Agricultural Extension Service The University of Tennessee PB 1689 So You Want to Grow Grapes in Tennessee 1 conditions. American grapes are So You Want to Grow versatile. They may be used for fresh consumption (table grapes) or processed into wine, juice, jellies or Grapes in Tennessee some baked products. Seedless David W. Lockwood, Professor grapes are used mostly for fresh Plant Sciences and Landscape Systems consumption, with very little demand for them in wines. Yields of seedless varieties do not match ennessee has a long history of grape production. Most recently, those of seeded varieties. They are T passage of the Farm Winery Act in 1978 stimuated an upsurge of also more susceptible to certain interest in grape production. If you are considering growing grapes, the diseases than the seeded American following information may be useful to you. varieties. French-American hybrids are crosses between American bunch 1. Have you ever grown winery, the time you spend visiting and V. vinifera grapes. Their grapes before? others will be a good investment. primary use is for wine. uccessful grape production Vitis vinifera varieties are used S requires a substantial commit- 3. What to grow for wine. Winter injury and disease ment of time and money. It is a American problems seriously curtail their marriage of science and art, with a - seeded growth in Tennessee. good bit of labor thrown in. While - seedless Muscadines are used for fresh our knowledge of how to grow a French-American hybrid consumption, wine, juice and jelly. crop of grapes continues to expand, Vitis vinifera Vines and fruits are not very we always need to remember that muscadine susceptible to most insects and some crucial factors over which we Of the five main types of grapes diseases. The primary drawback to have little control, such as the grown in the United States, muscadine culture in Tennessee is weather, can offset even our best American and French-American a lack of sufficient cold hardiness. efforts. hybrid varieties are the best Injury to the aboveground portion of adapted to Tennessee growing the plant is quite likely to occur at 2. What is your intended market? • Own use • Commercial - table - wine - both Most grape production in Tennessee is for wine. A few vineyards sell a portion of their crop for fresh consumption. Either way, it is essential to thoroughly investigate the market to help you decide what to plant. If you want to sell fruit to a winery, one of the first things you should do is visit several wineries. This will help you determine their needs and, therefore, what types of grapes and varieties you might plant. Even if you plan to develop your own 2 temperatures of 10 degrees F or type” if cut back to ground level and mounded around the base of the lower. Death of these tissues will allowed to resprout, which may be vines in the fall to protect the lower occur at 0 F. necessary in the event of cold injury trunk and the graft union. This Not only is it essential to or when trunks are being renewed. mound must be removed the discuss the type(s) of grape(s) to In a replant situation (where vines following spring. Mounding can be grow, but the varieties of each as have recently been removed and done mechanically. However, it is well. Within each type of grape, new vines are being set in the same an expensive practice that has the there are many varieties. site), survival, growth and fruiting potential of doing damage to the Considerable differences exist may be better with grafted versus trunks if not done correctly. among these varieties with regard own-rooted cuttings. to disease susceptibility, cold For V. vinifera varieties, grafted 5. Start small hardiness and fruit characteristics. plants are generally suggested. etting a vineyard is a fairly Extension PB 746, Tree Fruit, Tree Certain rootstocks provide S expensive operation requiring Nut and Small Fruit Cultivar resistance to grape root phylloxera, a substantial investment in money, Recommendations for an insect that attacks the roots of management and labor. Care of the Tennessee, available at your V. vinifera varieties. Desirable site prior to planting and of the county Extension office, lists growth characteristics may be vineyard for the first few years of its varieties that have performed enhanced by these rootstocks. The life will determine the vineyard’s satisfactorily in Tennessee or areas primary disadvantages of grafted potential throughout its life. For the with similar growing conditions. vines, in addition to price, include new grape grower, it is fairly the presence of the graft union, common to be overwhelmed by the 4. Type of plant (rooted which serves as a possible point for time and effort needed to