Lexi Webster
Grapevines are a wonderful plant to grow in your garden. They can be grown for their fruit, which can be eaten fresh, dried, or turned into wine, or as living shade. They are also used in Greek and Italian cooking for their leaves. Grapevines are easy to grow from cuttings and can be trained to grow on a trellis or pergola. In this article, we will explore how to care for grapevines in Australia, including the best time to plant, how to train and prune your vines, and how to protect your grapes from pests and diseases.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Shade, fruit, culinary |
| Varieties | Table grapes, dried fruits, wine varieties |
| Table grape varieties | "Crimson Seedless" (red), "Menindee Seedless" (white), "Black Opal" (purple), "Pink Iona", "Concord", "Flame Seedless", "Sultana", "Black Muscat", "Sun Muscat" |
| Wine grape varieties | "Chardonnay" |
| Tropical/sub-tropical varieties | Muscadine |
| Training structures | Trellis, pergola, green roof, green wall, arbour, wire strand |
| Propagation | Hardwood cuttings, grafting |
| Fertiliser | NPK with trace elements, compost, chicken manure, blood and bone |
| Watering | Regular during dry months, reduce watering as grapes change colour |
| Fungal issues | Powdery mildew, spray with potassium bicarbonate or Bordeaux spray |
| Bird issues | Netting |
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What You'll Learn
Training grapevines to grow on structures
Grapevines are prolific climbers that can be trained to grow on structures such as a trellis, arbor, or pergola. This provides the benefit of shade in the summer while allowing warm sunlight to penetrate during the cooler months when the vine has lost its leaves. Training grapevines to grow on structures typically involves two phases: training and pruning.
Training
To begin training a grapevine to grow on a structure, start by selecting a healthy cutting from an existing plant, which should be a cane with a uniform reddish-brown colour. Choose one or two permanent trunks for each vine and mark them with ribbons. Remove all other growth, then cut the trunks back to where they are as thick as a slim pencil. Next, select two to three shoots and tie them to a garden stake or bamboo stake with string or plastic tape. Once one of the shoots reaches 0.5 to 1 metre in length, remove the other shoots and allow the remaining shoot to climb the stake. During the first year, it is important to let the vine grow vigorously to achieve the desired height, which will allow it to establish a strong root system and framework.
Pruning
Pruning is an essential part of training grapevines and should be done annually to prevent overgrowth and tangling. There are two basic methods of pruning table grapes: spur pruning and cane pruning. Spur pruning is generally easier to do and is more suitable for warmer climates or areas with drought, while cane pruning is better for cold climates. In spur pruning, the permanent trunk and semi-permanent cordons are left from year to year, with multiple canes growing from spurs along the cordon. In cane pruning, old growth is removed each year, and new growth is trained to replace the fruiting wood.
The specific pruning method and trellising system you choose will depend on the grape variety, climate, soil fertility, and personal preference. For example, the 4-cane single-trunk Kniffin system (cane pruned) and bilateral high cordon (spur pruned) are two common systems that work well for growers in Utah. Additionally, the timing of pruning can vary depending on your region; for the Perth region, pruning is typically done in late August or anytime after leaves have turned yellow or fallen, while in regions with warmer climates, such as Gascoyne, vines should be pruned mid-July.
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Protecting grapevines from birds and bats
Birds eating grapes is a common issue for grape growers in Australia. The best solution to protect your grapevines from birds is to use netting over the whole vine or over each bunch of grapes. If your grapevine grows over an arbour, this can create natural protection from birds as the grapes hang down underneath the plant, making it harder for birds to access them.
It is also important to consider other pests and diseases that may affect your grapevines. Powdery mildew, for example, is a whitish-grey powdery fungus found on leaves and fruit that can impact plant growth and fruit ripening. To reduce fungal attacks, thin out leaves and shoots to allow more ventilation and sunlight to pass through the plant. Always read the label and follow instructions carefully when using products to deal with pests, diseases, or weeds, and wear suitable protective equipment. Store all garden chemicals out of the reach of children and pets.
Bats can also be a potential pest for grapevines, but they are less commonly discussed than birds. Similar to protecting your grapevines from birds, using netting to cover your grapevines or individual bunches of grapes can help deter bats. Excluding bats from accessing your grapevines may be more challenging than excluding birds due to their ability to fly and manoeuvre in tight spaces. However, ensuring that your netting is securely fastened and well-maintained can help reduce the likelihood of bat infestations.
In addition to netting, there are other methods you can employ to protect your grapevines from birds and bats. One approach is to use visual or auditory deterrents, such as scare crows, reflective tape, or ultrasonic devices. These methods may startle or irritate birds and bats, causing them to avoid your grapevines. Another option is to use repellents with unpleasant tastes or smells that birds and bats dislike, such as methyl anthranilate or hot pepper wax. These repellents can be applied directly to the grapes or vines, making them unappealing to pests.
Lastly, maintaining a healthy and vigorous grapevine can help to reduce the impact of bird and bat infestations. Ensure that your grapevines are well-watered, especially during fruit development, and apply fertiliser when necessary. Healthy grapevines are more resilient and may be better equipped to withstand some pest damage without significant harm.
