Grape growing.

Just received my first ever grape plant "Black Hamburg" It's a two year old plant and supplied to me as a pruned back stem rooted in a 1.5 litre pot. The stem is pencil thick and pruned back to approx 2.5 ft, there are an abundance of buds along the stem.

I've been planning on growing a grape for quite some time so I have researched and read all about growing and pruning etc etc to the nth degree. But one thing is not too clear is that for the first couple of years you cut the plant back hard so its vigour grows.

So here is my daft question, the leader (main stem) has been pruned do I take what is in effect a side shoot and grow that on as the leader for the next season?

So that eventually the main stem becomes a series of pruned back side shoots as the seasons go by?

Many thanks!

Steve...

 

I had a Bob Flowerdew recommended Boskoop Glory growing in a large pot for the last two summers and last year it had several bunches of grapes.

However, not wanting to put a downer on your efforts, but as Monty Don also found out the other year, you have to watch out for the small wasps and hornets as if just one grapes skin is broken is like putting out the flags, they get in everywhere and I'm sure they can then break into other sound grapes.

I tried netting the bunches , but not easy and they still got in.

Because it was growing up against the house wall considered it a bit too much of a safety risk as though we do not seem to have many around generally, those big hornets are really mean beasties.

Would suggest you site it well away from the house and young kids and be vigilent once the grapes get bigger/sweet than say 5-10mm in diameter.

 

Thanks Ricky,

My vine is going inside my tunnel at my allotment..no kids so all good. It'll be a couple of years before I get fruit and by then I will have mesh covering the doors when they are opened, this is part of my original design and why all 4 doors on the tunnel open inwards, the same for windows that I have yet to fit, the tunnel was only mostly finished last June, well finished enough to function that is.

I've wanted a vine since before MD started growing his on GW and I do remember the wasp incident as I watched and my personal thought is that the wasps got in through the hole in the wall where he grows it from the outside to the inside. Mine is grown completely inside and in a couple of years and at fruit ripening time, all openings will be mesh covered.

Steve...

 

I've messed around with grapes, in and out,for many years, on and off, and that Monty attack from wasps is the first time I've ever seen it.

I wonder how vineyards get on?

I've planted a Lakemont seedless on my allotment last year and just bought a variety called flame which I intend growing by the side of it, both are seedless.
I have a black hamburg growing on a fence but I must admit I dont consider it much as regarding flavour and probably best as a wine grape.

As to pruning, I'm no expert but I tend to grow a leader then let side shoots form.

My plants are both grafted so first year I let just one shoot grow and I trained it straight up.
This year I have cut back by two thirds and will allow side shoots, also it is now at an angle of 45 degrees.
Eventually the plan is to grow it horizontally on wires, with the grapes forming on the side shoots which will be cut back to one bud each winter.

I grew a muscat of alexandria for a number of years in a greenhouse by this method.

 

They grow fairly well outside here...I grow several seedless white varieties, one black seedless and Muscat of Alexandria (snap! pete). We have severe problems with wasps and hornets but if you get jam/beer/wine traps up early enough and avoid leaving their preferred building materials lying about, you can keep them under control. Simple trap recipe: Cut a 1.5l plastic bottle about 1/4 of the way down. Invert the neck into the rest of the bottle to form a funnel. Staple around the edge. punch a couple of holes, thread garden wire or string through holes. Half-fill with diluted jam or wine (or beer, but it's less effective) and hang up near vulnerable fruits. You'll be amazed at how many stripy ******s you catch! I caught the first Asian hornets two days ago.
Re. vines, round here, treating them with Bordeaux mixture is de rigeur to avoid powdery mildew and leaf spot diseases.....but those probably wouldn't be such a problem under plastic?