Wine And Beer

Grape Growing For Beginners

Growing your own produce whether fruit or vegetables is rewarding in more ways than just saving money on expensive shop prices. Being able to walk on your own land and pick your very own home grown grapes is quite an experience. However to get to that stage you need to understand a few basics. If you simply plant a vine there is a better than even chance it will grow. That's not the same as flourish. To enable any plant to develop into a healthy one and in the case of a crop producer like a grapevine, a productive plant needs the proper care and attention.Before you even go out to buy one or more vines a bit of research is warranted because different varieties of rootstock demand different conditions. While some can happily cope with slightly cooler areas and less sun other will fail to develop and may even die. So ensure you select the right type of rootstock from the vast choice that will thrive in your locality.Next get the ground prepared. I personally prefer to install the trellis before planting the rootstock for the simple reason it is easier than trying to build a trellis around exisiting plants. Also there is less chance of damage to the plant especially roots when sinking trellis posts onto the ground.The initial soil preparation for all vines is pretty much the same. The roots will be able to spread and put out a good network in ground that has had a liberal amount of well rotted organic material or manure deep dug into it prior to planting. The make-up of the soil should be reasonably well draining but not too light. Vines don't like sitting in boggy ground but they will dry out too quickly in hot weather in fast draining ground. This can cause damage to the plant and if in fruit the grapes can split when watered.It will take a couple of years or so for a young vine to even begin to start producing grapes. The quality and quantity you get will be much dependant on the care you give the plant in feeding, watering and more importantly the pruning. Pruning a grape plant correctly is vital because it will affect its shape, size and the fruit production. During the early years it is vital several strong shoots are selected and allowed to grow. In subsequent years these shoots and others will become the 'limbs' of the vine. In time the limbs will further produce wood and growth that will bear the grape bunches. You need to understand the basic rules of which shoots to select and develop and what to prune away. If you fail to prune properly your plant may be lush in leaves and branches but have little or poor grapes because all the energy has gone into useless growth at the expense of the fruit.Even from the first year standard care and maintenance of the plants involve ensuring you are vigilant against pests and disease. There are certain pests that may not be a bother in the early years such as birds but later as heavy bunches of grapes adorn your trees birds will attack them and netting or other safe ethical deterrents will be needed. As any new parent soon learns, you will need to recognise symptoms of illness and more critically signs of disease. The sooner something not right is detected and dealt with the better before it becomes serious and a real threat to the life of your plant.Grape vines are really no different to any other kind of garden plant. They have their own likes and dislikes and are prone to their own types of diseases and health problems. That being said they are extremely easy to grow and care for and the rewards are fantastic. Even if it is just one vine in a plant pot on a patio, grow some grapes, you'll never regret it.