Growing Orchids You will Love

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Purple Wisteria Vine Five Gallon

Dense 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.

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

Create 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

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

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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]

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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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

The 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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The Complete Tomato Growing System

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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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Thompson Seedless Grape Vine One Gallon by Monrovia Growers

Add 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!

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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KidKraft Avalon Chair - Grape

The 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:

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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!

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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 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

How to Plant and Grow a Successful Grape Vine

Doesn’t the thought of relaxing with a bottle of great tasting wine sound luxurious? The thought of sipping on wine that you made yourself sounds even better. Planting and growing a successful grape vine is not as complicated as it might seem, and it is the first step in making this dream a reality.

It is up to you to decide how large you want your vineyard to be. If you are just getting started it is a good idea to plant only a few vines. And by a “few”, I mean ten. It takes about ten vines to make homemade wine since most homemade wines are made in five- gallon batches. You can obtain year old bare-rooted dormant grape vines from a nursery to start off with. Typically, these vines have been grown by the nursery in their fields. The vines are usually sold in early spring which is a good climate for grape vine planting. The early spring rains will benefit your grape vines and give them a chance to settle in before the growing season begins. But until your vines are ready to be planted, keep the vines moist by spraying them with water.

Planting your vines is quite easy and straightforward. You will need to dig a hole large enough to contain the root system. The buds on the vine should not be covered with soil. Gently hold your vine in the hole while you tap the soil down lightly. This allows any remaining air pockets to be removed from the soil. If you leave a slight depression around the base of the vine, it makes it easier to water them. After the vine is well planted in the soil, you do not need to water the dormant vines if the soil is damp.

After your vines begin to show signs of life you will need to make sure that your soil remains moist. Sometimes if you get a few good soaking showers, you may not have to water your vines. But if the rainfall in your area is weak, you will need to add water to your vines. Sandy soils need to be watered more often. Clay-based soils need to be watered less often since clay absorbs and retains water longer. With any kind of soil, proper soil drainage is required. With the proper drainage, you do not need to worry about too much rain soaking your vines.

Another aspect of growing a successful grape vine is ensuring that your vines get the right amount of sunlight and air flow. You should not plant your grape vines near trees or structures that can block sunlight and prevent air circulation. In order for plants to undergo photosynthesis, they need sunlight. Photosynthesis is the process that converts carbon dioxide into sugar. It is the sugar within the grapes that becomes alcohol after fermentation. As a result of poor air circulation and too little sunshine, grapes can suffer from fungus disease problems.

Growing a successful grape vine can be a reality for you. Be prepared to give your vineyard year-round attention. It can take up to three years for a grape vine to produce a crop of grapes but, when you have put the time and effort into your vines, the rewards from your first group of grapes will be that much sweeter.

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Grape Growing & Wine Making: A guidebook for beginners

Comprehensive guide to grape growing and wine making for experts and beginners alike. Reveals the secrets to making great wine and the traps to avoid!

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Learn How to Grow Grapes - "The Complete Grape Growing System" Review

Learning how to grow grapes the right way can be a very challenging task for those that are looking to grow tons of beautiful fresh grape vines. There are literally thousands of want to be grape growers out their that are simply lost when it comes to growing their own grapes. Many of these struggling growers have been searching for a legit "how to grow grapes" guide, only to find out dated and non effective methods that usually send those who have read them right back to the drawing board still searching for quality information that can teach anyone how to grow grapes even if they have never tried before. This article is a review of a grape growing system that claims to be the best of the best when it comes to teaching how to grow grapes.

First off, let me start by saying that this system was created by author and long time grape grower Danie Wium. Since 2006 Danie has worked with over 11,000 grape growers online teaching them how to grow grapes with much success. After coming to the conclusion that there was not much helpful information out there on how to grow grapes, Danie decided that he would take his 15 years of grape growing experience and create a grape growing system that will guide even the most novice grape grower to easily growing grape vines year after year. The question is, does Danie system live up to the hype?

Let's take a look inside this grape growing system, shall we.

"The Complete Grape Growing System" comes in 2 formats. It comes in a downloadable e-book and an audio mp3 that can be listened to via your computer, CD player or iPod. I like the fact that they made an audio version, because it really makes it convenient for those who are on the run.

The e-book is broken up in to 18 chapters, so instead of going over each chapter individually, I will just give an overall review of the entire system. The system begins by giving a very in-depth look at the history of the grape vine. From there it jumps right into how a grape vine is constructed and then the reproduction and reproduction material of the grape vine. Now from this point on Danie takes you step by step through the process of growing grapes. Everything from preparing your soil before planting and planting your grapes to pruning your grape vine the first year to what grape variety to grow. I enjoyed this system because it was easy to read and very comprehensive. It seemed as though nothing was left out when it came to learning how to grow grapes the right way. In my opinion, "The Complete Grape Growing System" would be a great choice for anyone who is serious about learning how to grow grapes.

Good Luck!

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Basics of Grapes

As a wine writer, I tend to write a lot about, that's right, wine. From wine tasting to ordering wine in a restaurant, I've covered a plethora of wine related topics: yes, I've seen, and drank, it all. But, it occurred to me the other day that I haven't given the heart of wine, the grape, its day in the sun. Turns out, I feel rather bad about this, especially when I see the solemn look on a grape's face. After all, only writing about wines instead of the very thing that they come from may make a Merlot happy, but it leaves grapes crushed.

