Growing Table Grapes - OSU Extension Catalog
EC 1639 May 2011Growing Table GrapesBernadine C. StrikGrapes are a popular choice for the home garden.You can use the fruit in many ways, and properlymanaged grapevines are great additions to the homelandscape. Though grapes can be grown throughoutOregon, they are considered temperate zone plants,requiring a cool winter to meet chilling requirementsand a warm growing season (150 to 180 frost-free days)to develop and mature a crop.Not all cultivars (varieties) are suited to a specificregion. If the growing season is too short for aparticular cultivar, the fruit may be of poor qualityand low in sugar content at harvest. Also, the vinesmay not mature properly in the fall, leading to possiblewinter injury. In the cooler climate of the coast andthe Willamette Valley, avoid choosing late-ripeningcultivars. In eastern Oregon, choose only cold hardycultivars and manage vines to reduce risk of wintercold injury (see “Choosing a cultivar,” page 4).Along with choosing a site and cultivar, youshould also consider site preparation, planting,general planting management, pruning and training,harvesting, and pest management.In many ways, grapevines are easy to grow, but youneed to give the vines very good care to produce highquality fruit. The hardest parts of grape production arepruning and training. To prune well and properly, youmust have an understanding of grape growth.ContentsHow grape plants grow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Establishing the planting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Choosing a site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Choosing plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Propagation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Choosing a cultivar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Spacing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Preparing the soil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Planting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fertilizing and irrigating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Training the young vine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333466677Maintaining the planting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Fertilizing and irrigating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Pruning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Cane pruning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Spur pruning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Trellis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Summer pruning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Pruning an old, neglected vine. . . . . . . . . . . . 21Harvest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Pests and problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Pests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Disease. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23For further reading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Appendix ACharacteristics of table grape cultivarsgrown in Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Appendix BThis publication is for the home gardener or smallscale grower. For information on establishing a largervineyard, refer to commercial production guides forwine grape growers (see “For further reading,” page 24).Bernadine C. Strik, Extension berry crops professor, Departmentof Horticulture, Oregon State UniversityPhotographs of cultivars, by color . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
How grape plants growHere is an explanation of terms usedArmto describe parts of the grape plant or itsgrowth.Cane. A mature shoot after harvest andFruiting caneRenewal spurleaf fall; a shoot becomes a cane afterthe growing season.Cordon. An extension of the trunk,usually trained along a wire, fromwhich spurs grow.TrunkFruiting zone. The section of a shootwhere fruit clusters appear.Head. The top of the trunk where ittransitions to cordon, spurs, or canes.Internode. Portion of the shoot or cane Figure 1A. Dormant grapevine after pruning.between two nodes.Lateral. A branch of a shoot or cane.Node. (1) Thickened portion of the shoot where the leaf andlateral bud appear; (2) the place on a cane or spur where abud appears.Shoot. New green growth with leaves, tendrils, and often flowerclusters, developing from a bud on a cane or spur.Spur. A cane pruned back to one to five buds. A spur is on acordon or at the head of the vine.Sucker. Also called a “water sprout”; a shoot growing from oldwood, often at the trunk base or at the head of the vine.Veraison. The start of grape ripening, when color changebegins. Green berries start changing to red or blue in acolored grape cultivar, or a green grape becomes moretranslucent. In the Willamette Valley, this change occurs inFigure 1B. Shoot.about mid-August.Fruiting caneA dormant grapevine is illustrated in figure 1a. In the spring,shoots grow from buds on canes, renewal spurs (if present), andsometimes the trunk. Each bud on a cane or spur may producefrom one to three shoots. As the shoot grows, it can produceleaves, flower clusters, buds, and lateral branches (figure 1b andfigure 2). Fruit is produced on the current season’s growth.When the vine is dormant once again (generally fromDecember through March), you must prune it. The buds thatproduce next year’s fruit are on the 1-year-old canes (last year’sgrowth). To prevent the vine from producing too much fruit(overbearing), you must prune to keep only some of the 1-yearold wood or canes and remove the rest. Overbearing delays fruitripening, reduces fruit quality, and weakens the vine.Figure 2. Early grape shoot growth.Growing Table Grapes2
