Growing Grapes in Indiana

7/27/2019 Growing Grapes in Indiana

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5a(-15 to -20F)

LAKE PORTER LAPORTE

N E W T O N J ASPER

STARKE

PULASKI

ST. J OSEPH

MARSHALL

ELKHART LAGRANGE STEUBEN

DEKALBNOBLE

FULTON

F O U N

T A I N

ALLEN

A D A M S

WELLS

JAY

K O S C

I U S K

O

CASSWABASH

WHITE

WHITLEY

H U N T I N G T O N

MIAMI

GRANT

B L A C K F O

R D

M A D I S

O N

D E L A

W A R E

RANDOLPH

CARROLL

WAYNE

FAYETTERUSH U N

I O N

HENRY

HOWARD

TIPTONCLINTON

BOONE

T I P P E

C A N O

E

WARREN

V E R M I L L I O N

VIGO CLAY

OWEN

HAMILTON

BENTON

MORGAN

J O H N S O

NSHELBY

SULLIVAN

KNOX

GIBSONPIKE

DAVIESS M

A R T I N

GREENE

DUBOIS

M O N T G O M E R Y

PUTNAM

PARKE

MARION HANCOCK HENDRICKS

FRANKLIN

DECATUR

JENNINGSRIPLEY

D E A R B O R N

MONROE BROWN

B A R T H O

L O M E W

LAWRENCE

JACKSON

WASHINGTON

JEFFERSON S W I T

Z E R L A N D

OHIO

ORANGE

CRAWFORD

PERRYSPENCER

WARRICK

FLOYD

V A N D E R B U R G H

POSEY

SCOTT

CLARK

HARRISON

5b(-10 to -15F)

5a(-15 to -20F)

6a(-5 to -10F) 6b

(0 to -5F)

Figure 1. USDA Plant Hardiness zone map for Indiana.Average annual minimum temperatures.

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to 150-160 in the north. (See Figure 2.) In general, afrost-free period of at least 150 days is essential (even forearly ripening cultivars), and 180 days or more is preferred. The length of the growing season is often extended within a region in urban areas and on sites nearlarge bodies of water. There may be fewer problems withproduction of late ripening cultivars in these situations.

Soils

Grapes are adapted to a wide range of soil types, butperform best when they have healthy, well-developedroot systems. Soil conditions favorable to root growthinclude good aeration, loose texture, moderate fertility,and good internal and surface drainage. Proper soildrainage cannot be over- emphasized as a necessity forsuccessful grape growing. Soils that are consistently wetduring the growing season due to an impervious subsoil,high water table, or other drainage problem should beavoided. Root growth in poorly drained soils is usuallylimited to the top 2 feet or less, whereas in deep, well-drained soils roots may penetrate 6 feet or more. Whenroot growth is restricted because of poor drainage, plantgrowth and fruit yields are generally low and vine survivalis limited to a few years.

Cultivar Selection

Selection of the proper cultivar is a major step towardsuccessful grape production. There are dozens ofcultivars available, and the choice of which to grow canbe a difficult decision. Cultivar selection should be basedon the relative cold hardiness, disease resistance, andthe intended use of the fruit. (See Table 1.).

Figure 2. Average length of frost-free season in days.

Grape cultivars fall into one of three groups: American,French-American hybrids, and European. Within each

group are types suited for juice, wine, or fresh consumption. American and French-American hybrid cultivars aresuitable for production in Indiana. The European typesgenerally lack the necessary cold hardiness to be successfully grown in Indiana except on the very best sites.Table 1 lists the best adapted cultivars for Indiana, theirrelative cold hardiness, and disease susceptibility. Forhome production it is best to select cultivars with adequate cold hardiness and at least moderate resistanceto the common diseases black rot, powdery mildew anddowny mildew. For commercial production marketdemand may be the most important factor.

