Wednesday 10 November 2010

Growing Orchids You will Love

You too could have the most beautiful orchids in 7 days or less using the latest cutting edge information on growing orchids that took over a year to research and compile into this amazing ebook.


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Tuesday 9 November 2010

Purple Wisteria Vine Five Gallon

Purple Wisteria Vine Five GallonDense clusters of fragrant, purple flowers adorn this vine in early spring. Perfect for covering pergolas, arbors or fences where the pendulous flower clusters can be enjoyed. Deciduous. Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer. Provide support such as a trellis or arbor. Prune annually to control size. Hardy to -10 to -20°'s. Shipped as a potted five gallon vine in its original soil and container.

Price: $69.98


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Grape Planting 101 - 7 Easy Care Tips and Advice For Grape Planting


Planting grapes, whether in your backyard or in a huge vineyard, rewards you with so many things. This is the reason why more and more people make this as their hobby, or even their business. But to be successful, you have to know basic tips for grape planting and here they are.

o Select the location where you want to plant grapes. Grapes love areas where they can bathe under the sun. They love the heat of the sun. The soil should also be appropriate, not too clay-ey or sandy, it should be loamy and can drain water well. Grapes can also grow in both flat and sloping lands.

o Construct a support system for your grape vines. When grape plants grow, their leaves will be bushier, their stems will be longer and thicker, and their fruits will be heavier. This is the reason why the support should be strong. There are several kinds of grape support systems or trellis such as posts with wires (usually used in vineyards), rail fence, or a simple wooden trellis (for garden grapes). Just make sure that your trellis cannot be easily destroyed by heavy rain, strong wind, and also the weight of the grape plants.

o When buying for grape seedlings, choose bare-root dormant vines. You should also plant them while they are in this condition. The season when this happens to grape vines is in winter season. The holes where you want to plant your grape vine should be about two feet deep and should have plenty of spaces in between to avoid crowding and competition for water, sunlight, and nutrients.

o Water your grape plants on a regular basis. If it is summer time and rain is scarce, you can construct a drip irrigation to water your grape plants from below. Watering your grape plants overhead can cause mildew or fungal infections or diseases. Try to keep the leaves dry, if possible.

o If you want to make sure that your grape plants can get enough nutrients, use a well-balanced fertilizer. Use the recommended amount only in the fourth year. For the first three years, you should use a small amount of fertilizer and gradually increase it every year, until you reached the recommended amount in the fourth year. You can add fertilizer in spring.

o Know the pests associated with grapes. They are sometimes attacked by aphids, mealy bugs, leafhoppers, and berry moths that specifically infest grapes. Some avian also eat grapes. Most grapes also suffer from fungal diseases. You should know the different methods, natural or artificial, to beat these pests or diseases.

o Pull out weeds which will just take away nutrients or water from your grape plants. Insects that can be harmful to the grape plants sometimes live or feed on these weeds. Also, remove all the dead leaves and dead vines. Clean your garden or vineyard regularly. You can even put a net over your grape vines to ensure that birds cannot pick on those fruits again.

You have to be responsible if you want to have a successful vineyard which produces high quality grapes and grape products. All you need to do is to apply these helpful tips in your own vineyard or grape garden and you will be surprised at how much they can change everything in a good way.








Matthew James is a grape growing expert. For more great tips on grape planting and wine making then Click Here Now.


Monday 8 November 2010

Simon's Super-Charged Turbo-Cooled Grow Box

Complete plans and parts list for making the grow box and bubbler system. We tell you step-by-step how to make this baby and where to find everything you need. Included are growing instructions, and tons of color photos and diagrams. And the bonuses...


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From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Your Own Wine

From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Your Own WineCreate you own backyard winery!

From breaking ground to savoring the finished product, Jeff Cox's From Vines to Wines is the most complete and up-to-date guide to growing flawless grapes and making extraordinary wine.

