As a Hobby Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, Auburn University, Alabama 36849-5612
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Bunch Grape Culture As A Hobby Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, Auburn University, Alabama 36849-5612 ARCHIVE CIRCULAR ANR-12 Table Of Contents Page Best Place To Plant . ............ .... ... ... .. 3 Varieties . 4 Purchasing Plants .......... ..... ... .. .. .. 5 Planting The Vine ............... .... .. 5 Trellis Systems And Trellis Construction . .. ... .. .. .. 6 Training Young Vines ............. .. ... .. .... 7 Pruning The Mature Vine .......... ... .. .. ... .. ... 9 Fertilization ..................... ..... .. .. ... 10 Cultivation And Weed Control ...... .. .. ..... ..... 11 Insects And Diseases ............. .. ... ... ..... .. 11 ARCHIVE Bunch Grape Culture As A Hobby American bunch grapes (Vitis labrusca) have been grown in home plantings in Alabama since the state was first settled. Culturing bunch grapes at home can be both fun and rewarding, but producing good grapes requires timely work. A good site, proper variety selection, carrying out a season-long spray program, pruning and fertilization are keys to success. Bunch grapes require close care and attention. Therefore, only the dedicated gardener should attempt to grow them. Grape yields are influenced by many factors. The most impor tant are variety and season. However, for planning purposes, estimate your vineyard size based on a 20- to 30-pound per vine average for mature vines. In most years and with most varieties, 30 pounds per vine is a realistic estimate under good growing conditions. Best Place To Plant The site should be in full sun most or all of the day. In North and Central Alabama, a late spring frost can reduce yields significantly, so bunch grapes should be planted on elevated sites. In fact, in all areas of the state, low spots where cold air settles should be avoided. ARCHIVE Well-drained loam or clay loam soils are best. Bunch grapes also grow well on heavier clay soils; however, ex cessive vine growth and de layed maturity may result. Avoid extremely sandy soils 1. North Alabama and areas where water stands 2. Central Alabama after heavy rains. 3. South Alabama 3 Varieties Many varieties of bunch grapes will perform well in North Ala bama. Some French hybrid grapes (wine grapes) are also suggested for trial there. Several new hybrid bunch grapes are worthy of trial in Central and South Alabama. VARIETIES RECOMMENDED FOR NoRTH ALABAMA. Fredonia-A deep purple grape, early midseason, vigorous, pro ductive, with medium to small clusters of large berries. Berries ripen uniformly. Prune moderately. Niagara-A white grape, midseason, vigorous, productive, me dium size, with compact clusters of large berries. Prune heavily. VARIETIES SuGGESTED FOR TRIAL IN NoRTH ALABAMA. Catawba-A reddish grape, late midseason, vigorous, moder ately productive, with large clusters of large berries. Grown commer cially for wine. Delaware-A reddish grape, late midseason, medium to low vigor, moderately productive, with small clusters of small berries. High quality, use for eating fresh or for wine. Interlaken Seedless-A white, early, moderately vigorous grape with medium clusters of small, nearly seedless berries. A good table grape. Chancellor (Seibel 7053) -A dark red grape, late midseason, productive. A French hybrid wine grape. Seyval (S.V. 5-276)-A white, early midseason, moderately pro ductive grape. A French hybrid wine grape. Villard Blanc (S.V. 12-375) -A white, late, vigorous grape, highly productive. A French hybrid wine grape. Venus-A seedless, blue-black grape, medium vigor, moderate ly productive.ARCHIVE Chelois (S 10878) -A blue-black grape, early ripening with me dium compact clusters, very productive. A French hybrid wine grape. VARIETIES SuGGESTED FOR TRIAL IN CENTRAL AND SouTH ALABAMA. Several hybrid bunch grape varieties have recently been developed which are worthy of trial plantings in the southern half of Alabama. All of these have good resistance to Pierce's disease, the primary lim iting factor to bunch grape culture in the southern portion of the state. 