Grape growing is a venture that anyone with some land can get into. At the beginning of your venture, you’re all happy and excited. You just can’t wait till you see those juicy grapes growing in your vineyard! But as time goes by, you start encountering a slew of problems, and you just don’t know what to do! And then you get frustrated, wondering if you should just give up… If you’re thinking about that… don’t! There are solutions to your problems. Here are some common problems grape growers encounter and how to solve them to guide you in growing grapes at last!
Help! My vines are growing leaves, not fruits!
Are you overwatering your plants? If your grape vines are growing leaves, not fruits, this is called “vegetative growth.” This is caused by your vines absorbing too much water. Though your grape vines need water to grow, they don’t like too much of it. So do not overwater your plants, and don’t let them stand on water! This is why it is very, very important to have good drainage in your soil-the best vineyards are known for their excellent drainage system, so the grape vines absorb just the right amount of water they need.
Help! The leaves on my vines are withering and why are the fruits so few?
If you’re encountering this problem, your grape vines may have developed diseases. Identifying the disease is the first step to finding a solution for it. You should know identifying marks of common grape diseases so you can easily diagnose and treat them. Always remember though that prevention is still the best cure! Diseases, especially those that are fungal in origin, thrive on hot, humid areas. So make sure that your grape vines get enough airflow. A good trellis system would ensure this, as well as good canopy management.
Help! My grapes are being eaten by pests!
Pests can be really a problem, so it’s best to initiate control measures as soon as possible to stop them from devastating your vineyard. For insects-generally, your vines do tolerate a moderate amount of damage from insects. But once your fruits are threatened, measures must be taken. If you want to avoid pesticides, there are other things you can do. You can utilize predatory insects that will prey on these pests without eating your crops. Examples of these are lacewings and ladybird beetles. Another thing you can do is to cut off grape shoots that are highly infested, so that other shoots can remain healthy.
For birds and deer, auditory, visual and odor repellents are pretty effective in scaring them away. You can also make use of a net to cover your vines so the birds can’t get to them.
These measures will help you solve your grape growing problems so you can finally go on with growing grapes at last!
