Posted: 12/18/2010 8:35:12 AM EDT
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Any of you grow grapes? we are wanting to put them in this coming year. Any advice or trip?
stuck |
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My mom planted 3 or 4 vines when I was a kid. My dad put some round steel posts in the ground and strung wires between them for a trellis.
The first few years we did not get much. After that we got more than we could ever use. They had seeds in them and were not real sweet so were not great for eating but made good juice and jam. We would get bushels of them. The birds would eat them now and then but there was enough for everyone and we had a mulberry tree nearby that the birds preferred. Never had any trouble with bugs or mold. I think my dad may have have sprayed them with a pesticide to ward off the bugs, but I am not sure of that. It was on a bit of a slope so there was no standing water and was in full sun all day. May have made a difference mold wise, or not. We had a large garden and I never recall having any serious bug issues. But it may have been pesticde related. I just can't remember from that long ago for sure. I know that my mom used some kind of powder on her rose bushes. So it's not like she was opposed to the use of pesticides. I asked my mom once why she did not get a seedless variety and she told me none were available for our growing zone at the time (Northern IL). |
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Japanese beetles are the biggest pest threat.
Spray with sevin to combat them A naitive grape will work better than the wine grapes I grew. They will be more disease resistant. I have always grown blackberries and they are much more forgiving. I have never had to spray for fungus or mold. Just for japanese beetles and june bugs. |
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If you want them for food purposes, go with a native variety seeds or not. Here I grow Concords. No spraying and no problems. Japanese beetles can be tough some years but they attack the foliage not the fruit. We make jam, juice and wine from them. Once you plant the vines it takes three or four years for them to really produce in large numbers. Check with your local land grant college or extension service for info on how to prune. That is the biggest thing that will decide how much fruit you get. Good luck.
E.T.A. When you plant the vines dig a really large hole and use some manure mixed with the fillback. Grapes have huge root balls so the bigger the hole the better as well as what you backfill it with. |
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ISU GRAPE TRIAL
Grapes are a huge pain in the butt and require a lot of labor |
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Quoted:
Grapes are a huge pain in the butt and require a lot of labor I think it depends on how serious you want to get with them and how important it is you bring in a crop. For us, grapes are kinda an add-on thing. If we get a nice crop, great! If not......no big loss. We only have 20 feet of them so it's not too onerous to prune 'em. 
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We planted some along an old stretch of 4 strand cattle fencing a doze years ago, and are STILL eating 2005 and 2006 jams and jelly.
Birds eat some, bugs eat some, but still plenty left for our needs. Some years, we get 100 lb or so, and give lots away. Other years, not so much, but it all evens out. We planted a wide variety, but over time, only the Concords have prospered and really produced much. I used to spray when I did our fruit trees, but haven't the last couple years, and they have done well. Funny thing, Japanese beetles have been a big problem, but never saw a single one this year! Maybe the %$#$^ stink bugs ran them off! (guy just down the road planted ACRES of grapes and covers them ALL! Old phone poles for supports, old bicycle rims on top, and netting over all!) |