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Help with Grapes...

 
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I planted 3 different locations of Grapes (1st timer)...green, red, purple. They were bare roots and have grown great. I have recently begun putting in more permanent trellises. What do i do when they reach the top? Which they will quickly im sure. Just cut them? or what?
IMG_2758.jpg
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pollinator
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If that's three different plants, you should really space them out more. Maybe one setup like this for each plant to get them started the first year.  Look at how vineyards are spaced. As tiny as they are now, they'll end up growing into as much space as you give them (or more!)

Once a trunk is established, the vine will trail along anything--and arbor, fencing, wires with supports at intervals. Pick a height that is easy for you to harvest from, and build a support.
 
Troy Docimo
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I actually have 3 separate locations (like the pic) each with 2 plants. Ive decided on the above trellis setup, my question is once they reach the top do i just keep cutting and trimming them? No matter what set up you have at some point its going to grow past it, how do i handle that? Should i dig up the plant on the right and re-plant it? Will the one on the left spread out to the right?
 
Mk Neal
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They'll grow in whichever direction provides support; you shouldn't have to trim them to keep them from getting tall. Decide where you want the vines grow, and extend the trellis in that direction with a bar or wire or other preferred support, keeping in mind that vines will want to grow towards the sunlight. If the vine tendrils don't find the support on their own, you can gently bend them over it, and they then start growing along the length of it.

Once you have the vines growing where you want them, then look at trimming off new shoots that are going where you don't want them to.
 
Troy Docimo
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Ok first off..i had assigned space for additional grapevines already, so today i started the process...i dug up two grapevines and gave each their own space and their own temporary trellis (until i can afford to build permanent ones....). The Trellis you see in the picture is similar to others i have seen people do, it is the extent i planned on using. I wasnt planning on making it like an arbor, so my question was what do i do when the vines get to the top? do I cut them? do I let them fall over and work downwards?
 
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I see that there is a chainlink fence behind them. They will make there way over to it. When it happens just let nature take it's course.
 
Troy Docimo
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I always read that chain link fences werent ideal for grapevines. Not so sure i want them all over the fence anyway. A friend said the local vineyard had trellises smaller than mine (maybe 4 ft) and they let the grapes go up and come back down and intertwine with itself. Is that ok?
 
Mk Neal
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Its not the height that I think is insufficient-- 4 ft sounds good for ease of harvest. It's the breadth/width. Usually grape vines need to sprawl.  Its the horizontal growth that stimulates fruit production.

I am not an expert, I just have my one grapevine.  To me it looks like a nice starting point for the vines, but should be extended horizontally so each vine can spread naturally 10 ft or more.
 
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Troy Docimo wrote:Ok first off..i had assigned space for additional grapevines already, so today i started the process...i dug up two grapevines and gave each their own space and their own temporary trellis (until i can afford to build permanent ones....). The Trellis you see in the picture is similar to others i have seen people do, it is the extent i planned on using. I wasnt planning on making it like an arbor, so my question was what do i do when the vines get to the top? do I cut them? do I let them fall over and work downwards?



I would not let them grow downwards. In my experience, grapevines have a strong desire to become a tangled mess if you look away for a split second. Furthermore, where I live I have been fighting black rot almost every year. I just last year found out that European grapes are virtually impossible to grow here. This year I have kept after them relentlessly and it seems some grapes may actually mature. There are many ways to prune grapes. Just do a web picture search for "pruning grapes" and you will see many good pictures of ways to do it, like this:
three-yr-captioned-prune.jpg
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If that is bare steel, and the sun shines on it, your grape vine will suffer. Heat transfers very easy through steel. Once a big part is covered in shade, It might survive, but for a young plant it is not recommended.
 
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