Establishing the plantingGrapevines require several years from time ofplanting to first harvested crop, and they normallydo not reach full production until the fifth orsixth year. Grape plants live for 50 to 100 years,if you care for them properly. It’s relatively easyto propagate a favorite vine (see “Propagation,”this page) but well-established plants cannot betransplanted. Thus, it’s important to considercarefully both where you will plant and how youwill prepare the site before you plant.Choosing a siteThe first step toward consistent production ofhigh-quality grapes is to choose a sunny place toplant. While some ornamental grapevine speciesperform adequately in partial shade, full sunlightis required to get good production of table grapes.If you plant a row that runs north–south, the fruitand leaves will be better exposed to sunlight thanin east–west rows; this way, you’ll produce betterquality fruit.Grapes can be grown on a wide range ofsoil types and soil nutrient status (for example,soil acidity or pH). European grapes may growbetter than American types on soils with a pHgreater than 7 (see “Choosing a cultivar,” page 4).Grapevines may have nutritional problems whengrown on soils with a pH greater than 8.Grape plants grow best in well-drained soils.Heavy clay soils with poor drainage or soils withan impervious subsoil clay pan are not ideal.Building up raised beds may improve growth onthese soils.When selecting a site, avoid areas prone to earlyspring frosts. New shoot growth in April and Mayis very susceptible to frost injury (see “Pests andproblems,” page 22). Home surroundings or othersites that are sheltered from colder temperaturesand wind are best. If possible, choose a slopingarea, especially a south or southwest slope, becauseit generally has higher temperatures and is lesslikely to get frost.Vines that are stressed due to drought or shadeare more prone to diseases such as powderyGrowing Table Grapesmildew or botrytis fruit rot (see “Pests andproblems,” page 23).Choosing plantsPurchase dormant bare-root vines or young, wellrooted, potted plants (generally grown in 1-galloncontainers). There is no need to buy older plants. Inretail nurseries, nongrafted vines (also called “selfrooted”) are most commonly available. Nurseriesmay sell grafted plants of some cultivars. Europeanwine grapes are often grafted onto a rootstockresistant to the root-feeding insect phylloxera (see“Pests and problems,” page 22). Many table grapes aretolerant or resistant to phylloxera.When choosing a bare-root or container plant,pick one that will be easy to prune back to a fewbuds or to a vigorous basal shoot, to encouragedevelopment of a straight trunk (see “Training theyoung vine,” page 7).PropagationOften, home gardeners want to propagatean older vine that is in the wrong spot or hasbecome too old to rejuvenate (see “Pruning an old,neglected vine,” page 21) or a wonderful varietya friend successfully grows. You must propagategrapes from cuttings rather than seeds, becauseseedlings don’t have the same characteristics as theparent plant. Propagating by dormant, hardwoodcuttings is simple.It’s easiest to take hardwood cuttings late in thedormant period. This ensures that the grapevinehas had enough winter cold (chilling) to give budsa chance to grow normally in spring. Ideally, takecuttings right before pruning in February. Select1-year-old dormant canes (those that were newshoots the previous summer). Choose healthycanes that look like they grew in full sunlight.Canes growing in partial shade may be spindly andmay not have enough stored food to support thecutting until it has developed leaves and roots.Select canes that are at least pencil-size indiameter. Avoid choosing canes that are too big orhave very long internodes (longer than 6 inchesbetween buds on a cane). Make each cutting longenough to include three buds. Take cuttings by3
