Pruning Question

[cavman22]

Hello All,

I've seen where pruning questions have been answered here, but I have one that is a bit different. I have two 2nd year Chinook plants. I am getting a retaining wall re-done (where their ill be) and pulled them out of the ground and put them into buckets. (I don't want the construction crew to damage them). I placed them into buckets about 2 weeks ago and there was no bines at that point. Since I put them into buckets, they've begun growing rapidly, both having 12+ bines, and are up to a foot long right now. The retaining wall is scheduled to be complete 4/30. Does anyone have any opinion on what I should do with them for now? Should I keep cutting the bines back until I get them in the ground a month from now? Or should I let them grow and dangle? Try to start training them up something in the buckets? I'm looking for max production and plant health. It looks like we have warm, springtime weather on the way, so I suspect their growth rate is going to significantly increase in the coming days. BTW, I'm in Denver CO.

 

[GVH_Dan]

At this point, you would want to whack them off. Its best to get rid of the bull shoots, anyway.

My best guess is to whack them off now and again in 2 weeks. That way you will have about 2 weeks of growth when you put them back in the ground. This should be enough time to give you production and keep the plant healthy.

 

[sfish]

At this point, you would want to whack them off. Its best to get rid of the bull shoots, anyway.

My best guess is to whack them off now and again in 2 weeks. That way you will have about 2 weeks of growth when you put them back in the ground. This should be enough time to give you production and keep the plant healthy.

I would do this as well but only allow 4 or 6 bines to grow when cut back before placing in the ground

 

[cavman22]

Thank you both. That is what I will do!

 

[brewstarke]

Depending on how much root damage there was from digging them up you could ball them up in something like burlap with a good pile of soil and keep them cut back to push root growth until you get them in the ground. Then drop the ball in as you would a tree without disturbing things as much as you may with extracting them from a bucket.