Wine connoisseurs, gardeners, and home winemakers will find the latest techniques in this fully revised and updated edition. With thorough, illustrated instructions, you'll learn how to:

-- Choose and prepare a vineyard site

-- Construct sturdy and effective trellising systems

-- Plant, prune, and harvest the perfect grapes for your climate

-- Press, ferment, age and bottle your own wine

-- Judge wine for clarity, color, aroma, body, and taste

Price: $18.95


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Sunday 7 November 2010

Growing Grape Vines - To Make Your Grapes Amazing


For a healthy, productive crop of grapes, you must consider the source of the growth, the grape vine. The process of growing grape vines should be researched and considered very much to produce the best quality of grapes. Grape vine pruning is probably one of the most normally disregarded tasks on growing grapes and maintaining an effective backyard grape garden. Most new farmers do not really understand how important it is to perform pruning on grapevines. Pruning is done of grapevines to attain a better quality of fruits from their vines.

Some grape growing enthusiasts, with great substantial crops, often complain about the quality of wine grapes their grapevine normally produced. And they don't know nor even have a simplest clue with regard to why their huge grape crop didn't achieve to produce the quality of grapes they are looking for.

The reason for such frustration is nothing but simply the necessity of grape vine pruning.

As you can't imagine it, pruning of grapes is a necessity particularly if you want to have a great tasting grape. If you don't prune your vines, it will generate more grapes more than it can manage. As a result, the grapevine will not have all the energy it needs to mature all those fruits, thus the bunch of grapes will now have poor taste and will be useless later on.

The stems have a tendency to grow curved and are normally not sturdy enough to resist the winter season. You will need to understand the proper time to prune. In addition, pruning of grapevines is essential to manage the range of your grape yield. Typically, grapes vines grow to size big enough to wrap a whole space. And this doesn't necessarily mean that they will be able to generate the best quality of grape fruits. In contrast, a correctly pruned grapevine will in due course provide you the most excellent grapes for eating, making wine or even selling.

Below is a list of quick grape vine growing tips that you can use as you start your grape vine pruning:

Determine when you will prune your vines. Knowing exactly the time of the year of when to carefully prune the vines can also help in attaining a good quality fruit. Remember that the best time to do this is during late winter or early spring. This will guarantee you of good fruit growth for the following year's season.

Before you begin, you should asses the amount in pounds of a 1 year old wood and hold the amount of fruiting canes in each vine. Make sure you leave an equal amount of renewal goads as the shoots on these goads will be you primary grape grower on the next season.

The moment you are done pruning your grapevines, cut down entirely all the extra canes and by means of their weight, identify the number of shoots to leave on the vine, It is advisable to utilize the method of 'balanced pruning' or better called as the formula of '30 plus 10'. This formula means leaving 30 shoots on the first pound of eliminated canes afterward an added 10 buds for each other pound.

Keep in mind that your main objective in grape vine pruning is to control the size of your grape crop, enhance the quality of your grapes and normalize a manageable fruit growth. At first, pruning of grapevines can be a challenging task but correct grape vine pruning will definitely worth all your efforts the moment you see all your produced grapes are better than the usual, if you follow this basic guide to growing grape vines.








Kim Drew is a grape vine growing and wine making enthusiast. Visit Grape Vine Growing Tips for more expert advice on growing grape vines, pruning, pest control and how to turn your garden grapes into wine.


Northern Wineworks: Growing Grapes and Making Wine in Cold Climates [2nd Edition]

Northern Wineworks: Growing Grapes and Making Wine in Cold Climates [2nd Edition]First published in 2002, this new edition to the standard guidebook for viniculturalists of fridged northern climes details the technical leaps of the last six years in growing and making quality cold-weather wines.
New and updated material in this edition include: Enhancing winter survival;Evaluating your regional climate for grape growing; Selecting a good vineyard site; Retraining winter-injured vines; Protecting vines from spring-frost injury; Matching varieties with climate constraints; Applying the lessons of warm winemaking to cold-weather grapes; Equipping and stocking a home winery; Avoiding common winemaking mistakes by using sound practices; Recognizing spoilage problems and applying remedies; Selecting yeast strains for specific wine styles; Improving your evaluation skills; Blending methodology for cold-weather varieties. And the appendix of cold weather grape varieties, organized by categories of relative hardiness, has been fully revised and expanded.

