Tips for Planting Grapes in Missouri

Consider Cultivars

• Which type plants you choose depends upon the purpose you intend for them. While 90 percent of the grapes grown commercially in Missouri are intended for wine production, some are also used for jellies or fresh fruit consumption. The University of Missouri Extension recommends a list of cultivars for grape growers, including the popular Catawba, Concord, Delaware and Niagara of Vitis labrusca; Cynthiana and Norton of Vitis aestivalis; American hybrids Cayuga White, Chardonel, Mars, Marquis, Reliance, Vanessa and Vivant; and French-American hybrids Chambourcin, Seyval blanc, Vidal blanc, and Vignoles.

Transplants

• Most growers start with transplants. Save money by buying 1-year-old plants, rather than the more expensive 2-year-old plants. Michele Warmund of the University of Missouri Division of Plant Sciences advises that the older, more costly plants, "generally don't grow any better than one-year-old plants." Planting stock should be at least 3/8 inch in diameter.

Plant Early

• Plant grapes in Missouri in late winter or early spring. Warmund recommends setting out transplants as early as late February in Southern Missouri. Growers in the northern parts of the state should wait until mid-April. Early planting allows plants to be well established before enduring the extremes of summertime weather.

Training

• Focus on training the new plants the first 2 years after planting but consider trellis design and placement in the earliest stages. When planting, select the sturdiest cane on the young plant and prune it to several buds. Plan and construct a trellis system depending on your climate and terrain, as well as the specific cultivars you grow, For example, Missouri State University-Mountain Grove's State Fruit Experiment Station demonstrates a number of styles, such as high-cordon, low-cordon, Geneva double curtain and open lyre. Warmund recommends tying the tallest cane to the lowest line of the trellis as soon as it reaches; some transplants will already reach this height.