Newbie at grapes

I have a Red Flame Seedless vine that I planted last year. It is beautiful and has these bunches on it which look like baby grapes, and now seem to be flowering. Will I have grapes this year?

Usually grapes ddon't produce until their third year, but you look like you'll get some this year. Need to go out and see if any of mine are ready to harvest yet, as the wife ate the last bunch I picked.

Jo,

I think they may need help pollinating. We had lots of mason bees last year and very full bunches. Bees were apparently killed off by the hard freeze we had, so we have lots of bunches this year but they are not nearly as full, meaning to me that some of them did not pollinate.

But i would expect you to have some grapes if you have all the little ones on the stems.

The time schedules for producing vary widely depending on the climate and the type of grape.

I planted the Grapes in my arbor in 2010 and had a few grapes in '11, more in 12, and loads of grapes this year, especially on the Himrod vine, which grows more vine and produces more grapes than the several other kinds i have. And, it is by far the best tasting and makes the best raisins of any i have.

Ernie

ernie, has pollination already happened (or not) by the time I see these ? I think I have bees--

Jo,
No, Pollution has been pretty well controlled in Southern CA and we live 60 miles from L A, down the coast, so our air is very pure here. We have lots of birds, bugs, and butterflies. My neighbor has a small hive of honeybees, but last year my Grape arbor and other citrus blossoms were just swarming with the little Mason Bees. But then we had a hard freeze down to the low twenties, very unusual for this area, and i am assuming that killed off the mason bees. I have not seen hardly any this year. Their main benefit is they fly in much cooler weather than the Honeybees do, so the Masons do more pollinating for us than the honeybees.
Ernie

ernie, you confused me (doesn't take much!)-you mentioned pollution--I was asking about pollination--did you misread my post?

Jo,
I did misread your post. Not sure if it was because i was in a rush, or just another Senior Moment.

Pollination is done when the little bumps are very small on the vine. I have never examined them under a magnifier, but i have seen the petal blossoms that are less than a quarter of an inch.

Then, Like any over fruit plant, if the flower is fertilized the grape forms as a bump under the flower and grows into a grape.

Sorry for the confusion. I replied to this earlier but it did not post, so this is the second attempt.

Ernie

Thanks, ernie- I will be watching for bumps to enlarge!

Jo,

From your picture posted above, i am sure you will have grapes.
I am trying something new this year that i read, and that made sense to me. Grapes put so much wasted energy in growing more vines, that i am have been cutting my vines off two leaves above the grape bunches. The Vintner that wrote the idea said it would increase the quality and hasten the ripening. I do not know it if is true, but certainly worth a try.

Ernie

Thanks ernie-I will do that and see what happens. I guess what clusters are there now are all that will be this year? My vines are beautiful, but this is my first time and I have no clue what to do with them.

Ernie, I'll try that next year, as my grapes are already ripe or almost so, but they're not nearly as large as the ones at the supermarket, although they are really sweet and tasty.

Jo,

The buds and blossoms do not appear all at once, but i do not know over how long a period that happens. But you do not want too many grapes on a young vine, anyway.

I had grapes for years in Idaho, but was too busy to pay any attention to them until they ripened, so i am learning more myself watching these grapes develop.

Ernie

Hello, Jo,

How did your grapes do, on the filling out the bunches? Himrods will be ripe in a couple more days down here, and the Flame grapes are sweet, but only some in each bunch have colored up.

Ordered a bigger dehydrator as i will have grapes to make a lot more raisins with this year.

Ernie

There are several bunches of grapes- I will take photos tomorrow and post them. I had a problem with what I think were thrips, but sprayed and they are gone.

Erniecopp, here are my grapes today. They are about the size of an english pea, and looking real nice. I have two tomatoes growing below them, which was probably not a great idea- they get quite a lot of shade, but are setting fruit.

Jo,
Those are beautiful grapes, and certainly one of the easiest and most pleasing things to grow. I am going to start drying the Himrods for raisins later this week.

The Himrod cutting i started this past Spring has grown over 10 feet on the main leader, and lower part is 2 feet wide. Best tasting and fastest growing grape i have ever seen.

Ernie

ernie, maybe you can give me some advice on pruning my grapevine this fall- I don't have a big arbor- it's about 6' in length, and last fall I just cut it back at random. Also, after the clusters form is it OK to trim the vines at the ends? They are reaching over the fence and grabbing the maple tree branches!

Jo,

i have been pruning mine all summer. Locate a nice bunch of grapes on a vine and then I go out two leaves and prune off the rest.

If no grapes on the vine, prune it anywhere. Do not prune in the Spring time when they are pumping a lot of sap. Anytime after leaf drop in the Fall is okay.

Decide how many vines you want to keep, and then go back to the old wood, and just leave two buds on the keeper branches, and cut the other new vines all the way back. to old wood.

The vines with two buds on them will be the ones that grow your grapes next year, plus you may have some adventitious or volunteer buds come out of the old wood next year.

Glad your grapes are doing so well.

Ernie

Thanks ernie- Himrod- are they eating grapes? It would be fun to make your own raisins! Are grapes easy to root from cuttings?

Jo,
Himrods are white and juicy, kind of tart/sweet. Thompsons are a little too sweet for my taste. The Himrod raisin is just a little bit tart, so i like that better than the oversweetness in Thompson raisins.