Price: $45.00


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Saturday 6 November 2010

The Backyard Vintner: An Enthusiast's Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Wine at Home

The Backyard Vintner: An Enthusiast's Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Wine at Home
Anyone who ever wanted to have homemade wine and never thought they had the space or ability to make it will love this book. The Backyard Vintner is a handy guide to at-home wine making that teaches readers the tips and tricks of the trade. It is perfect for those who want to bring the feeling of wine country right into their own backyard.

The Backyard Vintner teaches readers how to start and maintain a vineyard, providing vital information on topics such as planting, trellising, and proper pruning techniques for grapes; which grape varieties will grow best in every climate or region; and the wines that can be made from each variety. Basic recipes for wines, and advice on topics such as bottling, storing, and serving wines, are also provided.

Price: $19.99


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Concord Grape Vine Five Gallon Plant by Monrovia Growers

Concord Grape Vine Five Gallon Plant by Monrovia GrowersThe Concord grape emerged as the dominant cold climate American variety. Grow your own fruit by planting vine on trellis, arbor, pergola, or fence. Fast growth. Great tasting fruit yummy to eat fresh, or make into jam. Skins remove from fruit easily, so it lends itself to winemaking as well; ferment the juice and you are on the way to your own wine. Grapes are ready to harvest when they taste good. Prune to encourage next year's fruit production. Shipped in its original soil and five gallon container to ensure the best possible start when planted in yard or garden.

Price: $69.98


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Friday 5 November 2010

The Complete Tomato Growing System

Your Customers Learn How To Grow Organic Tomatoes The Correct Way, Without Expensive Supplies & Equipment. This Is A New & Unique Method Of Growing Big & Healthy Tomatoes. Sales Are Growing Fast, Grab Your Share Of This Growing Market.


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Growing Juicy, Delicious Tomatoes

The definitive guide to growing juicy, delicious tomatoes, every time. Whether it's your first time growing tomatoes or your twentieth, you can learn how to grow the most delicious tomatoes Ever and avoid all the problems that can crop up in the garden.


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Thursday 4 November 2010

Thompson Seedless Grape Vine One Gallon by Monrovia Growers

Thompson Seedless Grape Vine One Gallon by Monrovia GrowersAdd the beauty and pleasure of edible grapes to your landscape. Deciduous vines with bold foliage produce abundant clusters of colorful fruit each fall. They grow rapidly and will create a leafy roof over an arbor or a screen in one season. These selections are adapted to long, warm, growing seasons. Plant in full sun and enjoy. Sweet, seedless fruit in clusters. Great for fresh eating or make your own raisins!

Price: $32.98


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Choosing the Correct Grape Variety


So you decided to grow grapes then? That's great! But beware, this is where most home grape growers make their first mistake.

Choosing the correct grape variety is one of the most important decisions any home grape grower needs to take, when it comes to growing grapes. The correct variety will stand between being a successful grape grower or failure.

In the early days, choosing a grape vine variety that suits your climate, soil and growing conditions, was much harder than today. Nowadays, with more than 20 000 known grape varieties in the world, people living in climates, previously deemed unsuitable for growing grapes, can now plant varieties that was specially bred for to survive in harsh grape growing conditions.

Backyard grape growing is becoming more and more popular by the day, as people more and more strive to live healthier and look after our planet more carefully. Unfortunately, you cannot just plant any grape vine in your backyard. You will have to do some research on what varieties suits your climate, your soil and the availability of good quality water.

Another major concern for any home grape grower is a disease called Phylloxera. In the late 1800's, a phylloxera epidemic (a sap-sucking insect that feeds on the roots of the grape vine) destroyed more than two thirds of all the vineyards in Europe. The breeding of Phylloxera resistant/tollerant rootsock, prevented this disease from killing all grape vines. Planting grafted varieties is the preferred method today, because the rootstock does not interfere with the development of the grapes.

When choosing the correct grape variety, it is best to visit vineyards in your area and see what varieties are successfully grown there. Most of the time, this is a surefire way of knowing that you have chosen the right variety.

Cold damage to grape vines is another grape growing obstacle that will influence the choice of grape varieties. If cold damage is a problem where you live, choose a variety with a short growing season, so the grape vines have enough time to harden off before winter comes.