So, without further ado, or further Condrieu, this one's for the grapes.

From a scientific standpoint, the grape belongs to the genus Vitis in the Kingdom Plantae. Their division, class, order, and family are Magnoliophyta, Magnoliopsida, Vitales, and Vitaceae, respectively. They are grown on perennial plants (plants that live for more than two years) in clusters anywhere between 6 to a few hundred. Representing all kinds of hues, they can be gold, green, purple, red, brown, peach, white, black, blue, or even pink.

Despite their variety of colors, it is the red grapes that have been given the nod from health enthusiasts. Due to their antioxidants and abundance of nutrients, red grapes have been deemed by many as a "super fruit." This has not only led to more people consuming them, but the title of "super fruit" has also caused the grapes themselves, in a moment of egocentrism, to insist on wearing capes.

White grapes are actually derived from red grapes, thanks to evolution. Through mutations in two genes, anthocyanin - a pigment -is not produced in white grapes. The anthocyanins give red grapes their color, and, more importantly, a good majority of their nutritional value. The white grapes lack of anthocyanins leaves them ultimately white, but metaphorically red with jealously.

As for grapes and their vines, both have innumerable species, far too many to list if I'm hoping my readers stay awake. Some of the most common ones, however, are the Vitis vinifera, Vitis labrusca, Vitis aestivalis and Vitis rotundifolia species.

Though the majority of grapes are used to make wine, they don't stop there. Grapes are also used for raisins, juices, jams, jellies, grape seed oil and, go figure, as simply grapes. Even though they have the word "grape" in their title, grapes have nothing to do with grapefruit and, despite some people's assumptions, Grape Nuts is not a cereal made up of grapes. No, not even boy grapes.

So, there you have it: the basics of grapes; short and sweet, just like them. Hopefully this acknowledgement will keep the grapes happy: make 'em quit whining and go back to wining.

Jennifer Jordan is the senior editor at http://www.savoreachglass.com With a vast knowledge of wine etiquette, she writes articles on everything from how to hold a glass of wine to how to hold your hair back after too many glasses. Ultimately, she writes her articles with the intention that readers will remember wine is fun and each glass of anything fun should always be savored.

How to Prune Your Grape Vine

Pruning grape vines is best managed right from the start. This means doing a little bit of research before you put the vine in the ground to make sure the soil is well prepared, the grape vine is has full sunlight, it has a trellis to grow on, and that the ongoing growth is then managed to produce the best results year after year.

My first thrill with growing a grape vine came when I discovered a self seeded vine in the backyard of a client's garden. The house belonged to an English lady and as her gardener; the garden belonged to us both. It was largely an untamed and somewhat rambling garden free of the contemporary need for gardens to be neatly ordered and manicured.

In the character of the garden there was a rambling grape vine. It was not there when I took over the garden and we did not buy it. Our grape vine invited itself into our garden and we found a place for it to grow.

There is an amazingly abundant and wonderful feeling about finding something of value growing itself from seed in an untamed garden. At some point the emerging leaf shape will reveal a treasure competing among the weeds or it will earmark itself for destruction. You just have to wait patiently for the distinctiveness of the plant to emerge before you can make the salvage or scrap decision

In this case, while the leaves were a giveaway, the origins and type of the grape seed remained a mystery. It could have been a pip cast aside from a delicious grape, dropped by a visiting bird, or simply, an escapee from the compost bin.

Once identified as a grape vine, plant placement became the next problem. Now, I didn't manage my first grape vine very well. It survived a couple of transplants until I finally replanted it against a fence where it grew happily until at least the house was sold. During that time, because the vine was for effect more than produce, I basically just let it run rampant along the fence. It grew quickly and covered what had previously been an eyesore.

Looking back, had I known then what I know now, I could have turned that grape vine into a great producer, enjoyed the fruits and possibly even, learned how to make wine. What are the things I should have known and how would I do it differently? Basically, I would look at four critical elements:

Location.

Grapes are culturally important, especially for their wine, and of commercial interest for their edible fruit, juice, and dried products such as raisins and sultanas. The versatility of the grape has resulted in a diverse range of available plants. Rather than waiting for a self-seeding plant, you could grow your vine from a cutting taken from a known plant, or you could check with your local nursery to find which variety is most suited to your area.

Grape vines prefer full sunlight - this means 6 or more hours per day - and they prefer a fairly protected position. Less than full sun weakens the vine, invites pests and predators and encourages fungal and viral infection; in addition, grape vines can be susceptible to frosts and are drought tender.

Growing Structure.

Vines are a creeper so they send out tendrils that wind themselves around anything convenient. Set and build your trellis so that the vine gets full sunlight. Remember that leaves grow toward the sun and roots grow away from the sun so use the sun to get your vine growing naturally over its trellis. Make the growing structure convenient for the plant, and convenient for managing feeding and pruning the vine to obtain abundant produce, Grape vines are deciduous so make the trellis aesthetically convenient so it complements the garden in both its luscious summer and its dormant and bare winter.

