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How To Plant, Grow & Train Grape Vines

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

We supply grafted vines, either bare root or potted; all can be treated in broadly the same way.

Important - I'm Not Dead or Dying!

Stock bought in late summer will often have tatty or discoloured leaves while that bought in autumn will often have leaves still hanging on, only for them to fall off later. This is nothing to worry about as all deciduous plants tend to look a little the worse for wear in late summer, and naturally shed their leaves in autumn.

Wax Cover to Graft

Please note that the graft is covered in wax. Under no circumstances should this be removed; as the vine grows and swells the wax will naturally break up and drop off. On older vines the wax may have already started breaking off. However, the wax and graft of Autumn/Winter-planted vines should be protected from severe frost for the first Winter.

Vines Late into Growth

Please note that vines are often very late into growth (particularly in their first season). Accordingly, it is not unusual to see no growth on your vines until late May - even later in cold years, even when planted under protection. Similarly, it is not unusual for vines to break into growth at different times and so in multiple plantings growth can often start weeks apart on individual plants.

With over sixty years experience of growing and selling grape vines we know how spectacularly good they can look dead! – scratch tests etc usually show no visible signs of viability.

If there is an issue with a vine not breaking into growth we will, of course, replace - however, without exception, we will not do this until late May.

Should a vine be severely pruned back to 'prove' it is dead before late May we will not replace.

Planting

In the past it was traditional to bury a dead sheep in the planting hole for your grape to help it get 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.

If you have received a bare-root vine, the quicker you can plant it into its final position the better. However, if this is not possible (whether because the ground is frozen solid or you are going away) you need to keep the vine in a cool but frost-free location and keep its roots moist. You will see that the vine is in a plastic bag (with no holes) and some damp compost; the best place to store the vine would be an unheated shed or garage. If the weather is particularly cold you may want to cover the bag with a blanket or shredded paper, straw or something similar, but ensure that the compost within the bag does not dry out (you can just open the bag and add a little water if required).

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

Container-grown vines can be very successful indeed (either inside or out); however, we would always suggest that you use the biggest container available and that in these circumstances the plant is maintained as a fairly compact plant or else grown as a standard, otherwise midsummer 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.

1. Roots Inside – this is 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 carry out.

2. Roots Outside – at first this may involve a little more effort but in the long term this will pay off as less watering 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 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 they prefer an alkaline soil. Whilst it is true that different soil types affect the flavour of the grape, very few of us would be able to discern any noticeable difference!

In-Ground Planting

Do not prepare holes in the ground too far in advance of planting, as the ground will dry out, making it more difficult for your vine to establish itself properly. Vines can be planted into the ground at all times of the year unless the ground is frozen solid; if you can get a spade in the ground then you can plant (ensuring that the roots are properly planted into the hole to protect them from frost). Vines like a well-drained position so ensure the area where you intend to plant your vine does not sit wet (puddle) at any time of the year.

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 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 then adding well-rotted organic matter is not necessary. If your soil is poor, adding well-rotted organic matter will certainly benefit your vine 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 other stimulants at the time of planting as these can easily cause burning 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 the original ground level – or, in the case of a bare root vine, the roots hang freely just touching the filled soil level - and so that the graft is approximately 2–4” (5–10 cm) above the 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 rather than surface rooting. Vines planted in greenhouses, polytunnels and similar will of course need regular watering indefinitely.

You may like to put some weed-suppressing matting around the vine to help hold in the moisture and keep the weeds at bay. We highly recommend that you protect the top of the vine/wax seal from severe frost with fleece or similar for the first winter. Ensure that the protection is removed once the buds start to break, otherwise this will damage the vine.

Under no circumstances should you remove the wax.

If you have a rabbit or deer problem, please ensure that you protect your vine from any damage they may cause.

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 parts 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) so that the graft is approximately 2–4” (5–10 cm) above the original ground level. 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. Ensure the pot is not completely filled with compost as again this will make watering easier. If planting your vine into a smaller pot to then re-pot you may need to protect the outside of the pot from winter frost; this can be done with bubble wrap or something similar.

Aftercare

Once the buds start to grow, keep a close eye on them for any signs of damage from slugs or insect. Select the two strongest (or best-positioned) buds to grow on and rub out any others. Once your two shoots are doing well, choose the best one to continue to train (see below) and remove the other.

Please note that in their first year vines tend to be slow into growth and then slow to grow – this is quite normal.

Training and 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, to confine the vine's growth) a pruning regime of some description is sensible, but that can be as simple as keeping the vine to the size you want. 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, the Spur Pruning is the least complicated and least time-consuming we would recommend using this 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 (available from us!).

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 in greenhouses, polytunnels and similar structures. In all situations the vine will need a framework 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 the inside of the greenhouse, or as complicated as a wooden pergola or arbour (as we are building here in our own garden!)

In the first year, and once you have your training framework in place, allow the main stem of your vine to grow vertically, tying it 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 any sub-laterals (side shoots that have grown from the laterals) that may have formed back to two buds.

In the following year (and in following years) repeat the process above until your framework or arbour is covered as you want, ‘stopping’ the laterals or sub-laterals when they have reached the length you 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 to be retained (for grapes you plan to eat only allow one bunch of grapes per sub-lateral; for grapes you plan to turn into wine 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 up the vine for the following year.

Improving Yield and 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 midday; follow this by gently stroking a cupped hand over each bunch of flowers. Repeat this process daily for about a week.

Bunch Reduction and Thinning

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

Bunch Reduction

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

For fruit 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 bunch to be retained.

For fruit 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 bunch to be retained. 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 yield of juice.

Thinning

Thinning is an art, but with a little practice it is fairly easy. You will need a pair of long narrow-bladed scissors (or ideally vine scissors) as well as a wooden fork (like those you get in fish and chip shops) to open and steady the bunches when thinning, and to avoid damaging the bloom on the skins with your fingers. Thin twice – removing about 25% of the grapes when they are tiny, and then again later if required once they have started to swell. You can of course shape the bunches at the same time should you wish, creating the perfect bunch!

Removing Tendrils

Tendrils are the thin stems that grow off the laterals and sub-laterals, twisting round anything they can in an 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 divert energy away from fruit production so simply remove them as they form.

Late Summer Leaf Removal

As the bunches of grapes start to colour you can, if you wish, remove some of the leaf canopy from the vine in order to allow light to reach the fruit, thus hastening and improving ripening. In commercial vineyards this is often undertaken with hedge-cutters or similar, and can look as though the vine has been massacred! In a home environment you may wish to be a little more careful.

Simply remove foliage that is covering the bunches of grapes, either a leaf at a time or by cutting back excessive extension growth as well.

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