4 The following varieties are suggested for home plantings. Lake Emerald-A green to golden grape, used largely for wine, pancake syrup, other forms of processing, and as a rootstock. Fruits generally ripen in early August. Does well on own roots. Stover-A golden grape, vigorous, suitable for table use or pro cessing. Holding qualities not as good as Thompson Seedless* but better than Lake Emerald. Should be grafted on Tampa, Dog Ridge, or La·ke Emerald rootstock for best performance. Blue Lake-A blue grape, especially good for juice and jelly. Plants are vigorous; 'fruit ripens mid-July. Does well on own roots. Roucaneuf-A pink grape introduced as a wine variety. Should be grafted on Tampa, Dog Ridge, or Lake Emerald rootstock. A French hybrid wine grape. MissBlue-A vigorous, dark blue grape with compact clusters. Appears resistant to Pierce's disease. MidSouth-Similar to MissBiue, although clusters are more open. Good for eating fresh or making jelly. There are a number of other bunch and hybrid grapes that may do well in certain small areas of the state. If you wish to try them, plant only a few in case they don't do well. European grapes (Vitis vinifera) have not done well in the deep South and are not recom mended. Purchasing Plants Bunch and French hybrid grapes, unlike muscadines, do notre quire cross-pollination. Therefore, it is not necessary to buy two or more varieties. You may, however, want several varieties to extend the fruiting season. Most bunch grapes are sold as 1- or 2-year-old plants. Generally, the 2-year-old plants grow off better and are ~orth the small, extra investment. BeARCHIVE sure to buy them from a reliable source. Planting The Vine Since most bunch grapes are somewhat less vigorous than the native muscadine, only 10 feet of row will be required for each vine. Lay off the rows at least 10 feet apart (12 feet on hilly land). Straight rows are better for level or slightly rolling land; contour rows are rec~ ommended for hilly terrain. Prior to setting the vines, soil test and •Thompson Seedless is not recommended for Alabama because of susceptibility to Pierce's disease. 5 adjust the soil pH to 6.0 to 6.5 with dolomitic limestone. Dolomite supplies magnesium, and most Alabama soils are low in that element. To plant, prepare a hole large enough to accommodate the en tire root system in its natural spread. Set the plant at or slightly lower than the level it grew in the nursery. Fill the hole with topsoil and firm it. Do not put fertilizer in the hole. (See Fertilization, page 10.) Water liberally. After pfunting, cut the vine back to a single stem with two or three good buds remaining. When growth begins, you will select the main trunk of the vine from the stronger of these shoots. Trellis Systems And Trellis Construction Two trellis systems are commonly used to train bunch and hybrid grapes in the South: the double curtain and the four-arm kniffin. The double curtain trellis system is probably the most desirable of the two systems because more grape foliage is exposed to direct sunlight, increasing yields. This system provides two wires 4 feet apart and 5 feet above the ground. Figures 1 and 2 show details of how to construct the double curtain trellis. The four-arm kniffin training system is considerably less expen sive to construct. However, the foliage on the lower fruiting canes are shaded by the upper canes, which reduces the quality and pro ductivity of the grapes on the lower wire. Figure 3 shows construc tion of the two-wire vertical trellis used for the four-arm kniffin. ARCHIVE Figure 1. Details for constructing the n4' double curtain trellis. ' I •·- --...I 6 I '* Ej Chain repair link ~ r 1j2 .. r--.1 I I I I ' .. , I ·. ' I 69" I I ,.m ,. ,ror 54" tolground : : I I :______ : ~Post IW. Nv /lt'vv N'/'" Figure 2. Details of the double curtain support system . 4" min. diameter 3" min. diameter ! No. 9 wire t r! 2'6"" . ~P-t'st~ • No. 9 wire ~ LD e; t ~0 3' ~ ~ ~~ + I 1+- 8'--+1 I 20' u :_j f 1W Figure 3. Details for constructing a two-wire vertical trellis used for the four-arm kniffin system. ARCHIVETraining Young Vines Immediately after planting, cut back the strongest cane to two or three strong buds. Remove any other canes. It is sometimes difficult to determine the condition of a dormant vine. When that is the case, leave five or six buds and, when growth starts, allow only the most vigorous or desirable ones to develop into shoots. If you cannot construct your trellis the first growing season, drive a stake 4 to 5 feet high in the soil near each vine and train the new growth to it. Tie the shoots loosely or use plastic tape to avoid the possibility of girdling. 7 Following the first growing season, the plants should be trained to the trellis system you will use. FoR THE DouBLE CuRTAIN-Develop a double trunk for each vine approximately 30 inches above the ground (Figure 4). This is done by pinching off the growing point and forcing two shoots to develop. Train one trunk to grow to one of the trellis wires and the other trunk to the other wire. Under ideal conditions, the double trunk system should be developed after the first growing season. FoR THE FouR-ARM KNIFFEN- Develop a single strong shoot from the young plant by removing competing shoots. Train this shoot to a string or stake running from the upper wire of the trellis to the ground. The second year should be devoted to developing a strong plant that can support some fruiting during the third season. Figure 4 shows vines properly trained to the double curtain trellis; Figure 5 shows pruning and training to the two-wire trellis.