How To Plant, Grow & Train Grape Vines

The methods and techniques of growing grapes has almost been turned into a mythological art by the numerous books and articles that have been published on the subject - many of which over-complicate to the point that they are enough to put anyone off trying! The reality is grapes do not need to be that difficult, and can provide a reliable and worthwhile crop with very little input.

Depending on the time of year and our production cycle, we supply either grafted or cutting produced vines - either bare root or potted - and all can be treated in broadly the same way.

With grafted vines it will be noted the graft is covered in wax. Under no circumstances should this be removed; as the vine grows and swells this will naturally break up and drop off.

Planting

In the past it was traditional to bury a dead sheep in the planting hole of your grape to aid it getting the best start possible; for the purposes of this guidance we will assume a dead sheep is not available! That said, as is true when planting anything, preparation is the key - a little extra care and effort will always be rewarded.

The first thing to be decided is where the vine is to be grown. Vines can be grown either in the ground or in a containers.

Container grown vines can be very successful indeed (either inside or out), however we would always suggest that in these circumstances the plant is maintained as a fairly compact plant or grown as a standard - otherwise mid Summer watering can become a nightmare with a large vine and all its foliage drawing more water out of the container than you can put in!

If planting into the ground, whether inside or out, the planting method is the same. For vines being grown inside the only additional decision that needs to be made is whether to plant the roots of the vine inside or outside of the greenhouse, polytunnel, conservatory or similar.

• Roots Inside - possibly the easiest method. The vine is planted directly into the ground within the protected growing space. This is a perfectly acceptable method - but remember the vine will require regular watering (as rainfall will not reach the roots) - and similarly feeding / mulching may be harder to undertake.
• Roots Outside - at first a little more effort but long term this will pay off with the less watering that will be required and mulching of the roots etc will be easier; the most successful and, as is the case with the mighty Hampton Court vine, largest indoor grown vines are always planted outside the structure and then trained through in through a hole. Vines grown in such a way are always trained using the spur pruning method - but more about that later!

Vines will perform well on most soil types, though prefer an alkaline soil. Whilst it is true that different soil types effect the flavour of the grape, very few of us would be able to discern any noticeable difference!

In Ground Planting

Take out a large planting hole - ideally a minimum of 2 x 2 x 2 feet (60 x 60 x 60 cm). Fork over the base and sides of the hole to loosen the surrounding soil. Then part fill the hole back with a mixture of the soil that was removed from the hole and organic matter such as well rotted manure, leaf mould or similar; if the soil that came out of the original hole was in 'good heart' use a mixture of 75% soil / 25% organic matter. With poorer soils use a higher percentage of organic matter but never use more than 50% as this will make the plant 'lazy' in rooting into the surrounding soil. Under no circumstances should you use any bonemeal or similar stimulants at the time of planting as these can easily cause burn and damage to the roots. The hole should be part filled and gently firmed to a level where the compost of the root ball (if potted) will sit just below original ground level - or in the case of a bare root vine roots drape freely just touching the filled soil level with the original soil mark on the stem just at original ground level. Now back fill the hole (spreading the roots if planting a bare root vine) with more soil / organic matter mix and firm well - checking that the vine is planted at or just below its original level. In light soils gently tread in to ensure firm planting.

Water the vine well, regardless of the time of year - and ensure that the vine is kept watered for the first full growing Season. Just as when watering anything else, it is best to water heavily but less regularly as opposed to lightly every day - the old adage of a "bucket a week instead of a tea cup a day" - as the deeper penetration of the water will encourage deeper rooting as opposed to surface rooting. Vines planted within greenhouses, polytunnels and similar will of course need regular watering indefinitely.

Container Growing

Select a container as large as is practical and ideally with a minimum diameter of 18" (45 cm); half oak barrels are perfect for the job! Ensure there is good drainage by drilling holes in the bottom and lower sides of the container before putting in a generous level of crocks, pea shingle or similar. Using a good quality compost, fill the container and plant the vine so it ends up at the same level, or just below, the original compost level (for pot grown vines) or soil mark on the stem (for bare root vines). We recommend the use of a soil based compost such John Innes as these tend to be more water retentive than peat or coir based composts - making Summer watering care easier.

Training & Pruning

In their natural woodland habitat, grape vines are vigorous and reliable climbers that ramble and scramble through trees without any pruning or training - and produce a crop of fruit every year! It is, however, true to say that to get the best crop (and more importantly confine their growth) a pruning regime of some description is sensible - but that can be as simple as keeping the vine to the size you want should you wish. There are two main training methods for grapes - Cane Replacement (sometimes known as the Guyot system) or Spur Pruning (sometimes known as the Rod and Spur System).

