How to grow and prune grape vines

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Let me ask you a question before we start. Why do you want to grow grapes? Are you after a good eating grape that you can pluck straight from the vine? Or, are you hoping to grow grapes to make wine from the juice? Or, are you hoping to cover an arbor, pergola or patio with a climbing vine that produces a fruit as well? Maybe, it's all three.

Is it possible to have all three? Yes, but it's no easy task and you may have to compromise on one of the choices to better appreciate one of the others. For instance, most good wine growing grapes aren't great tasting. They're usually very acidic and can taste tart or sour. Good table grapes, on the other hand, usually make poor wine and if you're primarily after a climber that will cover your pergola quickly then you may need to compromise again on the other two.

The beauty of growing a grape vine is that they take only a small amount of space to grow and can still produce more than enough for your family needs. Here's a great illustration of what a grape vine can produce for you,

If you want an example of how useful a vine can be, visit the U.S. Botanic Garden's Bartholdi Park at Independence Avenue and First Street SW. On a 5-by-12-foot arbor, gardener Robert Pritchard has grown a single plant of the Mars variety. It covered the arbor after two years, he said, and now, after eight seasons, sports a handsome, silver flaking trunk.

HOW DO YOU GROW A GRAPE VINE?

If you've picked up a potted vine from a nursery or from a friend's collection then it's a simple process but may require some physical labour. Here are the steps involved;

Find an appropriate site to plant your vine. Grape vines appreciate full-sun and a loamy, even gravelly, rich soil.

Construct a support that will be able to hold the weight of a mature vine and it's fruit in season. This may be a trellis growing alongside a wall or self-standing as you would see in a vineyard. You may decide to grow it over an arbor or even a pergola. Whatever the structure, it's important that it will last the distance of supporting the vine for many years.

Once you've found the site and you have an appropriate structure in place it's time to plant the vine. This is no different to planting many plants but you may like to further enrich the soil with more compost and slow-release fertilisers.

Grapes rely heavily on water so ensure that some reticulation is available or keep the water up to the vine especially when you've first planted it and also while it's fruiting.

HOW DO YOU PRUNE A GRAPE VINE?

Once your grape vine is under way, it's time to think about pruning it. Firstly, to keep it under control and secondly so that you may produce the maximum amount of good quality fruit.

The best time to prune is mid-winter when the sap is still low and all the canes have hardened.

There are many pruning methods but the best for home gardeners are Spur Pruning and the Four-Armed Kniffin system which are both explained in depth here.

HOW DO YOU PROPAGATE A GRAPE VINE?

Propagating grape vines is very easy. As you are pruning your vine in the middle of winter cut some of the hardwood canes in lengths that include 2 bud nodes (one at either end). It is a good technique for remembering which way is up and which down by cutting the vine below a base node (the one closest to the trunk) horizontally and the cut above the second node (the one closest to the tip of the vine cane) at an angle.

In a 200mm pot, or you can plant directly into soil in a sheltered spot, place a few canes in some good quality potting mix. Water well and then cover with some plastic and wait for the top bud to burst open. Once this has happened you might need to wait a month or two before planting each cane out in its own pot. They should have grown their own root ball by this stage and showing signs of vigorous vine growth.

Posted by Stuart on March 23, 2006 4:53 AM | Permalink | Check to Subscribe to this Comment:

Stuart Robinson

Busselton, Western Australia

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Comments

Any suggestions on how to actually HARVEST the grapes after one's husband covers the entire grapevine and fence with netting and then securely 'tacks' it to the ground with tent pegs?

Posted by: Alice | March 26, 2006 3:12 AM

I'm not sure I can help you with that one Alice. However, depending on the variety you may be able to enjoy them once they dried as raisins, sultanas or muscatels and dropped to the ground.

You could always buy some from the shop and enjoy them while sitting under your bird (and human) proof netting.

Posted by: Stu | March 26, 2006 8:05 PM

I NEED SOME HELP. I JUST MOVED INTO THIS HOUSE THAT HAS GRAPE VINES IN THE BACKYARD......I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH THEM. PLEASE HELP....IT IS GETTING WARMER HERE AND I WANT THEM TO LOOK GOOD...AND TO HAVE GOOD GRAPES..

Posted by: HELP | April 14, 2006 6:39 AM

I need to know where is the best place to buy grapes to make wine.

Posted by: ken | July 13, 2006 2:08 AM

where can i buy wine grape varieties in western australia to plant in my backyard as im having trouble finding them as i can only find table grape varieties?

Posted by: adam | January 21, 2008 12:34 PM

Adam, your best bet is to take a trip to one of the wine regions (ie. Margaret River or the Swan Valley) and find someone who sells them in their local community paper. They are usually readily available. Otherwise, once the wineries start pruning in late autumn see if you can score a few stems to propagate.

Posted by: Stuart | January 22, 2008 4:18 AM

I am currently looking at growing wine vines I have 3 acres of good soil and great conditions can anyone give me approx yield from this type of acreage

Posted by: gary urbanski | March 18, 2008 2:44 AM

I am new to growing grapes and I am going to start soon. My future plans is to build a pergola and have the vines overhead. My question is...How do you start? Do you place in the ground using a trellis or the thingy vineyards use or once I plant can it be moved to where I would build a pergola? I am so confused on how to start and suggestions would be welcomed....Thanks.
Patti

Posted by: Patti Ann | April 13, 2008 7:45 AM

I bought a house in New England with a very mature grape vine that has no arbor. It's currently hanging on a tree and a chain link fence. I have been offered a wooden arbor that is the walk under kind normally used for roses. Should I bother trying to use this or w`it until I have the finances to build a bigger one? Thanks for any advice.

Posted by: Jane | May 7, 2008 12:40 AM

Hi I have a concord grapevine in my garden, last year some "fungus" killed the harvest in its majority.

I'm seeing some of the same sympthoms coming back. Its on the fruit, a brownish small circle that expands on the grape until about half the grape size and then it kills it.

What can I do? Thank you

Posted by: Robinson Mosquera | July 8, 2008 8:16 AM

We moved into a house in Melbourne that has 3 grapevines in the pergola. One of them blooms in late September, but within a month, fall off and hasn't grown to maturity for the last 2 seasons. The other two bloom in late October and we've enjoyed the fruit all through summer. Can you think of an explanation ? Any info would be helpful. Thanks.

Posted by: Manju | November 6, 2008 6:00 AM

quite interesting your information here, but the link as to how to prune is not working, it takes me to a site but then i try to search "prune grape vines", but it just does not function.
I planted little seeds in my backyard back in Argentina, and as soon as it was about maby 10 to 15 feet tall i had to come here, it was young, oh so very, and now one of my uncles is taking care of my house and says the vine is growing in splenderous nature, i do miss it but i have no way to care for it, but oh well ill send him some tips ill google-up so that it grows to its full potential =)
and your article has helped me much.

Posted by: Josh | November 6, 2008 6:44 AM

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