Growing Grapes Without Trellis

Hi All,

This is the second year for 26 grape vines that I started from cuttings. They got a bit of a setback last year after they were pruned by deer on May 19th 2007. This year we have an electric deer fence surrounding the mini-vinny as I call it. I would like to grow them without the use of trellising. I have seen that in some old vineyards.

Anyone here have experience or suggestions re: this??

Many Thanks

You mean like groundcover? I guess it could be done but mine would be huge running all over the place like that. I've seen wild ones like that but they are always trying to get to a tree etc to climb up.

No not like ground cover. I have seen grapes grow on sturdy stems without the use of trellises..I will try to find a photo.

Sure, just tie them to a sturdy stake. Just make sure you prune out the lower canes so they are all coming from around 5' or so tall, that will keep the canes off the ground. This method is called head pruning and is the way most vines were grown in the middle ages.

Scott

I've seen some of the California vineyards set up that way - over time the main stem looks more like a tree trunk. What varieties are you growing? I've just set out some muscadines but I'm told they must be trellised.

Muscadines will grow a tree trunk over time. I've seen them in the woods by my house that look like trees. The only thing there is they got that way from growing up big pines over 20-30 years? Really I have no idea how old the vines are. If you keep pruning them back I guess you could make a little tree out of them. Never thougt about doing that.

Thanks for the info. In lieu of heavy trellises, I opted to set each one near a mesquite tree, figuring I can use soft ties to link the vines to the multi-trunks. If the grapes grow as exuberantly as everything else does in this rocky black clay, some amount of pruning will be needed.

Thanks Scott,

That is exactly what I was thinking of. I will go tie them up today, they are only on thier second season ( somewhat as last year the deer ate the heck out of them in the Spring )...Some have fruit, others none...