making a straight cut just below the basal bud (budclosest to trunk) and a slant cut in the internodeabove the top bud of each cutting (figures 3A and3B). This system allows you to easily identify thebottom and top ends of each cutting (cuttingswon’t root if they’re placed upside down).No matter how much careful attention youpay to grape cuttings the first year, some maynot develop a strong root system. Therefore,it’s generally preferable to root and grow grapecuttings for 1 year in a garden area or propagationbed before transplanting them to a permanentlocation.Cuttings taken in February can be set directlyin a propagation bed. If you take cuttings earlier inthe dormant season, store them in vented plasticbags in the fridge (without any fruit) for about amonth, to satisfy the chilling requirement.Set cuttings 6 inches apart in rows 2 to 4 feetapart in well-drained, tilled soil. You may tilla well-balanced fertilizer such as 16-16-16 at arate of 1 cup per 10 feet of row into the top 3 to6 inches of soil. You can also use 1-gallon pots3Acontaining good potting soil. Place only onecutting per pot. Pots must have drain holes.Stick cuttings into the loose soil so that thebasal and center buds are covered and the top budis just above the soil surface (figure 3C). Make surethe cutting is right side up, with the slanted cut atthe top. You don’t need to use rooting hormones.Press soil firmly around the cuttings.If you live in a cold area such as central oreastern Oregon, you must protect cuttings in thepropagation bed from heavy frost. Cover the top ofthe cutting with soil and mulch. Carefully removethis material to expose the top bud once thedanger of frost is past. Buds will break and shootswill grow slightly before root development.Irrigate, when necessary, to maintain adequateand consistent soil moisture levels in the firstyear. Keep the propagation area free of weeds.Rooted cuttings can stay in the nursery row untilyou transplant them to their permanent location,before growth begins next spring. If you arepropagating in containers—in a greenhouse, forexample—make sure the newly rooted plant doesnot become root-bound, and thatyou transition plants carefully to theoutside so that they become wellacclimated. Transplant well-rootedplants in early spring the followingyear when they are dormant.Choosing a cultivarThere are many grape cultivarsavailable. You’ll find descriptions ofcultivars in Appendix A (page 25).Local climate or growingFigure 3A (top). Old cane, showing the cuts required to make two cuttings.conditions greatly influence aFigure 3B (bottom). Cutting, three buds long, showing basal and top ends.cultivar’s performance. Be sure tochoose a cultivar that is adaptedto your region. Regions differ in minimumwinter cold temperature, but also in summer2–3"temperature or growing degree days (GDD)Ground level(table 1, page 5). Some cultivars, such as Niagaraand Concord, require at least 2,000 GDD toripen fully. Canadice, Interlaken, Reliance, andmany other early to mid-season cultivars require1,500 to 2,000 GDD to ripen fruit. If you liveBasal endin cooler regions, such as the Oregon coast and3B4–6"Figure 3C. Proper way to set a cutting in a propagating bed.Growing Table Grapes4
parts of the Willamette Valley, choose only earlyto mid-season cultivars. Late-season cultivarsmay not fully ripen their fruit every year in theseregions, though this can be influenced by pruning(see “Pruning,” page 8).Table 1. Average growing degree days (GDD)(base 50 F, from Jan. 1–Dec. 31) in citiesthroughout Oregon.CityAverage of approximately 70 ,0311,478Source: Oregon Climate Summaries ng-degree-day units are computed as the difference between the daily average temperature and thebase temperature. (Daily Avg. Temp. - Base Temp.)One unit is accumulated for each degree Fahrenheit theaverage temperature is above the base temperature.Negative numbers are discarded.Example: If the day’s high temperature was 95 F and thelow was 51 F, the base 50 heating degree-day units are95 51- 50 232This is done for each day of the month and summed.It’s important to consider a cultivar’s diseaseand cold tolerance (see “Pests and problems,”page 22). Tolerance to winter cold temperaturesinvolves the health of the vine, yield the previousseason, how well the vine became dormant, howquickly the temperature gets cold and how long itstays cold, and other factors. Dormant buds maybe damaged at one temperature and trunks atanother temperature. See Appendix A (page 25)for comments on cold hardiness of cultivars.Because grapes are self-fertile, you need onlyone cultivar for fruit production. But, for varietyGrowing Table Grapesand to extend the fruiting season, you may chooseto grow several very early, mid-, or late-seasonripening cultivars (depending on your climate).Each cultivar’s fruit is unique in its aroma,flavor, and other qualities. When choosing acultivar, try to determine which ones have a flavoryou like. You can often find unique cultivars totaste at U-pick farms, farmers markets, or throughyour county’s OSU Master Gardener Program.Depending on the cultivar, fruit may be suitedfor fresh eating, juice, raisins, jellies, or wine. Somecultivars suit more than one purpose. Generally,sweet seedless grapes with tender skins are best forraisins.Three types of grapes are grown in the PacificNorthwest: American, European, and EuropeanAmerican hybrids. Each has specific qualities. American cultivars (Vitis labrusca) have astrong “foxy” flavor and aroma (characteristicof Concord, the most common cultivar usedfor purple grape juice). Fruit generally have aslip-skin (pulp separates from the skin whenyou pop the berry in your mouth). Americancultivars that have a slip-skin are noted inAppendix A (page 25). The cluster can varyfrom tight to loose and berries from small tolarge, depending