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wrote:

> Remove them. You'll have PLENTY of foilage. Right now those shoots are
> a DRAIN on the plant as they grow. Come August you won't even remember
> they were there.
>
>
> Bob

In my original response I assumed that he was cordon spur pruning but he
indicated this is not the case and he is cane pruning. I do not use this
system so I can not talk from experience but it SEEMS that:

IF, he has excessive vigor and IF the leaves will not shade fruit or nodes
that will become shoots next year he may NEED a drain for the excessive
vigor. The big word is "IF"

It seems to me that if he has very high vigor and IF he removes the non
fruitful shoots, then the energy is going to go into providing more growth
vigor for the existing shoots INSTEAD of putting that energy into the
fruit.

Pruning the non fruitfull canes will not put the energy into the grapes if
he has excessive vigor. It will go into producing more shoot length for
the fruit bearing shoots and leaves. I have read that vines under stress,
or simulated stress, will put the energy into seed (and thus the pulp
around the seed, as a way to preserve the species) as opposed to trying to
reach for the sunlight and climb.

I know this is a somewhat controversial subject and is very much dependent
on area, definitions of excessive vigor, and other variables but I guess
trial and experimentation for individual situations is the only real
solution.