Soil quality.

Grape vines are deep rooters so give your vine a depth of good soil to grow in. They also prefer rich organic and well drained soil so prepare and maintain the soil so that the harvest is plentiful and delicious.

Soil is a living thing and a teaspoon of fertile soil may contain 10 to 12 thousand million micro-organisms all feeding off and contributing to the process. Therefore, even if you start out with great soil, unless you keep the soil alive and organically rich, in a couple of years it will no longer have the organics and nutrients required to support abundant growth.

The organic matter in the soil is divided into two broad types, undecomposed and decomposed. The undecomposed matter made up of roots, leaves, stems and twigs that still retain the structure of the plant. This is visible to the human eye and it keeps the soil open and porous and allows water and air to circulate throughout the soil.

Decomposition often begins with earthworms is carried on by micro organisms and then converted into humus by soil bacteria. The plant depends on nutrients in the humus and these must be both available, and available in a form that can be taken up by the plant. Soluble salt is a form of nutrient that can be taken up through the water drawn up into the plant.

You can manage the soil quality by adding mulch, providing compost and by adding organic fertilisers made from farm manure, seaweed or other organically active ingredients.

Plant Management.

The first task in growing a grape vine is to get it to reach the trellis. After the cutting strikes and sufficient new growth appears, plant the vine into its final location and use a stake to guide the grape vine to its support structure. Once the main stem is attached to the trellis the vine can then be trained as you want.

The desirable fruit buds usually appear on one-year-old wood, while older wood usually results in watershoots that are not immediately useful for fruit. However, cut back to two buds, watershoots may be useful for fruiting in the following year. Vines should be heavily pruned in winter during their dormant season.

Grape vines can be managed to obtain grapes in the second year and the grape clusters can be manipulated for better color, taste and sugar content. Unlike some other fruits, grapes do not ripen after picking so taste the grapes from the vine to judge when they are right for the picking. Once the vine is producing, you can train the vine as you want it to grow. You can optimise your harvest by avoiding the mistakes people commonly make and engaging the tricks that professionals use.

Once established, your grape vine will be around for many, many years. One of our wine producing areas has a vine that is reported to be around 150 years old. The oldest grape vine in the world grows against the side of a house in Maribor, Slovenia. It is believed to be somewhere between 400 and 500 years old, it produces some 30 to 50 kg of grapes a year and provides around 15 bottles of wine. Nobody knows if it was self-seeded.

For more information on building a trellis and growing a stunning grape vine please visit my site

Ronald Doherty is a writer and experienced gardener who enjoys both and is now trying to cultivate a wider audience for his ramblings. If you want to coax best out of your grape vine I strongly recommend you visit the following http://www.squidoo.com/GrowGreatGrapes

Three Stumbling Blocks to Growing Grapes in the Backyard

Are you one of those home gardeners that don't know the three
stumbling blocks to successfully growing grapes in your backyard?
Don't worry, you're not alone.

I have grown grapes successfully under the worst of conditions
since 1975 and I can tell you that most of the problems gardeners
encounter are because they don't understand the nature of the
beast that they are growing. So let's look at the problems that I
see when people, like you, have me come and analyze what problems
they are having growing the backyard grapevine.

The first problem I see is that gardeners want to grow some
grapes but they are unaware of the variety they are growing and
its growth habit. This leads to many problems from the get go.
Each variety has to be treated as an individual. The most common
varieties in local nurseries are either Concord types or the
European vinifera grape. It all depends on whether you live East
or West of the Rockies. In the East, Concord types are common.
In the West, especially along the Pacific Coast, you will find
the vinifera varieties. Each distinct type have differing growth
habits and this influences what you will have to do to maintain
them.

Concord types have a more drooping habit of growth. Vinifera
types are more upward in their growth habit. What does this
mean? It means that each type has to be trained differently
because they grow differently. Because the Concord types droop,
they must be trained high and allowed to droop downward during
the growing season. The vinifera types must be trained low and
allowed to grow upward. This takes advantage of the natural
growth habit and maximizes the sunlight into the leaves to get
the best ripening conditions and yield of grapes.

Each variety varies in how vigorous the growth is. This trait
determines the distance between vines when planted. Low vigor
vines must be planted closer while high vigor vines need more
space. You don't want high vigor vines planted close as they
will run into each other and be hard to maintain over the years.
Conversely, low vigor vines planted farther apart will leave gaps
of space that will never be filled and you will lose yield
because of this.

Gardeners must also be aware of the ripening habits of the
variety. Some varieties ripen early and are grown in areas where
the growing season is short. Others need much more time to
mature. These are late varieties and will need up to 170 days or
more to ripen. Then there are those that are inbetween. You
have to select the varieties that are adapted to your growing
conditions. Your local nurseryman should be able to help you out
there.

One last thing when considering varieties is whether you want to
eat them or make wine. Table grapes are to be eaten and wine
grapes obviously are to make wine from. The two types are
distinct and you can't make wine from most table grapes as they
don't get high enough in sugar content and the acids are too low
to balance the wine. While wine grapes are small berried and
seedy, not suited for eating.