I started grape cuttings the first time this year, and it is not difficult. Lots of detailed instructions on Google. I sent Pete some cuttings and his started to sprout roots in the fridge. I gave all but two of mine away, and then i lost one of them to a heat wave, but the survivor has grown over ten feet this year.

With your climate, you should be able to sun dry your raisins like they used to do in the San Joaquin Valley.

I will send you a few sticks next January if you would like to start them. Just remind me when the time comes.

Ernie

Thanks, ernie-yes I would like some- is that the best time to take cuttings? Seems I am always trying to root things the wrong time of the year! BTW, I just went out and did a hard pruning back of my grapes, as per your suggestion. Thanks

Jo,

The best pruning time depends on your climate. I am not an all around expert on Grapes. I was successful with them in Bonners Ferry, ID, because the first ones froze out and then i picked a warm spot on the south side of the barn and they grew well there, but i was so busy i did not pay much attention to them..

I am learning more here as i go along. But i recall clearly how much sap and energy they pumped out one year in Idaho when i purned them late. Water just nearly ran out in smal streams. So, we have to do the main pruning while they are still fully dormant. Cutting off the green wood during growing season does not cause the sap flow that Spring Pruning does.

Remind me next January about the cuttings, and Google up "Grape Cuttings", and you will find out a lot. Just wrap them in a damp towel in the fridge for a while, little white bumps will form on them, which is where the roots start. try to get them in the potting soil before the roots do start, so you do not break them off. I used peat pots so i could plant them out without any root disturbance. I am amazed at the ten foot growth from that little hardwood cutting.

Ernie

Ernie I live in Michigan and we have a grape vine that was here when we bought our house several years ago and we came to the agreement my husband and I that the grape vine we have along our back fence is worth nothing more than a good privacy feature. It is a purplish grape not terribly dark and quite sour.
Well anyway I just this summer bought a Concorde grape vine seedling and planted it up where the other one is along the fence with the intent that when it starts growing we will just prune back the old grape vine and let this one take over it's place as a privacy feature plus we will have good grapes. I can't wait because my in laws at their old house had Concorde grapes and they made very good grape jam.
My mother in law said that the grapes weren't ready until the first frost here in Michigan it makes the grapes very sweet.
I was thinking that when my new vine gets bigger I would like to take some cuttings off of it and try to start some more vines to plant on the other end of the fence and let them grow together.
So is that what I should do is take the cutting and wrap the whole thing in a wet paper towel and put it in a baggie and put it in the frig? But then how long before I look at it to see if it has bumps on it I don't want to disturb it while it is growing the bumps.
Do you think that this would work with my Concorde grape vine that I have here in Michigan?
Jan

Also Ernie are Himrod grapes a good eating grape and seedless?
If so I think I will watch for them and plan to plant one on the other end of our fence that way I would have an eating grape and the concord for making jam.
When making jam my mother in law used to tell me to take a few apple peel and cook them up and mix them in with the pulp from the grapes and I did with her concordes and did that make great jam.

I think I may take up my grape vine- it was fun to grow, but my garden space is very small, and I had to constantly cut it back (after the clusters formed) and I fought thrips all summer long. I got about 6 clusters which are sweet but very small. I need space for Tomatoes and other veggies.

Grapes can take up alot of space and can be tedious. Sorry to hear you will be ripping yours up :(

dobarr would Himrod be a good variety for me to grow here in Michigan and is it sweeter than Concord? I should say is it a good grape for just eating like you would get in the store or is it also a grape like the Concord that I would use in Jam.
Jan

Himrod would do well or Interlaken. They are good for table eating. They are both white/green/yellow in color unlike the purple concord and come in seedless varieties. I am growing Himrod.

In the store you would be eating Thompson seedless most of the time if they are green and these grapes arent anything like Thompson seedless. Thompson seedless is a rather dry crunchy variety and is not slip skin or juicy like Concord or Himrod.

In the store most red grapes are Flame seedless but in northern areas Reliance or Canadice are similar reds.

Unfortunately Flame and Thompson will not survive very well in MI.

Thanks for that info that is what I wanted to know. I'm not a real fan of the Thompson green seedless but I do much like the red grapes that I buy at the store so I guess I would be wanting to be looking for Reliance or Canadice. Wonder if they carry those varieties at a place like Lowes or Home Depot I will keep my eyes open and watch for them
I do though want the Concord for making like jam I don't think I would like eating them.
Thanks for the info.
]Jan

Jan,
When you are checking your cuttings for callous or the white bumps, just unwrap the wet paper towel a little bit, carefully, and that will not disturb them.
The thing is, if you let them go too long, they will sprout, and then you have to be really careful that you do not knock those fragile buds off when you plant them. So, as soon as the callous forms but before they sprout, put them in some potting soil.
In colder climates I assume they will need to be protected from the frost.
Jo,
I agree grapes will take up a lot of room if you let them grow, but you can prune them severely, which will produce a lot of grapes, and keep them to about six feet wide or so, about what the ones in the wine vineyards take up. But that can still be a lot of valuable space in small areas.

Ernie

Thanks, Ernie- if it was just the space issue I think I would keep them. But I fought thrips all season this year, so I think I will remove the grapes. It was fun to grow them, but there are other priorities in my garden.