As we believe that, of the two common methods for training grape vines, Spur Pruning is the least complicated and least time consuming we would recommend it is used in all but commercial vineyard situations (though many Portuguese vineyards prefer to train on pergolas using this technique). Accordingly we only provide guidance on this training method. For guidance on Cane Replacement training or more detailed guidance on grape cultivation we thoroughly recommend the book Successful Grape Growing for Eating and Wine-making by Alan Rowe.

In effect Spur Pruning is little more than 'taming' the natural habit of the vine, and is perfect for grapes grown over pergolas, along fences or wires - and most certainly for grapes grown under protection.

First decide where you are going to train your vine! Grapes can be grown on fences, walls, pergolas - or within greenhouses, polytunnels and similar structures. In all situations the vine will need a framework to which it can be tied into; this can be as simple as horizontal wires spaced approximately 18" (45 cm) apart running along the fence, wall or inside of the greenhouse - or as complicated as a wooden pergola or arbour (as we are building here on our own home!)

• In the first year, and once you have your training framework in place, allow the main stem of your vine to grow vertically up - tying in as required.
• Any laterals (side shoots off the main stem) should either be trained along the closest horizontal wire (allowing one lateral per wire) or pruned back to one leaf if not required.
• Once leaf fall has occurred in the Autumn, prune back any sub-laterals (side shoots that have grown from the laterals) that may have formed back to two buds.
• In the following year (and following years) repeat the process above until your framework or arbour is covered as you want it, 'stopping' the laterals or sub-laterals when they have reached the length your require by pruning back to a bud.
• Additionally, during the growing season, any sub-laterals that flower and set fruit should be pruned back to two leaves beyond the bunch of grapes (for grapes you plan to eat only allow one bunch of grapes per sub-lateral; for grapes you plan to make wine from you can allow all the bunches to develop). Non fruiting sub-laterals should be pruned back to five leaves from the lateral.
• Each Autumn, after leaf fall, repeat the process of pruning all sub-laterals back to two buds - tidying the vine up for the following year.

Improving Yield & Quality Of Fruit

Hand Pollinating

Outdoor vines should not require any assistance with pollination as wind and natural movement caused by the wind should be sufficient to transfer pollen between flowers. For greenhouse grown grapes a 'helping hand' at flowering time invariably pays great dividends with yield - particularly with early-flowering varieties. To aid pollination simply shake the flowering sub-laterals of the vine gently but briskly each day at around mid day; follow this by gently stroking a cupped hand over each bunch of flowers. Repeat this process daily for about a week.

Bunch Reduction & Thinning

Generally speaking, if you intend the fruit to be for eating you will be hoping for as large a fruits as possible whilst for winemaking overall yield is more important than individual fruit size. But do remember that each fruit contains a pip, so sometimes a lesser quantity of larger grapes will produce a greater yield of juice than a greater number of tiny fruits - once the pips are taken out of the equation! Thinning can also prove beneficial by discouraging fungal problems whilst encouraging even ripening.

Bunch Reduction

Looking at the vine, assess whether it is carrying too much fruit as a whole...

For fruits intended for eating, allow one bunch of grapes per sub-lateral with fruiting sub-laterals spaced no more than 18" (45cm) apart. Any surplus fruiting sub-laterals should be pruned back to the first leaf in front of the redundant bunch.

For fruits intended for wine, the distance between fruiting sub-laterals can be reduced to 12" (30cm) apart. Any surplus fruiting sub-laterals should be pruned back to the first leaf in front of the redundant bunch. Whilst you can allow more than one bunch of grapes per sub-lateral on mature vines, we would suggest on younger vines that you only allow one bunch per sub-lateral - thus keeping up fruit size and subsequent juice.

Thinning
Thinning is an art - but with a little practice is fairly easy. You will need a pair of long, narrow bladed scissors (or ideally vine scissors) as well as a 'fish and chip shop' wooden fork to open and steady the bunches with when thinning - thus avoiding damage to the bloom the skins by your fingers. Thin twice - removing about 25% of the grapes when they are tiny and then again later if required when they have started to swell. You can of course shape the bunches at the same time should you wish - creating the perfectly shaped bunch!

Removing Tendrils

Tendrils are the thin stems that grow of the laterals and sub-laterals twisting round anything they can in attempt to support the vine; in the wild this is how vines climb and support themselves - in a trained garden environment they are a pain as they will allow the vine to climb as it wants rather than sticking to your pruning and training regime! The tendrils will also unnecessarily divert energy away from fruit production - so simply remove as they form.