The second big problem I see is that the vines are a tangled
mess. Vines need maximum exposure to the sun to be able to ripen
the grapes. When they are allowed to grow out of control, the
vine leaves begin to shade the vine and this allows for disease
and insects to set in (some varieties will need spraying
throughout the growing season for disease and insect control),
and for less than optimal conditions for ripening the fruit
properly. Vines must be pruned properly each year for maximum
fruitfulness and health.

Pruning means removing 75-90% of the previous year's growth. This
seems drastic but it maintains the health and vigor of the vine.
It also means the maximum production of fruit and the best
ripening conditions. You can't ignore pruning the vine each
spring. It is a must! There are various styles of pruning.
These are dependent on the variety and its growth habit. Some
varieties are pruned long and some require short "spur" pruning.

Long pruned vines are not fruitful in the bottom, (basal buds).
The maximum fruitfulness on these vines comes from the middle
buds on the canes from last year's growth. Varieties that bear
fruit from the bottom, basal buds are spur pruned. Pruning is an
art in itself and comes out of a knowledge of how the vine grows.
But if not done, the vine will be shaded, get diseased, and
overbear, thus weakening the vine. Not pruning will lead to
lowered yields and improper ripening. It can also lead to the
death of the vine over time. This is especially true in areas
with winters. Pruning will instill more winter hardiness because
of healthy growing conditions.

Harvesting too early is the last major problem I see from
backyard gardeners. People seem to think that as soon as the
grapes begin to color that they are ripe. This can be far from
the truth. Coloring, known as verasion, occurs weeks before the
grapes are actually ripe. Grapes need to attain a good sugar
content and acid balance before they can be harvested. Many
people harvest their grapes before they have reached this point
and are disappointed in the taste or the wine made from these
grapes.

Here again, varieties differ in when they are ripe. It is best
to use simple qualitative analysis to determine ripeness. The
easiest way is to purchase a refractometer to determine the sugar
content of the berries. Table grapes can be harvested between 16
and 18% sugar. Wine grapes usually need a sugar content of
around 22-24% sugar or more to be harvested and obtain the right
alcohol content of the wine.

Growing grapes in the backyard or garden can be a rewarding
experience if done correctly. If grown haphazardly, the vines
can become overgrown, tangled messes and never ripen properly.
Often leading to death of the vine or disappointment at least.
You should read as many reference books on the subject as you can
before starting out to plant your backyard vineyard. The more
you know about the grapes you are planting the better.

A good list of reference books on growing grapes can be found at:

[http://www.ristcanyonvineyards.com/books.html]

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Grape Pruning Secrets Revealed

Since grape planting is an attributed job; it involves a number of actions to get well-grown and qualitative grapes. Grape pruning has always been regarded as a major aspect of the grape planting course. In simple words, pruning refers to the process of getting rid of unwanted, non-productive plants, or diseased and decayed substances.

A Vital Activity

Grape pruning is a vital activity that must be performed at regular basis. It is an essential part of the process, and helps in the development of healthy grapes. If pruning is not done at the right time, it may lead to the overproduction and low-qualitative fruit. The primary aspect of grape pruning is to prune the grapes at the right time and season. Generally, it is advised to prune during Christmas time each year and prevent the crop from damage. Regular grape pruning helps in keeping the grapes disease free and helps in maintaining the growth and cultivation of the plant. This results in acquiring sugary, luscious, and incredible grape fruit.

Why Prune?

There is no doubt that grape pruning certainly gives a new lease of life to the grape plant. It makes the fruit juicy as well as healthy to eat. Pruning has become a crucial part of grape planting due to its numerous benefits as follows-

Makes the grapes disease free and ensures to get ripen fruit More production of qualitative fruit A short-time process Deliver unexpected healthy grapevines Power to ripen unregulated crops Provides balance to the whole grape planting process

The Training Techniques

Before the grape pruning activity, it is essential to choose among the training techniques available. These include-

The Cordon System- This is usually used for indoor and Pergola grapevines. It comprises of stable upright arms and yearly horizontal cropping shoots. In winter, all the laterals are pruned to two buds, and the head is pruned into the matured wood. Whereas in summer season, the non-fruiting laterals are cut to five leaves. After this, likewise prune fruiting laterals to two leaves. The Guyot System- This method is implemented for commercial grapevines. It consists of yearly changed horizontal arms and upright horizontal cropping shoots. In winters, for grape pruning the middle shoot to three strong buds, pull down the two exterior shoots. In summers, you need to get rid of side shoots by restricted vertical shoots.

Precautions While Pruning

The grape pruning process is a great tool for acquiring healthy fruit. In order to get well-maintained and sweet fruit, it is very important to take into account a number of precautions. These include-

Every year grape owners often use new canes for grapevine. In order to get healthy fruit, it is important to grow grapes on at least a year old cane. To get fruits in large amount, it is advised to carefully select the buds that are to be pruned. Avoid production of foliage after pruning as it leads to reduced sunlight. It is recommended to use handsaws, hand pruners, loppers, etc. for grape pruning.

The pruning process is a slow learning process and requires a great deal of dedication and hard work on the part of the grape pruners.

Chris Bowman is a grape growing expert. For more great tips on grape pruning and wine making visit http://www.overthegrapevine.com.

