I have had a grapevine growing outside next to my back door for about 15
years and it has always provided enough grapes for a few bottles of wine.
Over the last couple of weeks it has put out lots of new leaves and little
bunches of grape flowers so things looked good. The grape trails in one
direction over the back of my house and in the other direction over an
adjoining fence.

A couple of days ago I noticed that all the new shoots and the grape flowers
were drooping and they look like they are dying. The soil is well watered
and all the other nearby plants (primulas, ground elder) look fine. So far
they have not recovered, and we have not had a frost so I can't understand
what could be causing this. Any ideas?

Thanks,

someone

someone wrote:
I have had a grapevine growing outside next to my back door for about 15
years and it has always provided enough grapes for a few bottles of wine.
Over the last couple of weeks it has put out lots of new leaves and little
bunches of grape flowers so things looked good. The grape trails in one
direction over the back of my house and in the other direction over an
adjoining fence.

A couple of days ago I noticed that all the new shoots and the grape flowers
were drooping and they look like they are dying. The soil is well watered
and all the other nearby plants (primulas, ground elder) look fine. So far
they have not recovered, and we have not had a frost so I can't understand
what could be causing this. Any ideas?

Thanks,

someone


Could just be old age. We lost a vine of a similar age about 5 years
ago. Everything else nearby continued to grow so I assume not a soil
/pollution problem.
Putting in another one is on the round 2 it list.

Bob

On Fri, 8 May 2009 Bob Minchin wrote:
someone wrote:
I have had a grapevine growing outside next to my back door for about
15 years and it has always provided enough grapes for a few bottles
of wine. Over the last couple of weeks it has put out lots of new
leaves and little bunches of grape flowers so things looked good.
The grape trails in one direction over the back of my house and in
the other direction over an adjoining fence.
A couple of days ago I noticed that all the new shoots and the grape
flowers were drooping and they look like they are dying. The soil is
well watered and all the other nearby plants (primulas, ground elder)
look fine. So far they have not recovered, and we have not had a
frost so I can't understand what could be causing this. Any ideas?

Could just be old age. We lost a vine of a similar age about 5 years
ago.

Shouldn't be old age if it is only fifteen years old. They should go on
for at least thirty to fifty years.

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK
http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk

On 8 May, 10:41, David Rance wrote:
On Fri, 8 May 2009 *Bob Minchin wrote:

someone wrote:
I have had a grapevine growing outside next to my back door for about
15 *years and it has always provided enough grapes for a few bottles
of wine. *Over the last couple of weeks it has put out lots of new
leaves and little *bunches of grape flowers so things looked good.
The grape trails in one *direction over the back of my house and in
the other direction over an *adjoining fence.
*A couple of days ago I noticed that all the new shoots and the grape
flowers *were drooping and they look like they are dying. *The soil is
well watered *and all the other nearby plants (primulas, ground elder)
look fine. So far *they have not recovered, and we have not had a
frost so I can't understand *what could be causing this. *Any ideas?
Could just be old age. We lost a vine of a similar age about 5 years
ago.

Shouldn't be old age if it is only fifteen years old. They should go on
for at least thirty to fifty years.

David

--
David Rance * * * *writing from Caversham, Reading, UKhttp://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk

My first thought is Vine weevil. I had one do the same, then it
started to throw out new roots, I cut back quite hard and 6 years on
it's doing well.I dosed the little B------ with a chemical no longer
available but you could either try nematoids or Pravado.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

In article ,
says...
I have had a grapevine growing outside next to my back door for about 15
years and it has always provided enough grapes for a few bottles of wine.
Over the last couple of weeks it has put out lots of new leaves and little
bunches of grape flowers so things looked good. The grape trails in one
direction over the back of my house and in the other direction over an
adjoining fence.

A couple of days ago I noticed that all the new shoots and the grape flowers
were drooping and they look like they are dying. The soil is well watered
and all the other nearby plants (primulas, ground elder) look fine. So far
they have not recovered, and we have not had a frost so I can't understand
what could be causing this. Any ideas?

