Growing Grapes In Your Own Backyard

There is not a lot of difference between growing grapes at the comfort of your own yard at home or growing them in a large vineyard. Space is the only difference. Large vineyards and home growers both have several aspects to take into consideration in growing healthy grapevines. Taking care of the grapevines consistently is the most essential facet in grape growing. This will include preparing the soil where it will be planted, providing sufficient water, a fair exposure to sunlight, pruning and pest control, too. The most tedious parts of grape growing for a lot of home grape growers would be the pruning and pest control.

Pruning involves the removal of a part of the plant to control its growth. The type of grapes being grown would dictate how the grapevine will be pruned. Hybrid grape varieties are known to bear less foliage compared to the traditional types of grapevines as they were developed to be hardier during winter season and have more resistance to diseases. You will need to remove the previous years' fruiting canes or spurs which is why pruning is necessary. Only shoots which are one year old canes can produce grapes. This is why every year, healthy new canes must be grown. In the event that the vine was pruned too much, it produces more crop and foliage since more shoots will grow on the grapevine. There is however, a disadvantage in doing so. More foliage will result to a shady canopy that would create a bad environment for the grapes to ripen. When pruning, care must be taken to avoid inflicting unnecessary injury to the grapevine. A hand pruner is ideal to effectively remove year or older shoots. On the other hand, a lopper or a handsaw can be used for larger wood on the vine.

The other tedious aspect in grape growing is pest control. Home grape growers will most likely have to spend more time dealing with pests such as insects, birds and even deer. Insects like grape berry moths, grape leafhoppers, Japanese beetles and rose chafers love to feed grapevines. Typically, the grapevines can stand a small amount of insect attack but insecticides can be used to combat insect infestation. Anytime a large portion of the leaf area or the fruit itself is threatened, it is time to consider pest control measures..

A flock of birds can also have a devastating impact on a crop of grapes. They do a lot of damage in a short period of time, although it would be easier to scare a flock of birds away than to isolate and destroy smaller pests and insects. Physical barriers can be set up like nets all over the vines to control the birds. These barriers will need to be taken down come winter so ice will not be formed on it that can cause damage to the vines. Visual repellents like aluminium pie plates, artificial hawks, owls or snakes can also be utilized by home grape growers. Deer can be controlled with the use of odor repellents. They are found to work effectively in controlling deer, which is especially important during early spring when there is scarcity in their food supply. Grapevines can prove to be very tempting for the deer. Unwanted birds can also be scared off by the use of a human scent, dog hairs or soap. Scent of coyotes is also effective in scaring off the deer as coyotes are natural predators to them.

This may seem like a lot of considerations, but these are simply a list of considerations for home grape growing that you just need to be aware of. Typically in a backyard vineyard, the area is much smaller, and so it's much easier to keep an eye on the vines and make sure they are getting all the water, air flow and sunlight they need. Keeping away these pests shouldn't be much more than keeping an eye on things and taking measures only when you see there is a problem.