• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Carla Burke
  • Nancy Reading
  • r ranson
  • John F Dean
  • Timothy Norton
  • paul wheaton
  • Jay Angler
stewards:
  • Pearl Sutton
  • Anne Miller
  • Tereza Okava
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
gardeners:
  • M Ljin
  • Matt McSpadden
  • Megan Palmer

Somerset grapevines on the way - Pointers?

 
pioneer
Posts: 235
Location: Wisconsin Zone 5a
93
cat forest garden chicken building medical herbs wood heat
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
We have some Somerset grapevines (bareroot) on the way. I have zero experience with grapes. Anyone have any pointers?  These things were kind of expensive - I don't want to screw up handling these.
 
Posts: 720
Location: Sierra Nevada foothills, 350 m, USDA 8b, sunset zone 7
142
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
When I was planting bareroot grape rootstock, I would do the following:

1. Leave the package for a few days in the shade so the grapes will get acclimated to your environment. Especially if they came from a cold storage.
2. Soak them (the root area) in water for a day or two.
3. Plant them and water.
4. Mulch.
5. Install vine shelter (you can remove it the next spring).
 
Posts: 75
6
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
You could add aloe to the soaking water to promote regenaration
 
gardener
Posts: 1050
Location: Zone 6 in the Pacific Northwest
537
2
homeschooling hugelkultur kids forest garden foraging chicken cooking bee homestead
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Give them a lot of compost and make sure they are well watered the first year.

I've only grown grapes in the East Coast and the West Coast, never below zone 8 so I don't know what special care they might need for your winters. But I found this document that might be helpful for you: https://barron.extension.wisc.edu/files/2023/02/Growing-Grapes-in-Wisconsin.pdf

For me, every grape I've grown has proven very resilient and hardy. Once they are established, I might give them some water in August- they are fine without water but they will drop fruit otherwise.

I grew a couple muscadine varieties in NC and here in the PNW I'm growing a couple varieties of seedless table grapes. I know a lot of people who grow Concord grapes with no problems so I got some cuttings of those. I also just got a couple of wine grapes (I don't plan on making wine but they are supposed to be good for fresh eating too) so I'll see if they are any harder or easier to grow.
 
A sane person to an insane society must appear insane. - Vonnegut
The new permaculture playing cards kickstarter is now live!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/garden-cards
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic