Tips for Growing Grapevines

Selecting Plants

• How well a particular grape variety does depends on your local climate and growing conditions. Choose grapes that are adapted to your region. You must also consider what you're going to use the grapes for and choose a variety suited to that use use. Grapes are classified as table grapes, wine grapes or raisin grapes. Wine grapes are usually sweeter and juicer than table grapes, while raisin grapes are usually seedless.

Planting

• Grapes will grow in many types of soil as long as they have good drainage. However, they do best in sandy loam with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. Grapes like full sun. Rows that run north to south provide the most sunlight and protection from wind damage. Place plants in a container of water for two or three hours prior to planting them and don't allow the roots to dry out during the planting process. Remove all canes prior to planting, except for the strongest one. Don't allow vines to grow on the ground because they will be more susceptible to disease. Provide support with a trellis.

Feeding

• Grapes need enough water every two weeks to wet the soil to a depth of 6 to 10 inches for first-year plantings and 12 inches for older grapes. Avoid overwatering, which will kill the roots. Test the soil in the spring and consult your local county extension for help with calculating how much fertilizer to apply. Don't let fertilizer get on the trunk because it will damage the vine.

Pruning

• Prune grapes yearly to control disease and improve fruit quality. If too many buds are left on the vine, the grapes will be small and may not ripen. Pruning should remove up to 90 percent of the previous season's growth. After pruning, table grapes should have 40 to 60 buds per vine and wine grapes should have 20 to 30 buds per vine.

Disease

• Grapes are prone to fungus infections like powdery and downy mildews and black rot. Most grape varieties will need to be treated with fungicides, but Concord grapes are more resistant to these diseases and don't require as much control. Contact your local county extension for information about which treatments to use.

Pests

• Raccoons, skunks and opossums can be kept away from your grapes with an electric fence about 6 inches from the ground or you can hire a trapper. Deter rabbits by using grow tubes or cages around young vines. An 8 to 10 foot steel mesh fence will keep deer out. Birds can be kept away with a net placed over the grapes. Concord grapes don't attract birds.

Harvesting

• Taste grapes before harvesting to ensure that they're fully ripe and have reached their peak flavor. Don't judge maturity by the color of the berry, because grapes change color before they're fully mature.