A final word of advice; if nobody grow grapes in your area, it doesn't mean grapes can't be grown there. Do some research and choose wisely. There is nothing more satisfying than enjoying grapes, grown on your own grape vine and prepared by your hands.

Good luck!








For even more grape growing tips, you can visit My Grape Vine and if you would like to become a member of The Grape Coaching Program, where you will learn how to grow grapes by means of video and mp3's, visit The Grape Coaching Program - get your 10 day FREE training right now!


Wednesday 3 November 2010

Guide To Grape Harvesting & Wine Making Tips

A Complete guide to growing your own grapes & making delicious wine. Written by a Wine Making Veteran. Complete step by step process


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Tuesday 2 November 2010

KidKraft Avalon Chair - Grape

KidKraft Avalon Chair - GrapeThe Avalon Chair is the perfect kid-size chair for your little one, who will love sitting down and relaxing in this fun and stylish chair.

Features:

  • Made of wood
  • Sturdy construction
  • For children ages 5 and up
  • Measures: 14" x 13.375" x 26.875"

Price: $59.90


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Grapes Growing at Mirassou Vineyards, San Jose, USA Photographic Poster Print

Grapes Growing at Mirassou Vineyards, San Jose, USA Photographic Poster Print

Grapes Growing at Mirassou Vineyards, San Jose, USA is digitally printed on archival photographic paper resulting in vivid, pure color and exceptional detail that is suitable for any museum or gallery display. Finding that perfect piece to match your interest and style is easy and within your budget!

Price:


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How to Tend to a Grape Vine Growing on a Trellis


Grape vines will naturally grow on a variety of structures like fences, trees or walls. Therefore it is important to establish a well-constructed structure that your grape vines can use as an anchor. A trellis system is important because grape vines cannot support the weight of a full harvest by themselves.



There are many different ways to build a trellis. Some trellises are built for functionality while others are meant to add to the landscape of the home. They can be simple or complex, and you can build it yourself or contract the job out to professionals. It all depends on the taste of the grape grower. A trellis can come in an array of different shapes and sizes in order to suit the needs of the grape grower. They can be made out of a variety of different materials such as iron, pre-treated wood, stainless steel, PVC pipe, or aluminum. The height of the trellis depends on the area where the grapes are growing. Shorter trellises are used in colder climates, since a trellis that is shorter has a better chance of withstanding winter weather. It also makes it easier for the grape grower to prepare the grape vine for winter. Taller trellises can be used in warmer climates. Shorter trellises use posts that are about three feet high while larger trellises require a post that is about eight feet high. While every trellis system is different, there is one thing that they all have in common - they must be sturdy and well made. Since a grape vine usually takes a few years to produce any grapes, the trellis system is going to be in place for a while.



The trellis system should be placed in the yard so that the grape vines will be exposed to a good amount of sunlight and good air movement. Natural sunlight and good air movement are huge factors in ripening the grapes and controlling grape diseases. After you have found the best location for your trellis, you should cement the posts that will support the trellis into the ground. Some grape growers secure their trellis posts by using catch wires anchored to the ground or by placing another much shorter post set in the ground next to the main post. The posts should be set into the ground about eight feet apart. Two rows of galvanized steel wire should be run between the posts. The first wire row runs along the bottom of the posts about three inches from the ground. The second wire needs to run along the top of the posts. A staple gun can be used to staple the wires in place.



As soon as your grape vines starts growing, you will want to start training them to grow on the trellis. This can take years. The main shoot that is growing should be tied vertically to the trellis. You can use string to do this. String will not damage the shoot like wire could. Grape vines grow very slowly, and after the next dormant period, two shoots from either side of the main shoot should be tied horizontally to the trellis. These shoots will serve as the base for the fruit.


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The Best Tomato Growing Ebook On The Internet. Earn over 16 $ Per Sale. 64 Pages Filled With Beautiful Pictures And Step By Step Instructions On How To Grow Best Tasting Tomatoes. Feel Free To Email Us For Help And Advice !


