I was very pleasantly surprised that my concord grapes came back this year. However, I think they are only producing leaves and no fruit. Lots and lots of leaves!Cam and I were reading that grapes need well-drained soil to thrive. I'm afraid those boxes really hold moisture well. The soil seems to very damp inside, so the square foot boxes were probably not the best place to plant those grapes . . . Oops, it's a bit too late. I guess that's a mistake I'll have to live with.
I do wonder how much the grapes have rooted since last year. Is it too late to transplant them somewhere else? Would that kill them?
I think the soil may be contributing to why they are not fruiting but instead growing lots of new leaves. Opinions anyone?
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9 comments:
I don't know anything about growing grapes DP. But if moving them to a location that was better draining would help I would do it.
Grapes need lots and lots of sun and good air circulation. They also have to be pruned properly. You can find all sorts of good references on this, but to be honest. I've read them all and am still confused! We have a huge 50 year old grape vine at our other house, no grapes either. No proper pruning. But it is okay, they are so pretty.
Cross pollination? They do look awesome when They have grapes, we have them (concord) native over here.
You could probably move them now but I would wait until a few cloudy/rainy days are forcasted. In Italy they grow them in poor rocky soil. I think the key is really low nitrogen so they don't just grow a bunch of leaves.
Thanks for everyone's comments. I guess grapes are hard to grow!
Dan- thanks for the advice. I'll try it!
It wouldn't seem the soil is too much of a problem since they are growing well. They do need lots of sun to produce.
Marnie
I dont know one thing about grapes except they taste good! Good luck on the blueberries and topsy tomatoes. We got one of those tomato kits for our friend and hope she has luck with them.
Has that vine ever produced grapes? I was just reading in a book (Weed 'Em and Reap, a humor book about wild edibles) that there are male & female plants, and male plants just don't produce grapes. This page might be able to help you identify which they are:
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/hort/faculty/reisch/breeding/crossing1.html
Have you had the soil tested for nutrients? Where I live, NW of Atlanta, we have red clay that is low in magnesium. Grapes need more magnesium than some plants to do well.
I have a concord grape vine that produced only a little fruit each year until I started using a little epsom salts (magnesium source) on the plant. Just a tablespoon dissolved in a gallon or so of water, poured on once each year, is enough.
It may be too late for grape production this year, but if Nashville's soil is like metro-Atlanta's, using epsom salts this year may help you get fruit next year.
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