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An Idiots Guide To Wine Tasting

Have you ever seen those stiff upper-lipped types doing a spot of the old wine tasting malarkey? You know the form - sip, swill, spit. Yuck! Well this information has been written to help you understand the form should you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to know what to do. And don't go thinking "I'll never have to do any wine-tasting" because you just don't know that for sure and the last thing you want is to be caught unaware.

So, on with the tasting...

Study The Wine

Pick up your glass as elegantly as possible. There are two ways this can be done.

a) For chilled wines - hold the glass by the stem and don't even touch the bowl.

b) For wine served at room temperature - pick up the glass by the bowl and hold it cupped in your palm, the stem between your middle two fingers.

Now that you have the glass comfortably in your hand, hold it at a slight angle against something white. If your hostess is worth her salt, she'll have covered the table in white linen specifically for this purpose (although it does look nice, too).

Be careful not to tip the glass too far - unless you're willing to replace an expensive linen tablecloth, that is. You may also need to adjust the distance from your eyes that the glass is held at. Most find that holding it at almost arm's length is a good starting point although the very short sighted who are also absent minded enough to have left their eye glasses at home may find themselves having to hold the glass almost in front of their noses.

Once you've found the correct position, study the colour and clarity of the wine. Now you may well believe that wine's either red, pink, or white but I'm afraid, if that's the case, you're very much mistaken. Wines can be green, yellow, gold, pink, purple, or even black. Evidently, the colour of the wine will indicate the type of grape it was made from - like me, you, and Jack on the street are likely to know that!

Clarity indicates age. Young wines are more see through and cloudiness can mean there's something wrong. If that's the case, I'd suggest putting it back on the table and giving your hostess once of those 'down your nose' type looks.

The reason why you're studying the colour and clarity looks has absolutely no bearing on how the wine will taste but a proper connoisseur enjoys the beauty of wine as well as its taste and ...

The Bouquet

No, we're not talking about the bunch of flowers a bride carries with her down the aisle, we're talking the smell of wine. Sometimes, if the people at the wine tasting are really posh, they might call it 'The Nose'.

Still holding your glass in the correct manner, lower your hand somewhat whilst bring your glass to a level position and rotate your wrist so that the wine swirls gently within the bowl. You might want to leave these instructions at this point to go to the kitchen and practise this step with a wineglass half filled with water. After all, it's just as well to know for sure that you aren't going to spill expensive red wine over your hostess's spanking new Axminster.

To swill wine properly, very little wrist movement is actually needed. Just very slight circular movements combined with a right-left movement should do the trick.

The idea behind all this swilling is to bring the wine's aroma out of the wine itself and into the empty part of the bowl thus allowing it to be smelled and savoured. This is why wine glasses are bulbous. The wide bowl has ample room for swilling while the narrow edge 'captures' the bouquet. Clever, eh?

Move your glass to your nose as elegantly as you're able and bring it in slightly beneath the tip. Inhale deeply. Savour for a few moments and then inhale again. It's a good idea to exhale between those two inhalations or you might find yourself going dizzy. Do it too often and you'll faint.

You may now move your glass away from your nose.

At this point, it's appropriate to make some kind of comment. Don't imagine you'll fool anybody into believing you're an expert but at least you can make it sound as if you've actually drunk a glass of decent wine before. Why should the other guests need to know that most of your wine costs £3.99 at the Co-Op?

Something like "mmmm, rich and fruity" or "oooh, lovely and light" will probably do the trick. When talking about red wine, 'rich' is usually a good word to use - if the wine's white, go for 'light'.

The Actual Tasting

You've probably been looking forward to this bit but whatever you do, remember that wine tasting is about taking small sips and not guzzle it down like there's no tomorrow.

This bit's actually trickier than you'd expect so you might want to do some more practising.

Bring your glass to your lips, open them slightly and take a small sip. Now close you mouth and roll the wine around on your tongue for a few seconds before allowing it to slide slowly down your throat AND AT THE SAME TIME EXHALE!

The trouble with exhaling whilst swallowing is that some of the liquid might come shooting through your nostrils. Not a pretty sight and, again, think of the Axminster!

If you fancy, you can always take a second sip at this point but never a third. No matter how good that one particular wine is, it's time to move on to the next.

Other Stuff Worth Knowing

Apart from bottles and glasses, the table will probably hold plates of cheese or, occasionally, sherbet. They're not there to snack on; they're used between wines to clean out the taste of the last wine you tasted. Just a little at a time is all that's needed. Do like a mouse and nibble!

Wear something comfortable and preferably something that doesn't carry a designer label. After all, if you spill red wine down the front of your best frock, you're not going to be happy, are you?

That's it. You're now clued up enough to pop along to your very first wine tasting party without making a complete idiot of yourself.

Enjoy!

~~+~~+~~

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Pruning the Backyard Grapevine

Proper pruning of your backyard grapevines is essential to maintain vine size, shape, and yield of the grapes. If you don't prune your vines, they will become unruly, tangled messes. Fruit ripeness will suffer. Overproduction of the vine may lead to premature death. It is also one of the harder things to visualize but one of the easier things to accomplish for the home gardener.