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Monday 1 November 2010

The Annual Life Cycle of a Grape Vine


In this article, I want to share with you the importance of understanding the annual life cycle of the grape vine. Often new grape growers make the mistake of thinking that if they prune their grape vines during the dormant season, they have done enough to ensure their grape growing success.

Off course, pruning a grape vine is important, don't get me wrong, but there's so much more to growing grapes, than simply just pruning.

A single manipulation, like pruning, is only part of the bigger picture when it comes to growing grapes but to be a successful grape grower, you need to know what to do during each and every stage of the annual life cycle of the grape vine. Leaving out one important manipulation, like leaf pulling as in the previous post, can result in having poor quality grapes or even no grapes at all.

The annual life cycle of a grape vine:

The first signs of bud break in spring.

This time of the season, the shoots that develop, are very susceptible to frost damage so you need to protect it from frost damage. It is also the best time to plant your new grape vines.

Depending on your climate, the first leaves will open about 4 weeks after bud break. Your grape vines are still very susceptible to frost damage, so protect them. With some very fruitful varieties, the first grapes will be visible as well. This is the time when the grape vine starts building up energy through the process of photosynthesis.

When the shoots are about 5 to 6 inches in length, your need to spray for powdery mildew. Protect the surface of the small leaves from diseases to maximize photosynthesis. And as soon as the flower clusters developed, it is imperative that you keep your vine fungus free.

Now it's time to do suckering (removing of unnecessary shoots) and also to remove water shoots to ensure all energy goes into forming and developing the flower clusters. On some very fruitful varieties, you can start reducing the crop by removing flower clusters before they start flowering. Your grape vine's shoots should be well developed by this stage.

Flowering:

About 10 weeks after bud break, depending on your climate and variety, the first flower clusters will start to flower. Flowering or blooming is the stage where the pollination and fertilization of the grape vine takes place,to develop the grape berries.

While the grape vine is flowering, the ideal climate is mild, wind-free days with no rain. Unwanted climate conditions (rain, too hot or too cold days, and lots of wind), can prevent proper pollination and could result in too compact bunches or too loose bunches with only a small number of berries per bunch

Grape vines are very susceptible to powdery and downy mildew during this stage, so keep your spray program up to date.

Fruit set:

Just after flowering, the grape vine goes through a stage we call fruit set. During this stage, all the fertilized flowers will start to develop into berries and those that didn't, will fall off. The conditions during flowering will greatly determine how many berries will develop and how many not.

During fruit set, it is critical that you grape vines don't dry out too much as this is the stage where cell division takes place. The more cells that will develop, the more there are to enlarge (next stage) and the bigger berries you grape vines will bear.

Cell enlargement:

During this stage the cells that developed in the previous stage (fruit set), will increase in size and it is a crucial time of the year for developing larger berries. Your grape vines will start to use more water as the berries increase in size.

Once the berries are the size of a pea, the thinning out of bunches by hand or chemically will ensure loose bunches, with larger berries and less diseases. You absolutely must ensure that your grape vines are not water stressed during this stage.

Some varieties are very susceptible to sunburn or scald and most of the damage to these varieties takes place during cell enlargement. Maintaining a closed canopy will help prevent sunburn.

Colouring (Veraison):

Veraison is when the berries start to soften and turn colour and signal the beginning of the ripening process. Normally takes place around 40-50 days after fruit set. The early stages of veraison is where you will notice a dramatic increase in berry size.

In the Northern Hemisphere, this is around the end of the July into August and between the end of November into January for the Southern Hemisphere. During this stage the colours of the grape take form-red/black or yellow/green depending on the grape varieties. This colour changing is due to the chlorophyll in the berry skin being replaced by anthocyanins (red wine grapes) and carotenoids (white wine grapes). In a process known as engustment, the berries start to soften as they build up sugars.

Some varieties tends to have poor colour, so opening up the canopy and removing leaves around the bunches, will help colour development.

Berry maturity:

Many home growers make the mistake of thinking the grapes are ready for harvest when it start

to colour. The colouring of the skin is a good indication that the grapes are nearly ripe enough

to harvest, but not ready yet.

