Vine growing question

Can I grow my vines (white grapes) so that the "base"or "stalk" is around 10 -15 feet long with no (trimmed off) leaves or off shoots, until it gets high enough to get up to the roof line (of my house) and thus receive full, day long, sunlight? The "stalk" is now in mostly shade (4 hours of direct sunlight). I would then trim and prune the top part into an arbor and encourage grape development only where it gets full sun. I make wine from store purchased juice but would love to do from my own vines. Right now the production and quality of my grapes are very low do to the limited amount of sun on these vines. They were from my grandfather's garden and he used to make wine from them, so I would love to carry on the tradition but my spot to grow them is far from ideal. Thanks for any help.

Reply to
Tom
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The direct answer is 'yes' - assuming you have reasonable soil and the vines are watered. I've seen numerous grapevines trained up trellises, poles, etc.

The real question then becomes more difficult to answer; will they produce high quality wine grapes in sufficient quantity for my winemaking needs?

Most vineyards are now pruning back quite short - 3 feet or so. When I visited the famous Burgundian vineyards two summers ago, I was quite surprised at how low they prune their vines - a couple feet high when dormant.The question here is - will having such a long stalk affect the quality of your grapes? Honestly, I don't know.

The sedond issue becomes canopy management. Quality grapes require pretty careful canaopy management such that they receive sufficient sunlight, yet sufficient shade such that they don;t burn. Sufficient airflow. And, very important, the canopy needs to be managed (leaf pulling or hedging) to maintain appropriate balance of leaf versus fruit. These issues DO directly affect grape quality. In a "normal" vineyard, these are managed with trellises and accessible canopy for leaf pulling or hedging. If your vines are on your roof - can you set up trellis wires to control cane growth? Can you access the canopy?

Last thought - can you get enough vines for reasonable production? I have 150 vines spaced in ten rows of about 15 each - stalks come to about waist high before splitting into two cordons (relatively high - but easier to work on). Vines are spaced about 6 feet apart - producing, on average, about 7 to 8 pounds of grape per vine. That isn;t a very big yield - how many pounds would you need for your roofline to produce?

Reply to
Ric

Ric:

What is the between row spacing and varieties you grow.

I'm planning and planting right now and that info would be interesting to know if you wouldn't mind.

Steve noobie Oregon

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Reply to
spud

I have ten rows, on average 15 vines @. Rows are 10 feet apart, vines are 6 feet apart in row (so-called 6x10 spacing). More density (8 feet apart) would have been possible, but these are enough vines for me - and the aesthetics work well in the particular field. Currently, 100+ Syrah, 40 Marsanne - although am starting now (2 year plan) on gratfing over / replanting to be apx 60 Syrah, 50 Cab Franc, 40 Marsanne. I use a small Kubota tractor which scoots up and down the rows just fine - and could have done so in 8 foot rows.

Actually, just finished pruning today. Bud nodes are starting to swell

- new season will be under way soon!

Making your own wine from your own grapes is a big thrill - good luck. Drop a line anytime if I can offer any input. BTW - we're drinking the

05 Marsanne already - and it's fantastic.
Reply to
Ric

Tom,

You can have long stalks or in viticulture language, trunks. There is a common thought that the more perennial wood on a vine the better the quality of the grapes. The long trunk certaintly would give you that. Short trunks are used mostly in cold climates in case the trunk is injured it can be replaced quickly( 1 year ). Where are you located??? If winter injury is a problem then it might be frustrating trying to keep a trunk more than a few years. If not, it should work. Pruning would be a high wire act. The only problem I see is that the roof may get too hot or if the vines are growing directly on the roof , moisture could be a problem on the underside of the leaf. If you can keep the leaves off the roof, then your good to go.

Bob

Tom wrote:

Reply to
doublesb

Thanks Ric, appreciate the info.

Yeah it sounds like you're busy all right. What fun!

Take Care and Thanks,

Steve noobie Oreg>I have ten rows, on average 15 vines @. Rows are 10 feet apart, vines

Reply to
spud

Couple thoughts doubl;

  1. "more perrential wood = better quality grapes". There is also a very popular beleif to the contrary - that the more pruned back the vine, the better the grape quality. Take a run through the Burgundian vienyeards sometime - many in Napa are going the same way. Can't say i can detect a difference. Age, vigor, canopy management, vineyard management practices all seem to me to have more influence.
  2. I still think Tom has an issue with canopy management - unless he creates a trellis system above hs roofline. The canes would likely hang out and down - possibly preventing adequate light and air (increased mildew potential, uneven ripening, etc), and I would hazard a guess that sulfur spraying would be real difficult on the rooftop!
Reply to
Ric

I am in New Jersey. The grapes would not be grown ON the roof but on an arbor at roof level over my back porch. Fairly easy access with a short ladder. I could put pipe insulators on the stalk during the winter for protection. Thanks all for the help.

Reply to
Tom

Tom,

What grapes do you plan to grow and where in NJ do you live??

Bob

Tom wrote:

Reply to
doublesb

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