Vitis hyb. St. Croix

Description

One of the better and more productive hardy grapes, selected for its large sweet red fruit in fall, excellent for eating fresh, jellies or wine; a vigorous vine, use as a screen for arbors or trailing along fences, requires regular pruning and full sun

Care/Maintenance

Grapes are normally trained with one vertical trunk and four horizontal canes (4 arm kniffen system) on a system of posts and wires. Often grapes are grown as an edible ornamental vine, and can be trained on an arbour. Once the framework is established, prune the four side canes to total of 50 buds. leave a few buds spurs on the trunk near the wires to produce next years crop. After the first two years your grape vines will need to be pruned annually in March or early April. Remember that fruit is produced on current seasons growth, so without lots of new shoots you will not get a crop. Grape vines must be pruned hard every year. Remember that the largest grape bunches that ripen first and test the sweetest are produced close to the main trunk. Grape bunches at the end of long canes are smaller and later to mature. Generally, the best buds for fruit production on a cane are the sixth through twelfth buds. Buds after that are not as productive and should be pruned back, unless you need them to provide stabilization on the trellis. Don't forget the basics, prune out dead or damaged wood after the winter, and prune to allow good air flow and maximum light to potential fruit! Mix in compost or rich soil at time of planting. Grow in well drained soil as heavy clay bases soils will delay ripening. Fertilize with fruit & berry food, or choose a well balanced organic fertilizer that will encourage flowers and thus fruit.