Grape vine in distress!

Hi all,

Please can you help with my grape vine?

I purchased it earlier in the year, I don't know how old I can only guess with my lack of experience 1-3 years maybe?

It's a Muscat bleu and meant to be mildew resistant and good UK cropping.

It's potted on our patio in (I'll admit) cheap supermarket compost. It needs to be potted as we may be moving at some point and I know I'll be attached to it if it survives.

Anyway, it's basically not looked particularly happy since I've had it, the leaves dry and browning and no fruit. The patio gets a lot of heat over the summer and I keep it against a wall, but it can get windy here too. I tried watering very regular over the summer but still the same.

I'm basically wondering what I can do to improve its chances for next year. Would it be better after winter pruning to move it in the greenhouse over winter? Is there a series of steps that might help it? I'd love to see fruit next year, but if not.. At least a happier plant.

Any and all advice is most welcome, thank you in advance! Also the bamboo set up is temporary till I figure out a final resting place and how/ where best to train it.

 

The leaves are falling off grapevines now. It would of been best to plant into a loam based compost like john innes no3 mixed 50 -50 with multi purpose compost . They do need watering over the summer months when they are in a pot but resent waterlogged soil , Better to give it a good soak once a week than give it dribs and drabs every day . Most Grapevines are totally hardy and this should be as its a outdoor variety, I would leave it in a sheltered area next to the house in a rain shadow if you can, some of the green stems may get blackened over winter cause they are not mature enough just prune these off early spring .

Usually takes at least 2 years to get fruit but more like 3 years . Maybe consider re potting it in a more suitable / longer lasting compost late winter .

 

Thank you! Leaf fall has definitely increased but they've looked unhealthy all year so I think a new potting mix sounds a good plan and I'll check drainage too.

Thanks again for the advice. Think I read about late winter pruning for this one, are you suggesting spring is better? Thanks,

 

Hard pruning must be done in January ( most dormant ) they can bleed a lot if any brown woody branches are pruned during any other time. The branches I am on about will already be dead due to frost damage so are fine to prune out , you could put it in a cold greenhouse if you like it may help protect the green stems but still may die back. You need to think what shape / train to what you want the grapevine to be before any hard pruning - trained onto a structure pergola - across a wire / canes on a fence - grown as a standard , I would properly go with a standard if you are keeping it in a pot . I've trained mine across a wire in the greenhouse it would be classed a rod & spur system.

 

I think you need to hard prune it this year, I find when you plant a new one it needs a hard prune the first year as the growth is usually pretty weak when they are sold.

That way you get stronger new growth the following year, it also means you can start proper training training of the plant.

I'd be inclined to knock it out the pot this winter and have a look at the root system, it may not have done much, which would explain the poor growth and mildew.
Then at the same time you could replace the compost with a loam based one as Perki says.

I'd tend to disagree with Perki on the pruning slightly in that I prune pretty much as soon as the leaves have fallen, that gives the wood a longer time to heal before the new season, pruning after January stands a good chance of having the cuts bleed once the sap starts rising.

 

Should add I've got a Muscat Bleu 3 yrs old now, got the first real crop this year.
Quite impressed, very early and good sized berries that dont require much thinning, down side is the pips.