Really Gardening ... Grapes .. need help

Yarnball

Yarnball

Veteran Member
This was 2nd year for my grape vines. They were super healthy and grew like crazy. There were TONS of little grape clusters but they all disappeared. I don't see them on the ground; don't see that birds pecked them; haven't seen anything that could have gotten in there and swiped ALL those clusters.

Appreciate your input.

ps... did not see the Gardening prefix???
 
Raggedyman

Raggedyman

Res ipsa loquitur
Yarnball said:
This was 2nd year for my grape vines. They were super healthy and grew like crazy. There were TONS of little grape clusters but they all disappeared. I don't see them on the ground; don't see that birds pecked them; haven't seen anything that could have gotten in there and swiped ALL those clusters.

Appreciate your input.

ps... did not see the Gardening prefix???
Click to expand...

DEER
TURKEY

the grapes are us gang​
 
M

Martinhouse

Deceased
Do grapes require pollination? I was told my pears didn't produce the last two years because there were no bees for them at blossom time. All the little nubs that would have formed pears just withered up and sort of disappeared.
 
kyrsyan

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
It was birds. Trust me, it was. The only grapes I have that they don't seem to get taken by the birds are the muscadines. Put bird netting over them next year as soon as you see signs of fruiting. Don't take it down until you are done harvesting. One pick your own place here doesn't take it down at all. They just roll it up to the top of the posts for fall pruning and then lower it back down. After that it's left down.
 
Josie

Josie

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I've had beautiful grape vine for the last five years. Only grapes I've ever gotten from it were a couple of clusters the second year. I've pretty much come to grips with the fact that it's going to be a pretty vine and those stupid squirrels are having a feast!
 
Vicki

Vicki

Girls With Guns Member
Shoot, wish I could give you mine. I seem to be loaded with them this year and the vines are 10 to 15 years. The grapes are pretty covered over with leaves so no birds seem to bother them. I wanted to make jelly preserves at one point but I've been so overwhelmed with food preserving this year that again I probably won't get to them. It's a shame really but my God, I'm only one person with not enough time. lol

I would say netting over them too if you're having no fruit. The birds here wiped out my big elderberry bush this year but they didn't get my blueberries. Thankfully I still have all I need from last year and each year it seems one crop or another has problems but it's made up in others. It's just the nature of gardening.
 
Vicki

Vicki

Girls With Guns Member
Josie, are you trimming it way back? The more I cut mine, the more grapes it produces. The first time I really went crazy cutting them back as they were literally taking over, I cut so much that they looked like they weren't gonna make it. They flourished after that. Pretty amazing really.
 
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Josie said:
I've had beautiful grape vine for the last five years. Only grapes I've ever gotten from it were a couple of clusters the second year. I've pretty much come to grips with the fact that it's going to be a pretty vine and those stupid squirrels are having a feast!
Click to expand...

We have the same problem with our grape vine and one of our cherry trees. Birds, squirrels, insects, etc., beat us to the fruit every single time. I swear the only reason I plant cherry tomato plants at this point is to keep the chipmunks from eating the large tomatoes.
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Vicki said:
Shoot, wish I could give you mine. I seem to be loaded with them this year and the vines are 10 to 15 years. The grapes are pretty covered over with leaves so no birds seem to bother them. I wanted to make jelly preserves at one point but I've been so overwhelmed with food preserving this year that again I probably won't get to them. It's a shame really but my God, I'm only one person with not enough time. lol

I would say netting over them too if you're having no fruit. The birds here wiped out my big elderberry bush this year but they didn't get my blueberries. Thankfully I still have all I need from last year and each year it seems one crop or another has problems but it's made up in others. It's just the nature of gardening.
Click to expand...

Vicki... you can can them for grape juice SO fast and easy...

Just put 1 cup grapes into a quart jar. Add 1/2 cup sugar (you could probably use a mild flavored honey if you wanted) Top off the jar with boiling water. Water bath process for 10 minutes . Let set 3-4 weeks before using.

When you want grape juice, you just dump the jar into a pitcher, through a sieve (I use a silk bag I made for my herb press, as I can squeeze every good drop of juice out). Press the juice out and discard the grapes (chickens love them)

I've mostly made this with Concord type grapes. The juice could be used later to make jelly in the winter when tgere us more time and the kitchen is cooler.

Summerthyme
 
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Vicki

Vicki

Girls With Guns Member
summerthyme said:
Vicki... you can can them for grape juice SO fast and easy...

Just put 1 cup grapes into a quart jar. Add 1/2 cup sugar (you could probably use a mild flavored honey if you wanted) Top off the jar with boiling water. Water bath process for 10 minutes . Let set 3-4 weeks before using.

When you add in genetically want grape juice, you just dump the jar into a pitcher, through a sieve (I use a silk bag I made for my herb press, as I can squeeze every good drop of juice out). Press the juice out and discard the grapes (chickens love them)

I've mostly made this with Concord type grapes. The juice could be used later to make jelly in the winter when tgere us more time and the kitchen is cooler.

Summerthyme
Click to expand...

Thank you Summerthyme. I also have concord and I was thinking of maybe just juicing and canning. I'll try your method when I get the rest of this stuff off my counter. Pears galore and many many apples. I still haven't done the zuccini breads but I'm getting there. I can't believe my Grandmother used to do all this every year. Geesh... lol
 
E

ericha

Contributing Member
I have a bird problem with my grapes too. One thing that worked pretty well was bird scare tape. It's a shiny reflective ribbon that scares birds away in a five to eight foot radius. It does work, though hanging old cd's would problem do the same thing.
 
marsh

marsh

On TB every waking moment
Grape training overview

6:04

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uU1C6hNFRg

7:12

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksSn9EGA3eE

Step by step video

9:33
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRitu20KipM

8:05
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlfnJHF8m0Y

13:57
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F45K4B9Zi2I

3:28
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDuXfMLpfMU

7:01
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzXWjtQK7ow

Second year pruning
25:16
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr6_A7fvzEA

14:52
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVNjXyzcaAQ

Thinning

9:54
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88qQafu6STw

He has more videos
 
I

imaginative

keep your eye on the ball
A question for the grape grower-

I have a couple of grape vines on the South side of a building that I need to re-train next year. Often, to cure or prevent a blight on the leaves, a vintner will use copper fungicide. I have a boatload of 10 ft copper waterlines and I was thinking that constructing a trellis or training system out of this copper would be beneficial.

Any thoughts or experience?
 
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