on cultivar.Plants tend to be more tolerant of pests andmore vigorous than the European type.This type of grape is tolerant or resistant tophylloxera, and it is more disease-resistant andcold hardy than the other types. These cultivarsare used mostly for juice, jellies, pies, and fresheating. European cultivars (Vitis vinifera) differ fromAmerican cultivars in fruit characteristics,vine growth habit, and climate adaptation.They have tight clusters, berries with thin skinsthat do not “slip,” and a more subtle aromaand flavor. Some cultivars have berries with a“crunchy” texture. In general, European grapecultivars are more sensitive to pests (such asphylloxera) and diseases (such as powderymildew and botrytis bunch rot) and are lesscold hardy than American types. For thesereasons, European-type table grapes are not ascommonly grown in home gardens in Oregon.5
European-American hybrids have somecharacteristics of both American and Europeantypes, depending on parentage.Cultivars in Appendix A (page 25) aredesignated as European (E) or American (A).Hybrids are indicated as “A” with flavor and otherattributes noted. See Appendix B (page 30) forphotos of some cultivars.Cultivars differ in ripening time, characterizedby season as “very early“ to “late.” Note thatcultural practices (such as pruning) and weathercan influence harvest time. In the WillametteValley, very early season cultivars would be readyfor fruit harvest in early September. Late-seasoncultivars, such as Concord, may not be ripe untilmid-October when pruned well.Yield per vine varies tremendously with vineage, site (climate, depth of soil, soil fertility),management (pruning, irrigation, plant fertility,pest management), and cultivar. Yield per plant,for a mature, well-managed vine, may be from15 to 35 pounds.SpacingSpacing within the row depends on the cultivaryou plant, the depth or fertility of your soil, andthe training system you use (see “Training,”page 13). Plant European cultivars (Vitis vinifera)6 feet apart in the row. You can set Americancultivars (V. labrusca) and hybrids 6 to 8 feetapart in the row, because they are more vigorous(produce longer shoots). If your soil is shallow orof low fertility, you can space vines closer togetherin the row to “fill” the trellis.The spacing between rows depends, in part,on the training and trellis system you choose. Inbackyard plantings, 9 to 10 feet between rows iscommon for single canopy training systems (headtrained, single downward hanging canopy, verticalhedgerow or VSP, and Scott Henry). If you plan totrain to a Geneva Double Curtain (GDC) and willhave more than one row of vines, use a betweenrow spacing of 11 to 12 feet.Preparing the soilBe sure soil is free of perennial weeds andwell tilled before you plant. You can improveGrowing Table Grapesthe organic matter content of heavy soil byincorporating well-aged sawdust, manure, orcompost.Don’t place manure or compost directly in theplanting hole. Instead, incorporate it into soil inthe whole planting area. Apply organic matter thesummer or fall before you plant. Manure appliedat 2 to 3 cubic yards per 100 square feet is a goodsource. Use only materials that you believe are freefrom insects and
A dormant grapevine is illustrated in figure 1a. In the spring, shoots grow from buds on canes, renewal spurs (if present), and sometimes the trunk. Each bud on a cane or spur may produce from one to three shoots. As the shoot grows, it can produce leaves, flower clusters, buds, and lateral branches (figure 1b and figure 2).
OSU Extension, Scioto County & South Centers Extension Educator- GAPs Trainer 740-289-2071 ext. 136 bergefurd.1@osu.edu Beth Scheckelhoff, PhD OSU Extension, Greenhouse Systems Extension Educator-GAPs and Produce Safety Alliance Lead Trainer 419-592-0806 scheckelhoff.11@osu.edu Mary Griffith OSU Extension, Madison County
Professor, OSU South Centers 9:35 a.m. 2016 Growing Season in Review Dave Scurlock, Outreach Specialist, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, OARDC, OSU 10:10 a.m. Grapevine Winter Protection Techniques Dr. Gary Gao, Extension Specialist and Associate Professor, OSU South Centers
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Wine is fermented fruit juice but is commonly made from grapes. Red wines are made from grapes, which has their skins attached during pressing. White wine can be made from red grapes when their skin is removed before pressing but red wine cannot be made from white grapes. The alcohol content of wine usually ranges from 10 to 15% v/v.
The Fox and the Grapes A Fox one day spied a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging in the branches branches of a tree. The grapes seemed ready to burst with juice, and the Fox’s mouth watered as he gazed longingly at them. The bunch hung from a high branch, and the Fox had to jump for
The Fox and the Grapes by Aesop One warm summer day, a fox was walking along when he saw a bunch of grapes on a vine above him Cool, juicy grapes would taste so good The more he thought about it, the more the fox wanted those grapes He tried st
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