[ranat22]

i have had a bit of a read on the threads i found on here regaurding grapes.

this will be my first attemp,i will be growing in a cold greenhouse,planted straight into the ground and going by what i have read in the in autum of the 2nd year i cut back to 3 buds?...........................was wondering if there is any essential tips/advice tht i need to know.........ie frost during winter......feeding.........and so on!!


any tips would be apreciated.......thanx...........ray 

[realfood]

Grape vines are frost hardy, so not a problem. Try a slow release fertiliser such as bone meal as you do not want a lot of soft growth.

[sunshineband]

One tip is to plant the root outside the greenhouse and lead it in through a gap in the glass, as then it gets watered when it rains.

The fruit then benefits from the warmth inside to ripen.

Train the framework along the side eaves of the greenhouse and it is easy to keep pruned onot this from year to year.

Werks fer me 

Oh, and don't overfeed -- they manage on very little 

[Trillium]

Not only do grapes manage on very little, they thrive on it. Being stressed for food is what makes them sweet. And they do prefer to grow very deep tap roots to look for water, which makes them very heat tolerant (should you ever get heat  )

I tried trimming my grape plants back to 4 vines with a few buds each, but different varieties react differently. One variety I have, Suffolk, has taken over the pergola despite numerous cuttings back and the vines are absolutely loaded with fruit. Another variety, Kay Gray, is only just surviving, while Sommerset has a few clusters each.

[ranat22]

thanx for the tips people 

[Silkworm]

Hi just a few tips,
First dig a very large and deep hole at least 2'- 0" round and if you can 3'- 0" deep,
then fill it in again mixing the soil with some chalk or Dolamite lime, this will allow the roots
to grow and become established much quicker (instead of fighting there way down)
Make sure they have plenty of ventilation or you will get mould or mildew, mine ( muscat)
grow in the roof of the green house and the root is in the green house, a few pains of glass l took out from the lower part in the side to increase ventilation, l never feed them, and only water for the first year after l never water them, plenty of fruit.
prune hard in feb/march and during summer take off quite a lot of leaf growth mainly the old leaves, this allows more sunlight (you probably need that Op north) and more ventilation.
l would put up you trellis first before planting, it will be easier and you wont disturb the roots.
In the green house l wouldnt worry about frost but outside yes frost can kill off arms/cordons/branches like last year.

As for leaving three buds it depends on how you want to train your vine.

Best of luck, let us know how you get on.

Silky 

[vanilla8]

Hi all,
Just wondered if i could gatecrash this thread!

I have a bed with 6 cuttings of grape vines which someone gave me in January. All the cuttings have taken and i was just wondering when i would be able to move the vines? The bed i have them in at the moment is not really ideal for training any of them

[stompy]

Move the vines in winter in their dormant period. 

[Trillium]

Or, pot them up in good sized pots and set them in a better location until you can plant them out. If you can get hold of the 1 or 2 gallon nursery pots, those will do the trick until next year.

The last thing you want to do is disturb the main tap root which could be developing quickly during UK winters.