Pruning is performed in the early spring while the vine is still dormant. This is done in February, March, or early April depending upon when the grapevines generally come out of dormancy and bud out.
Pruning the grapevine and training the vine go hand-in-hand. You must decide the way you want to train the vine in order to prune it correctly. Vines that "droop" should be trained to a top wire of about 6 feet. Canes are then pruned and trained outward from the middle on each side of the trunk. As the new shoots grow, they droop on each side of this high pruned wire, naturally, taking in account of their habit of growth. Concord, and other native American varieties are typical of those varieties that droop downward naturally.

Varieties that grow upright are trained to a low wire of about 3 feet and allowed to grow upward according to their natural growth habit. These varieties need several wires above the trained canes in order that the upright growing shoots have something to attach to. Often, you will need to tie the growing shoots to these wires to keep the grown going up and to prevent wind damage. European grapes, V. vinifera, and many hybrid varieties (crosses between the European grape and American species) fall into this category.

Whether trained to a high wire or to a low wire, the pruning techniques are the same. The amount of one-year old, fruitful wood to be left after pruning is dependent upon the amount of vegetation produced during the previous growing season. Usually, around 90-95% of last year's growth is pruned off. The wood left is dependent upon the variety, how vigorous last years growth was, whether the variety over produces or under produces, and how old the vine is all enter into how you will prune it.

Grapes bear fruit on one year old wood. Thus when you prune the vine you will be leaving one year old buds to produce the fruit clusters this year. Much of what will be removed is two year wood with attached canes from last year's growth (that won't be needed this year) and excess one year old canes. When pruning you will be trying to balance the growth of the vine based upon how it grew and bore fruit last year.
Excessively vigorous vines that overbore their fruit last year will be pruned with more buds as this will de vigor the growth and balance the vine's growth this year. Low vigor vines will be left with fewer buds to invigorate their growth this year.

The two methods of pruning grapevines are short "spurs" and long "canes". The idea behind spur and cane pruning is the same. They differ in which of the buds are the most fruitful on the particular variety you are pruning. Varieties where the bottom buds are fruitful are spur pruned. Varieties where the bottom buds aren't fruitful are generally cane pruned.

Spur pruned vines are trained to heads and cordons. The difference here is that head trained vines are pruned to a couple to several spurs close in to the main trunk of the vine. Cordon trained vines have arms extending out from the trunk, on each side, with several spurs generated along the main frame of the arms. Either way of training has spurs of two to three buds each.

Cane pruning involves leaving at least one long cane of one-year old wood on each side of the trunk. The number of buds to leave depends on the variety and how much growth of the vine occurred during the last growing season. Usually, 7-12 buds are left on each cane. But this is relative. And that's where pruning becomes an art. After several years you will gain a "feel" of how many buds to leave based upon its performance in the prior growing season.

Besides the cane that is left, a small, two-bud spur is left for next year's cane and spur. That's why this method is often referred to as cane and spur pruning. The spur that is left at pruning time is known as a renewal spur. It gives rise to next year's cane and renewal spur.

Each year the job of pruning will become easier. You will soon begin to understand what is happening as you watch your vine grow during the summer. Your visualization of how the vine is supposed to look each year will grow. This will make the pruning each spring go smoothly.

The tools used to prune your grapevines are hand pruners, loppers, and small handsaws. Select the appropriate pruning tool to remove the wood as cleanly as possible and reduce unnecessary injury to the vine. Hand pruners are used to remove one year old wood. Older wood requires the use of loppers. Sometimes old, unfruitful trunks need to be removed. This is where the handsaw comes in.

Learning the art of grapevine pruning takes time and practice. You can contact your local county Ag Extension agent or Agricultural University for bulletins on grapevine pruning. These grapevine pruning bulletins have drawings and pictures of what you are trying to accomplish and will make your pruning easier. Just make sure that you prune your grapevines every year to maintain their size and shape, and to maximize the fruit production and overall fruit quality.

Growing Grapes at Home

Growing grapes at home is not that much different from how they are grown in a large vineyard. The only real difference is space. There are several facets to growing healthy grapevines that need to be considered by both large vineyards and the home grower. The most important aspect of all these is tending to the vines. This will entail soil preparation, water, sunlight, pruning, and pest control. For many home grape growers, it is the pruning and the pest control that can be the most tedious.



Put simply, pruning is cutting away plant growth to encourage more growth. How the grapevine is pruned depends a lot upon the type of grapes that are being grown. Since hybrid grape varieties were developed to be hardier during the winter and more resistant to diseases, they tend to produce less foliage then the traditional types of grapevines. Grapevines need to be pruned to remove the previous years fruiting canes or spurs. Grapes are only produced on shoots growing from one-year-old canes. Therefore, healthy new canes must be produced by the vine every year. If too much of the vine is pruned back, more shoots will grow on the vine, which in turn, produces more crop and foliage. But this is actually a disadvantage since increased foliage on a vine results in a shady canopy, and this provides a bad environment for the fruit to ripen. The home grape grower has to be careful when pruning to avoid any unnecessary injury to the plant. When removing year-old shoots, a hand pruner can be used effectively. Larger wood on the vine should be cut with either a lopper or a handsaw.

