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How to Grow Grapes
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GROW YOUR OWN VINEYARD
by Linda Lee Rathbun
Growing grapevines over a veranda or pergola can produce shade in summer, spectacular autumn foliage, delicious table grapes, and a wonderful place to dream of bottling your own drop. Now is the time to start planning for winter planting, so - a toast to success!
Legend says we have the Greek god Dionysus to thank for grapevines. Also known to the Romans as Bacchus, he spent much of his life traveling the world, bringing the gift of winemaking to mere mortals. If he were with us today, here are a few pointers he would probably offer….
Ideally, grapevines need warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. If there are vineyards in your region, then you should be able to grow grapes. Ring the Department of Agriculture for suggestions on which variety to grow: the local nursery also will be able to advise on suitable table and wine varieties. For example, the Sultana table grape grows best in warm, dry regions, but Golden Muscat is suitable for more humid areas. It also is possible to grow a mix of early and mid-season table grapes to produce fruit throughout the summer.
Select a site that gets plenty of sunshine - a position facing north or northeast is best. The site and soil must have excellent drainage. If the garden is on a slope, the vines should be planted at the top. To plant a vine, remove the topsoil and set it aside, then break up the subsoil: if it is sandy, enrich it with well rotted manure and/or compost. If it is clay, break it up and mix it with compost, gypsum and coarse river sand, to create a crumbly loam. Fork through and enrich the topsoil in the same way, adding plenty of well rotted manure, then replace this over the subsoil.
If growing grapes to harvest, a wire trellis running north-south is preferable. Build this so the first wire is about one meter above the ground, with a second wire 30 to 40 cm above the first. Grapevines also can be trained up a post, along a veranda or over a pergola.
Grapevine 'rootlings' can be purchased from most retail nurseries during winter, when it is time to plant. If the soil is sandy, the hole to dig for the rootling should be about 30 cm deep but, if it is clay, it should be 15 cm deep. Trim the roots so they are about 5 cm long and place the vine in the hole, fill it with soil, firming the layers as you go. If growing two or more vines, they should be spaced three meters apart. Sprinkle each vine with five liters of water and add a layer of mulch in a circle round (but not touching) the vine. Cut the vine back to just about two buds from the ground. Keep the soil around the vine moist, and never let the surface of the mulch dry, or it will tend to form a barrier. Remove any weeds by hand.
Through the first spring and summer, allow the vine to grow without any pruning and above all, be sure to water deeply into the soil so a healthy root system will develop. This is important during the first two years of growth.
Winter pruning is best done in late June, when all leaves have fallen from the vine (let these decompose in the mulch). Use a pair of secateurs and paint the cut wood with pruning paint.
For most wine grapes and table grapes, use the spur-pruning method: for sultana grapes
use cane pruning. Good sources of information about vine pruning include: The Complete Book of Fruit Growing in Australia, by Louis Glowinski (Lothian); Growing Fruit in Australia, by Paul Paxter and Glenn Tankard (Macmillan), and The Reader's Digest Illustrated Guide to Gardening.
To train grapes along a veranda, train a main stem to the required height, then pinch it out to develop two lateral arms. A vine at each end of the veranda will give greater coverage. For a large pergola, plant vines every three meters. Grow one at each end and one in the middle, if required. Train an end vine up the side post to the trellis, pinch off the tip, then train two lateral arms out, one along the side and the other along the front. Use the spur-pruning method, training secondary arms up and over the frame. A third vine can be grown up a middle post and over the trelliswork, training arms out along the sides of the main stem to help cover the top. Vines also can be grown in a large pot on a balcony and trained along the railing. Under ideal conditions, vines will give good coverage after two to three years. Consult one of the recommended books for illustrations and more information.
Crimson Glory vines and ornamental vines can be grown for their beautiful autumn foliage. They can be trained on just about any structure, as their tendrils reach out and grab anything for support. If growing them along a wall, plant the rootlings in a well prepared bed, about 35 cm from the wall. Space them every three to four meters. Crimson Glory will grow to nine meters high and long, and ornamental vines grow to six meters in either direction. Complete fertilizer can be added to both in early spring to promote leaf growth. They should be pruned in winter during the dormant season, and will do well in most areas other than hot, humid climates.
The soil should be kept moist in the growing season, but reduce watering when the grapes are maturing, and stop altogether in the last two weeks before harvesting. Always water into the base of the plant, not from above.
Grapes do not continue to ripen after picking, so let them sweeten fully on the vine. They must be made into wine as soon as possible after picking, or refrigerated if using them for table fruit.
Fertilize wine and table grapes after their first year by forking some compost or well rotted mature into the soil and top with fresh mulch at the end of every winter. Over- fertilizing causes lush leaf growth and poor fruit development.
Andrew Clarke, a Victorian viticulturist, suggests spraying vines with a mix of 50/50 copper hydroxide (Kocide) and wettable sulphur when new shoots reach 15 cm. After that, spray through the growing season until the grapes change color. This will control pest, mold and mildew problems. When the grapes begin to develop, remove about half the bunches to open the vines and allow plenty of air to circulate around the plants. This thinning also helps prevent mold and mildew problems. Caterpillars can be sprayed with Carbaryl and ripe grapes can be protected from birds by netting.
For more information, contact the Department of Agriculture in your State. Their bookstore will have books and notes available for purchase and they will have a list of viticulturists who can supply advice. Finally, the local library should also have books on the subject.
As for the ancient art of winemaking, we suggest you sit under the dappled shade of your grapevine-covered pergola, and flick through the pages of Making Good Wine, by Bryce Rankine, published by Macmillan. Your first vintage may be overhead!
THE END