Growing Grapes in WV - West Virginia Department of Agriculture

More documents

Recommendations

Info

for filling in vacancies in anestablished vineyard. Grafting ispracticed chiefly by nurseries toestablish a cultivar on a differentrootstock and will not be describedhere.In layering varieties that donot root readily, a narrow trenchabout 10-15 inches deep is dugin early spring where the newplant is desired or where there isroom to produce a nursery plant.A healthy cane of the previousseason’s growth, originatingclose to the ground on aneighboring vine is bent downto the bottom of the trench andvertically back up to bring twoor more tip buds above the soilsurface. Wounding the caneopposite each underground budwill hasten rooting. The trench isthen filled to promote rooting ofthe cane section below ground.The part of the cane connectingthe new plant to the mother plantshould be stripped of developingshoots as they emerge. Onlythe shoots from the buds of theprotruding cane tip should be allowedto grow. The rooted plantscan be severed from the parentvine the following spring and setin their permanent location. If therooted plant is to fill the vacancywhere it is rooted, the plantshould not be severed from themother plant until the diameter ofthe new vine trunk exceeds thediameter of the bent over caneand fruit should be removed forthe first two years.RootstocksGrapes can be grown on theirown roots or grafted onto a plantthat provides special root characteristics.The primary reasons forusing a rootstock are to provideresistance to phylloxera andnematode parasites on the rootsystem, to isolate the scion cultivarfrom soilborne virus diseases,to induce vigorous growth in areplant situation, and to avoidvarietal susceptibility to limeinducedchlorosis. If any of thesesituations apply to the plannedvineyard site, rootstocks shouldbe considered.CultivarsGrape cultivars tested inWest Virginia are listed in Table3 pages 24-27. Because ofthe diversity of climate in WestVirginia, it is suggested that anycultivar to be planted should betried on a trial basis first. Inclusionin this table is not an indicationthat the plants will survive inall locations.-6-
Planting the VineyardSoil PreparationA well-cared-for vineyardwill often outlive the person whoplanted it. Hence, adequate soilpreparation is very important. Thispreparation should begin at leasta year before the vineyard is tobe set out. It should be designedto subdue weeds, to improve thephysical condition of the soil, andto add humus. This is easy to dobefore the vineyard is establishedbut is difficult to do after the vinesare in place. A soil sample shouldbe taken to determine potassium,magnesium, soil pH and organicmatter so that adjustments can bemade before planting. The need forkeeping a relatively high organicmatter content in the soil cannotbe overemphasized. A high humuscontent not only is essential forholding moisture, but it also improvesthe physical condition of thesoil. The growing of a short seasoncrop requiring constant cultivation,followed by a fast growing covercrop to be turned under, and augmentedby the addition of as muchbarnyard manure as possible willput the soil in a desirable state oftilth. Part of the manure can be puton the cultivated crop in the spring,the remainder in the fall. Leave acover crop on through the winterand turn it under in early spring.Before setting out the vineyard,poorly drained spots that show upwhile the cultivated crop is on theland should be drained. If the soilis sufficiently acid to require liming,i.e., too acid for cover crop growth,lime should be applied about a yearbefore planting. Troublesome perennialweeds such as quackgrassor morning-glory should be eliminatedwith herbicides before plantinggrapes. If grapes have been grownin this site before, at least two yearsof planting to grass or cover cropsis required to reduce the populationof grape root pests. Alternatively thesite could be fumigated or vigorousrootstocks used to avoid replantgrowth suppression.LayoutSeveral factors must be consideredin deciding on the bestplanting distances for a vineyard.First, there should be enoughspace between rows to allow forconvenient tractor cultivation andspraying; second, there shouldbe enough space between plantsin the row so that adjoining vineswill not intermingle too much; andthird, sufficient space should beallowed so that there will be littlecompetition between the roots ofadjoining plants for nutrients andwater. Vines are generally set 6-8feet apart in rows 9 feet apart. Atthe 8 feet spacing, 605 plants peracre will be required, at 7 feet, 690plants and at 6 feet, 807 plants.The first step in preparationfor planting is the laying out ofthe vineyard. Probably the bestmethod for laying out a small-7-
Page 1: Growing GrapesIN WEST VIRGINIAW e s
Page 4 and 5: Locating the VineyardProper site an
Page 6 and 7: Table 2. The expected ten-year freq
Page 10 and 11: or medium vineyard is to use awire
Page 12 and 13: weeds controlled with herbicides.Th
Page 14 and 15: 1. The fruit is borne onshoots prod
Page 16 and 17: Geneva Double Curtain:This system u
Page 18 and 19: -16-
Page 20 and 21: HarvestingGrapes should be picked w
Page 22 and 23: are wormy at harvest time. It is ad
Page 24 and 25: Table 3. Summary of grape cultivar
Page 26 and 27: Table3C. Wine CultivarsProductivity
Page 28 and 29: Appendicesw Weather stations are of
Page 30 and 31: Appendix 1a. continuedw x yStation
Page 32 and 33: Appendix 1b. continuedw x y zStatio
Page 34 and 35: Appendix 1c. continuedStations w x

Growing Grapes in WV - West Virginia Department of Agriculture

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?