in your garden.

Before You Plant

Take a look around the area that you have chosen in your garden and consider all of the factors that will affect your new vine: soil condition, watering and amount of sun.

All vines need a fertile and well-drained soil to grow in.  Because vines put out extensive growth, it is important that you provide it with nutrients.  Add compost, peat, or composted manure with a little bonemeal to the planting hole.

If you are planting your vine next to a wall, remember that soil around foundations may be poor initially and may need preparation.  Break up the bottom soil and mix in the appropriate  soil conditioners: peat moss, oilone meal, compost, etc., depending on your particular soil.

If you are planting your vine into a container,  fill the container halfway with potting mix then blend in a balanced, controlled-release fertilizer.

When to Plant Vines

Vines can be planted at almost any time throughout the year.  Today, most garden nursery stores sell vines  grown in pots.   Plants grown in containers may be planted any time during the year depending on your zone location. If you have purchased your vine from a catalog supplier, you will probably receive your vine as a bare rooted plant.  Bare-rooted vines in the spring before new growth starts.

When to fertilize

Fertilize vines in late February or early March. Use a rose- type fertilizer to feed deciduous vines and a rhododendron-type fertilizer to feed evergreen vines.

Encourage Growth

If your vines develop sparse foliage in certain areas, usually low on the trellis, pinch back the terminal growth of the stems as they emerge.   Pinching will force lower branching and more distribution of foliage on the trellis or structure.

Pruning Vines

Vines usually need pruning to thin the stems and branches, to remove dead or damaged wood and to encourage new growth.   Some vines grow rampant and may appear overgrown unless they are severely pruned at frequent intervals.

As with other woody plants, the time and energy you’ll spend pruning vines has much to do with the plant you select and the spot in which you place it.  Generally, the best time to prune your vines is in the late winter, or very early in spring.   You can prune spring  flowering vines  immediately after they finish flowering.

–  Prune most vines in the dormant season.

–  Prune dead, diseased and damaged vines back to healthy wood.

–  Prune out the top one-third of overgrown or elongated stems.

–  Prune by one-third or more old, mature stems that are  declining.

Mature vines can be a bit difficult to prune when their long stems become tangled. Take a gentle approach; don’t be tempted to yank. Instead, work on one section at a time until you’ve cut out all you want to remove.