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Preventing and treating fungal infections
Fungal infections can ruin grapevines, so it is important to know the signs of infection and how to prevent and manage it. Firstly, be vigilant and take prompt action. Each disease has distinctive symptoms, so it is important to identify them accurately to implement effective control measures.
To prevent fungal infections, you can group together disease-susceptible varieties so that you only need to spray the blocks that need it. You can also select disease-resistant grapevine varieties. In new plantings, fumigate the soil with an appropriate fungicide and remove any roots left in the soil to a depth of about 3 feet (1 metre).
To treat fungal infections, you can apply dormant sprays such as lime sulfur, sulfur, or copper formulations to kill fungal spores. You can also physically remove as much inoculum as possible by chopping up the prunings and burning them or burying large trunks to destroy fungal pathogens. Another option for reducing fungal attack is to thin out leaves and shoots to allow more ventilation and sunlight through the plant.
If your grapevines are affected by Armillaria root rot, it is difficult or impossible to successfully treat. If you catch the infection early, you may be able to expose the upper roots and crown to let them dry out. Dig the soil down to 9 to 12 inches (23-31 cm) to expose the roots in the spring. If the site is known to be infected with Armillaria, it is not worth planting grapevines there.
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Propagating grapevines from cuttings
Grape growers often want to increase the number of vines in their vineyards or develop new plantings by using their own cuttings. The best time to select vines for propagation is at harvest or just before harvest. Selected vines should be well-cropped, but not over-cropped, as this will prevent the wood from fully maturing, leading to poor rooting. It is important to scout the vineyard for virus- and disease-infected plants and avoid taking cuttings from them.
To propagate grapevines from cuttings, start by filling a pot with propagating mix. Cut a length of vine, around 40 cm long, just below a leaf node into the brown wood. Dip the base of the cutting in rooting gel or cutting powder and insert it into the hole. Firm it down and repeat the process. Trim the top of the cutting to about 2 cm above the top node. Soak the cuttings in water for several hours before placing them in the nursery. Do not use any root-promoting substances, as these may reduce grape rooting. Instead, plant the vines in prepared soil in rows in the nursery. Water and place the pot in a sunny position. In spring, when the top growth is active and strong, re-pot into individual plant pots or plant them into the garden.
It is important to note that grapevines can be trained as a green roof or green wall if given a solid structure to climb. They can be trained to grow over a pergola or a post-and-wire trellis. During the first year, let the vine grow vigorously to achieve the desired height and establish a strong root system. Only one single shoot should be trained during the first growing season; select two to three shoots initially, and remove all others. Tie these shoots to the garden stake with string or plastic tape. Once one of the shoots reaches 0.5-1.0 meters in length, remove the other shoots, leaving the favored shoot. Remove the lateral shoots that emerge at the base of each leaf. Do not remove the leaves during the growing season, as they will supply the vine with food for the next growing season.
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$13.75
When and how to prune grapevines
Pruning is an essential part of maintaining a grapevine and maximising fruit production. It is best done during the winter, when the vines are dormant and bare, although in some regions, pruning can be done anytime after the leaves have turned yellow or fallen. In the Perth region, for example, pruning is carried out in late August, while in the Gascoyne, where temperatures are higher, vines should be pruned in mid-July.
Pruning is about creating a balanced vine and guiding its growth. It involves cutting back the vine to a desired shape, maximising fruit production, and improving the size and evenness of ripening. To prune, first, select the strongest shoots or branches, cutting off the weak ones. Choose 2-4 strong 1-year-old canes, slightly thicker than a pencil's width, and leave them on the trunk. Cut off all other canes as close to the vine's trunk as possible. Wrap the remaining canes along a trellis wire, if you are using one.
If you are training your vine over a pergola, start by training the main stem up the side of the structure and then cut it off to initiate spread. Train the stems along the sides of the pergola and then cut again to stimulate long vines that run across the beams. You can also tie them to form a framework for a productive green roof. Prune canes back each year to at least 2-8 buds to ensure a good crop, and thin the canes and bunches as necessary to encourage larger grapes. Once the vine is established, up to 90% of the growth can be removed each year to maximise fruit production.
If your grapevine is young and has not reached the desired height in the first year, cut the shoot back in winter to 2-4 buds above the beginning of its growth point. Repeat this training process in the second year. Do not allow your vine to produce fruit in the first couple of years; instead, encourage the plant to develop a strong root system.
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Frequently asked questions
The best time of year to plant a grapevine is early spring.
Grapevines can be trained over a pergola or a post-and-wire trellis. To begin this process, vines should be trained up a garden stake, bamboo stake, or something similar.
In the first year, let the vine grow vigorously to achieve the desired height. Only one single shoot should be trained throughout the first growing season. Select two to three shoots initially, then remove all others.
There are two basic methods of pruning table grapes: spur pruning and cane pruning. Spur pruning is used on highly fruitful varieties, and cane pruning is used on low fruitful varieties.
Fungal attacks are common in grapevines, especially powdery mildew. To prevent this, spray with a Bordeaux spray while the vine is dormant and just before the buds burst. Spray again later in the season if the weather becomes humid.