The home grape grower spends a lot of their time dealing with pests like insects, birds and even deer. There are a large number of insects, like grape berry moths, grape leafhoppers, Japanese beetles, and rose chafers that would love to dine on a delicious grapevine. Insecticides can be used to control insect infestation but typically, grapevines can withstand a small amount of insect damage. It is only necessary to control insects when a large portion of the leaf area or the fruit itself is threatened.

Birds, on the other hand, can be much more destructive. A flock of birds can devastate a crop of grapes but, on the bright side, a large flock of birds is easier to scare away than individual birds. Home grape growers can control birds by installing a physical barrier, like a net, over all of the vines. But it has to be taken down before the winter or ice could form on it and damage the vines. Home grape growers can also use visual repellents such as aluminum pie plates, artificial hawks, owls, or snakes. Odor repellents are something that are very effective when it comes to controlling deer. In early spring when shoots are just emerging from the vine and food sources are scarce, home grown vineyards are extremely tempting for the deer. Home grape growers can also use the scent of a human, dog hair, or soap to scare off unwanted birds. Additionally, the scent of coyotes can also be used since coyotes are natural predators to deer.

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How to Grow Grape Vines in the Right Soil

Growing vines in the right soil is the most pivotal feature of grape growing. The type of soil, its mineral, content and the environmental conditions all play an extremely important role in the health and productivity of the grape vine. Before you plant your grape vines you should have your soil analyzed. Adding nutrients to soil that is lacking is easy, but removing unwanted excess nutrients is nearly impossible.

Grape vines are fairly adaptable and don't need much to feed on, meaning they do well in rich, highly organic soils. A positive aspect of growing grapes vines that do not require excessive amounts of nutrients is that a lack of nutrients within the soil will help prevent excessive weed growth. But if your soil test is showing too much nutrient deficiency, you should look to a professional for advice on how to establish good soil for your grape vines.



If the wrong adjustments are made to the soil, it could have significant impact on your vines, resulting in excessive unwanted vine and leaf growth in some regions. Something that should also be measured is the soil’s pH level. The soil can be alkaline or acidic depending on the region of the country you are growing your grape vines in and the surrounding waterways and other natural formations. A pH that is between 6.0 and 6.5 is perfect for grape vine nutrient intake. You may need to incorporate lime if your soil is acidic meaning that the pH is lower then 6.0. If your soil is basic, or higher then 7.0, you may need to find rootstock that has been adapted to limestone soil conditions.

It may be necessary to add fertilizer to the soil during the time in which the grapes are ripening and after the first harvest season. The nutrients within the soil will be depleted as the grape vine matures and produces fruit. The use of organic fertilizer like manure has risen among grape growers for many different reasons. One reason is that manure is a natural source of usable nitrogen. The type of manure you need depends upon the amount of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium your vineyard soil requires.

The nutrients within the soil are not the only requirements needed for growing a healthy grape vine. The soil must also supply good anchorage for the vine and provide proper drainage. Grape vines that are grown in soil that has too many nutrients and water go "vegetative". This means that the grape vines will return to leaf growth and will stop producing fruit. Grape vines do not like to sit in puddles and will not grow well in really wet areas. The most established vine yards are well known for excellent drainage.

A need for good drainage is one of the many reasons why many vineyards are planted on hillsides. Not only do steep hillsides aid in the drainage of the crop, they also are typically low in nutrient or organic matter due to years of erosion. In addition to a trellis, the grape vine’s root system requires ample anchorage from the soil as well in order to support this large plant. They require about thirty to forty inches of loose soil in order to establish a wide root system.

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Tips For Successful Backyard Grape Growing

Growing grapes in the backyard or garden can be a rewarding experience. It can also be quite a failure if not done properly. Grapevines are perennial plants and will grow for years to come. There are a few things to consider before you just jump in and start planting your grapevines. Otherwise, mistakes made at planting will haunt you in the future.

Grapes need lots of sunshine. One of the biggest mistakes that the home gardener makes when growing grapes is to plant them in the shade under a tree or where they get shaded by houses most of the day. If you watch wild grapevines grow, you will notice they make all efforts to climb trees and shrubs to get into the daylight. Without proper sunlight, proper ripeness cannot be obtained. Be sure the spot you choose has good sun most of the day.

A second mistake that many home gardeners make is to not take into account the grape variety's growth habit and vigor. These two factors come into play when planting the grapevine and deciding on how to trellis the vine.

Vigorous varieties need lots of space. You can find out how vigorous a variety is by consulting your local nursery where you bought your vines. Vigorous varieties need eight feet between vines when planting. Less vigorous varieties can be planted closer at six feet between vines. Very low vigor vines can be planted as close as four feet.

Growth habit determines the trellis type and how the grapevine will be trained and pruned. Grape varieties with a large portion of their ancestry coming from wild American species tend to droop. These are like the wild vines that grow to the top of small trees and shrubs then cascade downward during the summer. The gardener will find that it is best to mimic this natural growth.

Vines of this type will be trained to a high wire about six feet off the ground. The grapevines are pruned to two to four long canes each year. As the shoots grow each year from the canes left at pruning time, they will grow outward from each side and soon start drooping towards the ground, forming a curtain of leaves by the end of the growing season.

