No Grapes this year.

Hello all,

I have an established grape vine in a sheltered south facing aspect, it's been in for about 7 years now, main stem about 6' high and have a cordon against the wall and a couple of 6' long horizontal spurs from the top of the main stem tied to wires to form a sort of pergola.

This year it's produced next to no fruit although the foliage growth has been more than usual, I've pruned it back slightly a month or so ago, it now needs another as it's going mad, it's got a touch of grey mould on lower leaves but not to bad.

Last year it had a lot of fruit but due to the weather most of it was poor, the only food it gets is a bag or 2 of horse muck around the base as the roots are growing under a raised deck, it gets enough water as a down pipe arrangement soaks it in wet weather.

Has anyone else had similar problems this year or possibly ad some advice on what I need to do to get a bumper harvest next year, we made wine from it 3 years ago but since then not enough fruit.

Thanks for your time,
Tony.

 

I have had to butcher my outdoor vine due to a change of windows and other building work, so cannot comment much on this year's performance - no fruit at all but didn't expect any. Last year's was poor and thin like yours, whereas 2 years ago there was a pretty good yield. No advice to offer, I'm afraid, but I will be following this post to pick up ideas from other people!

 

I have a vine that was planted two seasons ago. It is growing up, and also now, along the top of a large pergola. It has masses of fruit which at the moment are all about 6 or 7 mm in size. I have pruned the carrying stems back to a couple of leaves above the bunches and intend to reduce the number of fruits on each bunch by 50%, within the next few days. Since it's my first attempt to grow grapes, I have no idea of the likely outcome.

 

Hi Tony! My white grape vine died this year after 4 years of reasonable growth. It was fine at the end of last season and then just didn't do anything in the spring. No apparent reason - no pests or disease evident. A black grape vine in a similar position has put on a lot of healthy leaf this year but only a couple of bunches have developed so far. It's south-facing so it gets all the sun there is, and we haven't lacked for rain this summer. I think a lot of vine-success depends on pruning correctly & at the right time - something I need to check up on. You could also try a more specialised fertiliser around the roots. Hope you have better results in time.

 

Just a thought but there could be a connection with last years season.
A good summer ripens the wood and helps to form resting buds containing flowering shoots, which do so the following year.
So just maybe the poor summer last year is affecting this years crop.

I dont think grapes growing in the soil are ever likely to suffer from drought in the UK, once established, the opposite is more likely.
Very lush sappy growth which is easily killed by winter frost, and poor ripening of the wood.

Just guessing, but they dont like it wet, and thats a fact.

 

Hello again,

Thanks for all the comments, they all seem to make sense, but still no Grapes LOL

Thanks Stoney as I understand it the correct spring/summer pruning is to cut back to 2 sets of leaves on fruiting spurs (after the fruit) and 3 on all others, but that's difficult with no fruit at all, I want to give it the best chance of fruiting next year so apart from trimming I'm letting it grow away, and perhaps having a year off.

Like your remaining vine Lindyco this is also a Black grape but I don't know the variety, it was donated many years ago and like many "runts" that you plant out it's done realy well. It gets it's main cut back/prune in early winter, I cut back to old hard wood and cut the last years spurs back to what I think looks about right, but very close to the wood, in the late spring when the sap starts rising it will actually drip sap, first time it happened about 4 years ago I wondered why there were wet patches on the decking below, looking up you could almost see the sap running out of the end of the plant.

And thanks Pete, I thought the poor performance this year might have been down to lack of sun late last season, so much for global warming....no grapes this year, potato and tomato blight last year and onion bottom rot this year, can't we just go back to having a winter and summer.

Thanks for your time again,
Tony.