The ripeness of grapes is measured in Degrees Brix (symbol °Bx). This is a measurement of the mass ratio of dissolved sugar to water in a liquid. A 25 °Bx solution is 25% (w/w), with 25 grams of sugar per 100 grams of solution. Or, to put it another way, there are 25 grams of sucrose sugar and 75 grams of water in the 100 grams of solution.

There is an instrument called a refractometer, that measures the sugar levels of the juice squeezed from a few berries. This instrument unfortunately is quite expensive and only if you plan to make your own wine, I would recommend buying one.

Dormancy:

It should be close to winter now, and the leaves of the grape vine will start to change colour and fall off and your grape vine will go into rest (dormancy). During this time of the year, the grape vine accumulates carbohydrates in the canes, trunk and roots of the vine for the upcoming growing season.

This is the time of the year when the grape vines need to be pruned. In colder climates, it is best to wait until early spring, before you prune the grape vine.








Danie has been in the grape growing business for more than a decade. He owns an export grape farm and with his award-winning quality grapes, there simply isn't a better place on the internet to get all your grape growing questions answered. Go check out his site at http://www.my-grape-vine.com


Grape Planting


Bunches of morsels filled with sweet, juicy goodness -- that is what most people think of grapes. Grapes are actually berries, and grow in bunches numbering between six and an amazing 300 individual fruits. Certain varieties are used for making wine, and others are meant for eating.

Those meant for wine are called wine grapes, and those grown for eating as-is are called table grapes. Grapes are grown all over the world. Being one of the most popular fruits all over the world, a branch of plant science has been devoted to grapes. Viticulture deals with everything about grapes: from old breeds to new hybrids, from seed to harvest, and everything else about grape planting.

Centuries of growing grapes has yielded fruitful results. Now the question of how grape planting should be done is preceded by the question "What do you plan to use them for?" This question refers to whether you plan to grow wine grapes or table grapes. The methods are mostly the same, but the difference lies in the specific requirements.

Table grapes are the simpler of the two. Table grapes are expected to be juicy and sweet. We also expect them to have smooth and unblemished skins, and have plump, full appearances. The first step to ensuring this is to make sure the soil is rich and fertile, and if it is not, make it so.

More nutrients means the grapes will grow larger and faster. Grapes have a lot of water, so a steady flow of water is needed by table grapes. On the other hand, grapevines do not fare well when soaked in water, so make sure that the soil is loose enough or has enough sand to ensure good drainage.

Fertilizers may be used to make the soil richer, but be careful when doing so. The grapes' flavor is affected by whatever chemicals there are in the soil, so care must be taken when using fertilizers. Excessive fertilizers or the wrong kind of fertilizers can make the resulting crop bitter or sour. Picking them at the peak of ripeness means you get the sweetest, juiciest fruits. Pick too soon and you will get sour grapes. Do not pick them too late either, as they would start losing water and spoil too quickly.

Grape planting for wine follows the same basic steps as table grapes. Differences lie in the soil to be used, the amount of water to give, and special techniques applied to wine grapes. There are a many different kinds of wine, each coming from specific kinds of grapes. These grapes will have different requirements to develop the flavors and characteristics sought after in wine.

Sweeter wine grapes produce lighter, sweeter wines. These wines would often have lower alcohol contents than the darker counterparts. Grapes grown for these wines require soil similar to that of table grapes. They will also have quite a bit more water in them, and this result in lighter-bodied wines with sharper notes.

The other way to go with wine grapes is to grow them in harsh conditions. Grapes grown in poor soil, cool climates, and with little water are smaller but have strong flavors. These concentrated grapes are then used to produce wine that has more complex layers of flavor, fuller bodies, and headier bouquets. They will not be as sweet, and also often have higher alcohol volumes.

An interesting technique to note is green harvest, where immature bunches of grapes are picked. With its potential for the next generation decreased in number, the plant then puts its effort into making the remaining grapes as best as they could be.

This is useful in regions where ideal conditions produce grapes in huge quantities, but with little character. If you are interested in knowing more, other techniques and specifics on grape planting can be found in books and the World Wide Web.








Eddy Lee is grape growing and wine making expert. For more great tips on grapes planting and make wine visit http://www.winemakinganswers.com