Hi,

We've recently moved home, and in the garden there was a very old grape vine, it's beautiful and intend on keeping it. This year we had hundreds of bunches of grapes however the grapes only grow to the size of small peas (red grapes). I was wondering if there was anything that i could do to improve the size of the crop. Not sure what type of grape vine it is as like i mentioned it is quite a mature grape vine, and i don't think the previous owners have really looked after it or really prunned it. I was thinking of pruning it this year maybe that would help, but have no idea how far back i should prune this vine back to.

Hope someone can help!

(UK)

"LittliPixie" wrote in message
...

Hi,

We've recently moved home, and in the garden there was a very old grape
vine, it's beautiful and intend on keeping it. This year we had
hundreds of bunches of grapes however the grapes only grow to the size
of small peas (red grapes). I was wondering if there was anything that
i could do to improve the size of the crop. Not sure what type of grape
vine it is as like i mentioned it is quite a mature grape vine, and i
don't think the previous owners have really looked after it or really
prunned it. I was thinking of pruning it this year maybe that would
help, but have no idea how far back i should prune this vine back to.

Hope someone can help!


The plants are probably currants, a relative of the grape with small fruits.
They're frequently used to make jelly or jam, and can be used as a flavoring
in various recipies. Check on Google for recipies.

Paul

If each bunch has lots of tiny fruit, I suspect someone has overlooked the need to thin the fruit. Use thin pointy scissors, snip off alternate fruitlets. The aim is to have fewer fruit to the bunch - not fewer bunches. This allows more room and nutrients for those left to grow
bigger. Vines also benefit from a mulch, and need water to swell the fruit.

I'm far from being an expert, and perhaps someone else can explain better, but most gardening books show how it should be done.

Watch out for mould, it can ruin the lot in very short time.

In the event these are indeed grapes, and if the vines aer overgrown,
you can help yourself by doing some research into pruning the vines
back.

I have some 40+ year old concords, which had been sadly neglected (by
me) for the past 4-5 years. This spring, almost too late in the
season, I went out and trimmed the heck out of them. My wife thought
I had killed them, and for a while it looked like she was right.
However, the plants have thrived this season, and again look almost as
bushy as they did last year.

So if you have overgrown GRAPE vines, consider a decent pruning, and
of course, thin judiciously.

In article
,
gonzo wrote:

In the event these are indeed grapes, and if the vines aer overgrown,
you can help yourself by doing some research into pruning the vines
back.

I have some 40+ year old concords, which had been sadly neglected (by
me) for the past 4-5 years. This spring, almost too late in the
season, I went out and trimmed the heck out of them. My wife thought
I had killed them, and for a while it looked like she was right.
However, the plants have thrived this season, and again look almost as
bushy as they did last year.

So if you have overgrown GRAPE vines, consider a decent pruning, and
of course, thin judiciously.

If they are truly grapes, then when you prune (when vines are dormant),
leave about 25 buds. After vine bushes-out, trim leaves, top and sides,
to allow ventilation and penetration of sunlight into the vines.
--

Billy
Bush and Pelosi Behind Bars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVTf...ef=patrick.net
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1016232.html

If the fruit is too small pick off some of the flowers so the plant's energy is going to fewer flowers causing bigger fruit

In article ,
LittliPixie wrote:

Hi,

We've recently moved home, and in the garden there was a very old grape
vine, it's beautiful and intend on keeping it. This year we had
hundreds of bunches of grapes however the grapes only grow to the size
of small peas (red grapes). I was wondering if there was anything that
i could do to improve the size of the crop. Not sure what type of grape
vine it is as like i mentioned it is quite a mature grape vine, and i
don't think the previous owners have really looked after it or really
prunned it. I was thinking of pruning it this year maybe that would
help, but have no idea how far back i should prune this vine back to.

Hope someone can help!

(UK)

It's my understanding that gibberellic acid is widely used to increase
the size of the grapes but the resulting flavor is less intense.
--
"I will show you fear in a handful of dust"
-T.S. Eliot