Grape Planting – Patience and Care

Grape planting takes some real commitment, but if you have a green thumb and are really excited about the prospect of being a grape grower, it is possible. The first thing you must do before deciding what kind of grape to plant is to find out which grapes grow best in your climate. Grapes are very climate sensitive and finding the right one for where you are planting them is very important to the success of the grape growing. Growing grapes takes a lot of time so you don’t want to spend four years cultivated a grape crop only to realize they taste horrible because they are wrong for your area. Also, be sure that you buy grape stock or grape cuttings from a nursery. That is the best way to get your grape crop started.

Once you have established which grapes are right for your climate grape growing becomes a matter of finding the right spot on your property. Grapes love direct sunlight. Find a grape planting spot where the grape will have direct sun for as much of the day as possible. Avoid the shade at all costs because grapes are subject to devastating fungus that hides out in the shade. Grapes also need moderate watering so make sure you are in a spot that has access to water at all times.

Grape planting requires a trellis as the grape vines grow up and like to intertwine in the trellis. The grape vine is a sturdy plant and therefore you want to have a sturdy trellis. There are all kinds of trellises available and time should be taken to find the perfect one for your grape plants. Time by the way is the important factor since it will take 3-4 years to get your grape crop to perfection.

The maintenance required in grape planting is significant. You want to always make sure they are watered correctly and be sure they are getting the right amount of sunlight. About a year after you have planted your grapes pruning becomes very important. Only prune when the grape plants are dormant. When you have ascertained that they are dormant, remove all brown leaves and fruit which may appear rotten. Keep the bottoms of the plants free from any weeds or other non grape plants to avoid contamination and trim back any runners. You want to keep the grape plants as compact as possible.