On Sun, 6 Apr 2003, Nick Maclaren wrote:

OK, I know that you can't do it from early spring onwards, but you
can do it in summer. I assume that early spring is when the buds
start to swell (indicating that the sap is rising), or perhaps a
little before that, but when does the summer pruning season start?

Don't try to prune any mature wood now or at any time during the growing
season as it will bleed profusely. I've often wondered whether slapping
something like Arbrex on a new wound might stop the flow of sap
sufficiently but I've never been confident enough to try!

On the other hand green shoots can be removed at any time.

My vines' buds are already bursting. This is too early. Any frost will
get them and I'll lose the crop. I understand that, in places like
Chablis, they put little night-lights under the vines overnight when
there's a danger of frost.

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