Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Training a grape vine  (Read 1786 times)

quixoticgeek

  • Joined Sep 2014
Training a grape vine
« on: September 20, 2014, 07:29:30 pm »

Last winter I bought a grape vine from Victoriana Nursery. It's planted by a wall, and I would like to train it up next to the drown pipe, then across the wall above the downstairs windows. I can find lots of info on training grape vines onto trellises and other "traditional" methods but none on how to train a grape up so high.

Can anyone suggest where to start?

pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: Training a grape vine
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2014, 09:47:47 pm »
HesterF will be more into current techniques.. but if going above the downstairs window then I guess we're only talking 9-10 foot high before going horizontal? Somewhat may depend on type of grape and rootstock but I had a neighbour in surrey with a wine grape outdoors that he neglected and it climbed to the top of a 20+ foot tree so a mere 10 feet doesn't sound daunting.

My own newish vines are ito their third year. They didn;t do well for the first 2 years..poor growth.. so this year i gave them a lot of TLC and feed and they've really sprung to life. I'm doing mine in a  simple double guyot and at the moment more of less letting them do their own thing over the summer and then tidy up after leaf fall - except for shape tying the suitable horizontals. Even then one of them threw a spur from the bottom that has made 8 feet high although that will be cut away when pruning it. The point i'm making is that you want some growth and sturdiness at this stage and I have had no need to summer trim to allow light to fruit since it hasn't any yet.

What I'd probably do if trying to copy you would be to place 3 horizontal temporary frames to tidy temporary growth to while tying a leader to the direction you want to go.. then at the end of the season trim away all the unwanted bits and pick a new strong shoot from that leader to go higher until you reach your goal while tidying up the lower growth to allow the vine to make energy. Once you reach your height you can then stop buds below as they develop and start forming at that height. And remove the temporary framing.

 

Forum sponsors

FibreHut Energy Helpline Thomson & Morgan Time for Paws Scottish Smallholder & Grower Festival Ark Farm Livestock Movement Service

© The Accidental Smallholder Ltd 2003-2024. All rights reserved.

Design by Furness Internet

Site developed by Champion IS