Thanks,

someone



If its not frost damage then suspect root damage, maybe caused by Vine
Weevil (not named this for nothing) or Phytophora root rot.
If the plant re shoots soon and grows normally you know it was frost if
the decline continues and it dies check the roots for damage.
Its not age related.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 2009-05-08 10:41:02 +0100, David Rance
said:

On Fri, 8 May 2009 Bob Minchin wrote:
someone wrote:
I have had a grapevine growing outside next to my back door for about
15 years and it has always provided enough grapes for a few bottles of
wine. Over the last couple of weeks it has put out lots of new leaves
and little bunches of grape flowers so things looked good. The grape
trails in one direction over the back of my house and in the other
direction over an adjoining fence.
A couple of days ago I noticed that all the new shoots and the grape
flowers were drooping and they look like they are dying. The soil is
well watered and all the other nearby plants (primulas, ground elder)
look fine. So far they have not recovered, and we have not had a frost
so I can't understand what could be causing this. Any ideas?

Could just be old age. We lost a vine of a similar age about 5 years ago.

Shouldn't be old age if it is only fifteen years old. They should go on
for at least thirty to fifty years.

David

Just think of the one at Hampton Court!
http://europeforvisitors.com/london/...great-vine.htm
--


--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

In article , someone
writes
I have had a grapevine growing outside next to my back door for about 15
years and it has always provided enough grapes for a few bottles of wine.
Over the last couple of weeks it has put out lots of new leaves and little
bunches of grape flowers so things looked good. The grape trails in one
direction over the back of my house and in the other direction over an
adjoining fence.

A couple of days ago I noticed that all the new shoots and the grape flowers
were drooping and they look like they are dying. The soil is well watered
Maybe that's your problem.

Roy.
--
Roy Bailey
West Berkshire.

On Sun, 10 May 2009 Roy Bailey wrote:

I have had a grapevine growing outside next to my back door for about 15
years and it has always provided enough grapes for a few bottles of wine.
Over the last couple of weeks it has put out lots of new leaves and little
bunches of grape flowers so things looked good. The grape trails in one
direction over the back of my house and in the other direction over an
adjoining fence.

A couple of days ago I noticed that all the new shoots and the grape flowers
were drooping and they look like they are dying. The soil is well watered

Maybe that's your problem.

Only if it's in a pot. If not, a fifteen year old vine will have roots
spread far and wide.

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK
http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk

"someone" wrote in message
...
I have had a grapevine growing outside next to my back door for about 15
years and it has always provided enough grapes for a few bottles of wine.
Over the last couple of weeks it has put out lots of new leaves and little
bunches of grape flowers so things looked good. The grape trails in one
direction over the back of my house and in the other direction over an
adjoining fence.

A couple of days ago I noticed that all the new shoots and the grape
flowers were drooping and they look like they are dying. The soil is well
watered and all the other nearby plants (primulas, ground elder) look
fine. So far they have not recovered, and we have not had a frost so I
can't understand what could be causing this. Any ideas?



Thank you to everyone who replied. I've had a poke around in the soil
thinking it might be vine weevil, but there is no sign of any, or not that I
could see. I doubt it was the cold weather since we haven't had a frost for
quite a while now. Also, I have a much older, neglected grapevine behind a
nearby greenhouse and, while it's only got a few leaves at the moment it's
certainly not dying. I wonder if it could be a combination of the sick one
being really advanced, together with very damaging winds about a week ago.
I'm not sure why being well watered would be a problem, since it's not
soaking or anything, and the garden has been extremely dry lately.

I am afraid I will have to read the sick one the last rites, since I can't
find a solution yet.

someone

There's a very large number of diseases grape vines can succumb to, in addition to the well known ones, but you'll need some specialist books, probably written in French, to find them. There seems to be a bumper harvest every year in France these days, but go back to the 60s and 70s, and poor flowering and poor fruit set and all sorts of other nasties used to be a common problem in the vineyards - good years were uncommon then. Although there have hardly been any real frosts in much of England since early April, we have had some cold winds. If you have an early-starting vine, it could well have been set back by these winds, but should recover. But otherwise, tips dying back sounds like a bad sign and last rites could be the result.