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Vine — The Finest Grape Vine

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 grape growing guide and here they are.

• Select the location for grape vine growing. Grapes love areas where there are lots of sunlight. They love the heat of the sun. The soil should also be balance, 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.

• Build 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 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.

• When buying for grape seedlings, choose bare-root dormant vines. You must plant them while they are in this condition. The season this happens 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.

• Water your grape plants regularly. If it is summer, you can construct a drip irrigation to water your grape plants from below. Overhead watering can cause mildew or fungal infections or diseases. As much as possible, try to keep the leaves dry.

• If you want to make sure that your grape plants can receive nutrients, use a well-balanced fertilizer. Use the appropriate amount only in the fourth year. During the first three years, 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. Try to research on internet or growing grapes book for reference.