St. Croix Wine Grape - Black Color

Grapes are among the most desirable and best known on earth. Grapes have a reputation of difficult to grow but with proper soil and care you can be successful and can provide delicious grapes for wine and their more utilitarian roles such as fresh juices and tasty jellies.

Patience is the virtue in starting your new vineyard. Often, it can take many years to reap that first big harvest. Be patient! Once the grapes are established and properly maintained, they will give you many years of bountiful harvests. 

WE CANNOT SHIP GRAPES TO THE FOLLOWING STATES: 

CA, WA, OR, ID, NY 

Grapes will grow in many different soils-even soils of sand, gravel, shale, slate, or clay. Vine growth is generally improved by adding organic matter to the soil. The soil exerts considerable influence on the crop. Very rich soils and soils containing high organic content produce a heavy, but late-maturing crop with low sugar content. Light soils tend to produce light yields of early-maturing fruit with a high sugar content and comparatively weak vine growth.

Choose a site that receives full sun. If vines aer shaded, growth may be weak and spindly. Avoid low spots where cold air collects as this could result in spring frost injury. In winter, low-lying spots on property will have lower temperatures, making the vines more susceptible to winter injury. Due to erosion, topsoil tends to collect in low areas, resulting in a deep, heavy topsoil layer. This will grow rank vines that are large, shaded, and unproductive. In addition to full sun, the soil must be well-drained.

Poorly soils hold more water and will grow large, shaded vines with small amount of poor-quality fruit. In addition, good airflow within a grapevine canopy is essential for minimizing humidity and fungal disease. Vines planted next to woods, or a structure may suffer if airflow is restricted. These are central themes in the viticulture-full sun, well-drained soils, and good air drainage.

If you live in an area with extremely severe winter temperatures with no real protection, it will be difficult to grow some varieties. Areas with high temperatures and high humidity present a problem because grapes are susceptible to disease which thrive under these conditions. 

Grapes hould be planted in early spring in North/South rows. Bareroot grapevines need approximately 2 weeks of 70 degrees air temperature to break dormancy and grow so planting before conditions are right is to no advantage. Bareroot plants should be planted 8-10 ft between the rows and 8-10 ft in between each plant.

Prune off any broken and damaged roots and shorten excessively long roots for convenience when planting. Excessive pruning of the root system is not advised however is better to prune a few roots than stuff the roots into a small planting hole. Make sure to dig a hole big enough to spread out the roots. You could trim the root system just don't trim tooo much off, especially since on dormant plants is where all the nutrients are stored that the plant will need to successfully get establish. The best method is to ensure there is enough room to spread out the roots properly. Balling up the roots inside a hole that is too small may kill the plant to increase the sizze of the hole if necessary. Spread slightly deeper than it was grown in the nursery. If there are more than two shoots coming out of the top of the plant, it can be trimmed to the two strongest shoots.

We recommend soaking the plants in water for several hours prior to planting, but no longer than 24 hours. Spread the roots, cover with soil, and tamp well. If soil moisture is low, water the plants in after planting and as needed until the plants have developed a root system large enough to support themselves during dry periods. Own-rooted plants should be set at a depth where the lowest shoot of the dormant plant is just above the soil level. For grafted vines, the graft untion should be at least 2-3 inches above the soil level to prevent scion rooting. It is not unusual for buds to break dormancy storage in the cooler or during transit. When exposed to sunlight this growth will turn brown and fall off. This is not a cause for alarm as more duds will develop and grow. You may be able to harvest a light crop the third season.

The first cull crop, however, will not produced until about the 4th or 5th year. It is important that cultural practices of maintaining soil fertility, weed control, soil moisture conversations, and insect disease control be followed. Control weeds by hand hoeing or with plastic or organic mulch. A clean area 1-1/2 to 2 ft on each side of the vine is necessary. Do not damage the trunks with a hoe or chemicals. Once the grapes are established and properly maintained, they will give you years of bountiful harvests. 

We do not recommend fertilizer the first year of planting. In subsequent years the following amounts of 10-10-10 should be spread around the vines in early spring before growth begins. 

• Second year - 2 oz 
• Third year - 4 oz 
• Fourth Year - 8 ounces 
• Fifth year and after - 16 oz 

It is important to properly train vines during the first few years of growth to establish a vine form that will be easy to manage. After planting, but before growth begins, the top of the dormant plant should be pruned back to a single cane with two to five buds. After growth starts all but the best two to four shoots should be removed. One ore more of these shoots should be removed.

One or more of these shoots will become the trunks. Support should be provided for new shoots to keep them off the ground. This will greatly reduce disease problems and provide full sun exposure for maximum growth. The trellis hould be established soon after planting to provide this support. A string can be tied from a side shoot of the vine to the wires and the new shoots wrapped around the string. Never tie around the main trunk of the plant because the trunk will expand during the first growing season and can be girdled by the string. 

Annual pruning is important in maintaining a uniform yearly production of quality fruit.

The best time to prune grapevines is in the dormant season after the danger of severe cold weather has passed. In the northern United States, this is usually in March. Learning to prune grapevines requires practice and experience.