Many varieties have the European grape, V.vinifera, in their ancestry. The European grape varieties tend to have a more upright growth. These grape varieties need a more extensive trellis system. At least four wires are needed to contain them. The first wire is approximately three feet off the ground with the two additional wires at eight inch intervals above the bottom wire. The vines are trained to a trunk that extends to the bottom wire.
Two to four canes are pruned and tied to the bottom wire on each side of the trunk. As the shoots grow during the spring and summer they are tied straight up to the wires above. Once the shoots have reached approximately 16 inches above the top wire, they are cut off at the tips. This "hedging" prevents further growth and shading of the vine below.

Grapes need a good water supply when they are actively growing in the spring and summer. They should be watered at least once a week in areas of little rain. More often under droughty conditions. This watering shoud be continued until the berries begin to turn color. After coloring, watering is not needed and will in fact slow the ripening process. Once the leaves have fallen in the fall, one last large watering should be undertaken before the ground freezes to get the vines through the winter.

Perhaps the biggest mistake I see with home gardeners growing grapes is neglecting pruning the vines each year. This is a must! Without pruning the grapevine becomes an overgrown tangled mess. The grapevines overbear and the berries don't ripen properly. Disease sets in as the vine is over shaded and doesn't recieve drying winds. The vines will weaken over time and eventually die before their time.
Pruning removes 90-95% of the previous year's growth. It keeps the vines in balance and aids in controlling the crop and ripening the fruit. Pruning the grapevine is an art, not a science. Information on grapevine pruning can be obtained through your local Ag Extension agent. They have agricultural bulletins that detail the pruning process. You can also find comments at: http://www.ristcanyonvineyards.com/grapevine_pruning_and_training.html

Growing grapevines can be a nice hobby that will provide you and your family with fresh fruit or grapes to make wine with. Table grape varieties and wine varieties are distinct. Make sure you are planting the proper varieties for the wanted purpose. Home gardeners should also make sure that the varieties they are planting are adapted to their local climate. Some varieties cannot take cold winters, while others can tolerate freezing temperatures down to -25-30F.

Varieties that have American grape species in their ancestry can tolerate colder winters. Make sure you consult with your nurseryman to fit the variety you are planting to your conditions. The variety you choose must also be able to ripen in your climate. I see too many home gardeners planting varieties that take up to 170 days or more to ripen in areas that have only 150 days or less in their growing seasons.
If you are thinking of growing grapevines in your backyard or garden, be sure to consider the above factors before you start planting. Choose your grape varieties based upon what you plan to use them for, how they are adapted to the local growing conditions, and plan the trellis according to the variety's growth habit. I wish you all the luck in your endeavor.

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Grape Growing Information

Although there are many other uses for these delectable fruits, grapes are the basis for most of the world's wine. About seventy-one percent of grapes from around the world are used for wine making, twenty-seven percent are used as fresh fruit, and the remaining two percent of the grapes are used in the form of dry fruit.

There are other types of fruits that are used to create wines, but it is the grape that may just be the perfect fruit for wine making. Grapes contain the right properties to produce wine. Such characteristics of grapes include naturally-high amounts of fermentable sugar, strong flavors, and color in the skins. Grape species have also been refined to deliver the utmost in aroma and flavor. Typically, grape juices are prepared from Vitis labrusca grapes, which are a grape species that is native to the Americas, because these grapes have loose skin that can be easily peeled off. Vitis vinifera grapes, which is a species of grape that is native to Europe and East and Central Asia, but has been planted all over the world, have a tight skin and can also be used for the production of wine. Grapes are also highly nutritional. They are a rich source of carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, and they are cholesterol-free.

Although smaller then the productive vineyards all over the world, many people have succeeded in growing their own grapes at home and even in producing their own wine. Although the time it takes to tend to a small flourishing vineyard is great, the techniques to grow healthy grapevines is minimal. Home grape growers start their vineyards by finding a spot in their yard that possesses optimal conditions in which to successfully grow grapes. First, the area must have good exposure to sunlight and good drainage. After a good rainfall, examine the area you wish to grow your grapes for standing water. Standing water is a good indication that the area does not have sufficient drainage.

Planting your vineyard on a slope will also provide the drainage needed to sustain grapevines. A slope can also reduce the grapevine’s exposure to heat or cold depending on its orientation. For example, in the cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere, grapevines benefit from being planted on south facing slopes which offers exposure to a fair amount of heat and sunlight. Tending a vineyard will require daily care. Plant your vineyard where it can be easily accessed during the growing season for pruning, weeding and pest control. You should also make sure that tools and water are easily accessible as well.



Once you have the perfect location for your vineyard, you will need to prepare the soil and construct the trellis. Grapevines are a large plant that and are unable to sustain the weight of the grape clusters it produces. In the wild, grapevines can be found growing on structures like poles and fences. Grapes are perennial plants and therefore it will be about three years before you are able to harvest your first crop. Therefore it is very important to have a sturdy trellis that will last.

Once you are able to harvest your crop, you will be able to make your own wine. The amazing thing about grapes is that the soil and the area in which the grapes are grown will have a significant impact on the taste of the wine thereby making your wine truly unique.