Sensational Seedless Grapes

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A yearly mulch of quality compost is all the fertilization your grapes should need. Depending on the quality of your soil, compost may be needed only every two to three years. Several of our vines are mulched with well-aged rabbit manure or compost, and others receive nothing at all. All grow well and produce great-tasting fruit, but the fertilized vines are unquestionably more vigorous and productive than the rest.

Although grapes are somewhat drought-tolerant, water first-year plants weekly during dry months to help them become established. After that, you can probably water mature vines less often. We water our most productive vines once a week. Water needs are dependent on such factors as climate, soil type (a sandy soil will need to be watered more frequently than a clay-based soil), and such other cultural conditions as location and whether plants are mulched.

GRAPE DISEASES AND PESTS

Most of the varieties we grow are disease-resistant, so our vines have never really encountered any problems. But disease-resistant varieties are not totally disease-proof. Common fungal diseases, such as mildew or black rot, may take hold when grapes are grown in a poor location, where air circulation is inadequate or humidity levels are too high.

If fungal disease does become a problem, you can spray vines with a lime-sul fur or Bordeaux mix (a copper-based fungicide) before they leaf out in early spring. Diligent pruning also improves air circulation and reduces disease. You can increase the air circulation in humid areas by planting grapes in rows, or on fences or trellises that parallel prevailing winds.

Herbicide injury caused by overdrift from a neighbor spraying weeds is an even more common problem than fungal disease. Herbicides can damage plants up to 20 miles away from the spray site, and grapes are especially sensitive to 2,4-D, a widely used herbicide. If drift hits your grapes, leaves will be distorted and plants may die. For help diagnosing herbicide drift, contact your state agriculture department or university.

When it comes to pest control, birds and beneficial insects are the way to go. Dozens of birdhouses sit atop the fence posts of our 8,000-square-foot, deer-fenced garden. Each year, tree and violet-green swallows come back to nest in these houses, raising a new generation of insect eaters that control common grape pests such as grape leafhoppers, grape berry moths, aphids, flea beetles and Japanese beetles.

Other insect-eating birds include bluebirds, martins and wrens. If fruit-eating birds like robins become a problem, cover the grapes with bird netting. Establishing blackberry vines nearby will attract parasitic wasps, natural enemies of the grape leaf-hopper and grape berry moth, and planting a diversity of flowering plants will attract many beneficial insects to feast on grapevine pests.

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