set and cutting vs. grafted vine) crown gall development, and the develop a vineyard. Every planting or American, French- loss of the variety if the vine is killed is a new learning experience – F American hybrid and to ground level. New sprouts that especially the first one. It is for muscadine grapes, purchasing develop following dieback of the these reasons that you should start good-quality rooted cuttings is portion of the vine above the graft out with a small planting. Lessons suggested for most situations. would have characteristics of the learned with it will prove invaluable Such vines are less expensive than rootstock and not the desired in subsequent plantings. How small grafted vines and have the variety. To lessen chances of this is small? Here we have to go back advantage of remaining “true-to- occurring, soil is frequently to point number 2, What is your intended market? If you intend to sell fruit to a commercial winery, you need to discuss with the winery operator what he or she would consider the minimum quantity of juice of a given variety in which the winery would be interested. Wineries generally are not very interested in purchasing only enough fruit to yield a partial tank of juice. The following figures will help you get an approximate idea of how many vines to plant: Expected yield (per plant or per acre): 10 to 15 pounds per vine 3 to 5 tons per acre 3 Yields will vary considerably 7. Establishment costs number of vines ordered exceeds depending on the variety, training Plants: certain levels. system, soils, water, fertilizer rates, lant costs may vary depending Trellises: (costs will vary losses to pests and several other P on the nursery, quantity of depending on source and quantity) factors. However, the figures vines to be purchased, variety, The trellis should be designed to presented above are reasonable. grafted vs. non-grafted vines, support the vines and the crop, patent charges and grade or size of permit good light penetration Gallons of juice per ton of fruit: vines. Therefore, the prices listed throughout the canopy and facilitate 130 to 150 gallons are not absolute, but should be ease of management of the sufficient to give you a good basis planting. A good trellis is expensive This figure will vary with the type of for planning purposes. to construct. However, a weak grape and with the individual trellis, while being less expensive winery. Expect muscadines to yield 1-year, #1 vines initially, may turn out to be much closer to the 130-gallon figure and American varieties more expensive if it fails during the other types of grapes to yield closer $0.95 to $1.50 each growing season or requires to the 150-gallon figure or higher. additional upkeep. French-American varieties Cost of materials for a single 6. Time until the first crop $1.35 to $1.90 each wire trellis, such as would be used ite preparation for a vineyard with the bilateral cordon system, S should begin at least six Seedless varieties has been estimated at $3,500 per months to a year in advance of $2.30 to $2.60 each acre (2001 prices). Labor costs planting. would be extra. Expect to receive the first Vitis vinifera varieties commercial crop of grapes four (grafted) years after planting. Under good $3.50 to $5.50 each conditions, it may be possible to reach this point in three years. Muscadines However, under less favorable $1.40 to $5.00 each conditions, it may take longer than four years. Full production in the Expect prices to be vineyard should be recognized substantially higher if your total about one year following the first order is less than 50 plants. Price commercial crop. discounts may be given as the Item Specifications Unit Cost end posts l0 ft. in length x 5 to 6 in. diameter $14.80 line posts Wood, 8 ft. in length x 5 to 6 in. diameter 9.95 Steel, 8 ft. length 3.10 wire # 11 crimped, high-tensile with class III galvanized coating, 250 ft. roll 7.95 fence staples 1 inch, $0.69 per pound 0.03 anchors mobile home type 6.00 deadend wire tightener 2.40 splice repair wire (splice) 3.76 cross arms 4 ft. length for Geneva Double Curtain System 7.00 4 Example 1: Plant spacing 8 ft. inrow x 10 ft. between rows. Row length - 240 ft. (end post to end post) Training system - bilateral cordon (240 ft. inrow length x 180 ft. (18 rows 10 ft. apart) = 0.99 acre) # items/row Item unit cost row cost acre cost 2 end posts $14.80 $29.60 $532.80 14 line posts (wood) 9.95 139.30 2507.40 (1/2 steel @$3.10, 1/2 wood@ $9.95) 9.95 91.35 1644.30 1 roll wire 7.95 7.95 143.10 2 anchors 6.00 12.00 216.00 2 deadends 2.40 4.80 86.40 14 Staples 0.03 0.42 7.56 $194.07 $3493.26 (Substituting steel line posts for 1/2 the wood line posts) 146.12 2630.16 Example 2: Vine spacing 8 ft.