Vines

[Gardian]

On impulse, we bought a Muscat vine in the Spring and 'parked it' in a large plastic pot, pending my construction of some raised beds (the terrain is very stony and it's murder trying to dig any sort of hole for a shrub).

All ready to be planted now: the vine has done really well during the Summer and has grown on from it's 1.6M to (at it's longest point) probably 3M.

Should I prune some or all of that growth back before planting?  There's built-in support in it's new spot, so training it wouldn't be a problem if the view was to leave it.

Secondly, should I be concerned about low temperatures?  It's not unusual to get -8C around here, so I could fleece it up if it was thought necessary, however (obviously) none of the vineyards do anything like that, but then they are established stock.

Thanks in advance for any advice. 

[chris pp]

Might be good to wait a couple more weeks before planting, Ian, nearer the end of the month. Don't do any pruning back until the end of Feb, then, if it's one long leader that you have growing, stop it back then to about 1.5 metres if you are intending to grow it attached to something, any other shoots prune back to 2 or 3 buds on the new growth from the old growth. What you really need to do in the first few years is concentrate on getting a good strong, solid, basic stock for future fruiting. Vines do best when really kept in check.

Well, that's my take anyway, Chris

[Gardian]

The "strong, basic, solid stock" was pretty much what I thought, but your advice is v specific and I'll follow to the 'T'.

Winter protection?  Give it a 'winter woolly' won't do any harm I guess?

My plan is to be sitting around the new area, early evening in late-August, plucking the odd grape off of the vine and (simultaneously) imbibing a glass of something akin.

Thanks Chris.