Vineyard Establishment

Site Preparation

Thorough preparation of the planting site is essential tominimize weed problems and to increase the organicmatter content of the soil. This should be done a yearprior to planting. Problem weeds should be controlledwith herbicides prior to soil preparation. Green manurecrops such as rye add organic matter and help reduceweed problems.

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Table 1. Grape cultivars for Indiana. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Principle Approx. Cold Relative Disease Susceptibility 4

Cultivar Color 1 Use 2 Season Hardiness 3 BR 5 DM PM Bot CG ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

American

Concord B J-W-T Late 1 ++ + ++ + +Catawba R J-W Late 1 +++ +++ ++ + +Delaware R J-W-T Midseason 2 ++ +++ ++ + +Niagara W J-W-T Late Midseason 2 +++ +++ ++ + ++Steuben B J-W-T Late 1 ++ + + + +St. Pepin W J-W Midseason 1 + ++ ++ + +

French-American Hybrids

Cayuga White W W Midseason 3 + ++ + + ++Chambourcin (JS 26-205) B W Late 4 +++ + +++ + ++Chancellor (Seibel 7053) B W Early Midseason 2 + +++ +++ + +++DeChaunac (Seibel 9549) B W Midseason 2 + ++ ++ + ++Leon Millot (Kuhlman 194-2) B W Early 1 +++ ++ +++ ++ +Marechal Foch (Kuhlman 188-2) B W Early 1 ++ + ++ + +Seyval Blanc (S.V. 5-276) W W Early Midseason 3 ++ ++ +++ +++ ++Vidal Blanc (Vidal 256) W W Late Midseason 4 + ++ +++ + ++Vignoles (Ravat 51) W W Midseason 2 + ++ +++ +++ ++

European

Cabernet Franc B W Late 4 +++ +++ +++ + +++Cabernet Sauvignon B W Late 5 +++ +++ +++ + +++Chardonnay W W Midseason 4 ++ +++ +++ +++ +++White Riesling W W Late 4 +++ +++ +++ +++ +++

Seedless Table

Canadice R J-T Very Early 4 +++ ++ + ++ ++

Himrod W J-T Very Early 4 ++ + ++ + +Mars B J-T Early 1 + + + + +Reliance R J-T Early Midseason 1 +++ ++ + ++ +Vanessa R T Midseason 3 +++ ++ ++ + +

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1 Fruit color: W = White; B = Black or Blue; R = Red.2 Cold hardiness rating: 1 = Very hardy; 2 = Hardy, 3 = Moderately hardy; 4 = Tender; 5 = Very tender.3 T = Table or dessert quality; W = Wine; J = Juice.4 Disease susceptibility is rated as follows: + = slightly susceptible, ++ = moderately susceptible, +++ = highly susceptible.5 BR = Black rot; DM = Downy Mildew; PM = Powdery Mildew; Bot = Botrytis Fruit Rot; CG = Crown Gall.

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Soil testing will provide information on fertility and liming

needs for the first-year vineyard. If the soil pH is below5.5, apply agricultural limestone to raise the pH to a moredesirable level (5.5-6.5). Lime applications should bemade the year before planting, and the limestone shouldbe incorporated deeply into the soil. Other nutrients,especially potassium, should be applied during sitepreparation if the soil test show a deficiency.

Avoid poorly drained soils for grape production. If the soilhas only fair internal drainage and drainage tile is notinstalled, it may be advantageous to sub-soil (chiselplow) to a depth of 24 inches and establish a ridge upon

which the vines will be planted by mounding the soil from

the edges of the row to the middle. The ridge should be8 to 12 inches high and about 2 feet wide. This willprovide improved surface and internal drainage and allowdeeper rooting of the vines. It also prevents ponding ofwater at the base of vines which can lead to diseaseproblems.

Vineyard Layout

Grapevines are generally planted in straight rows runningin a North-South direction for maximum sunlight interception. However, sites on sloping land may require contour

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planting or straight rows across the slope regardless ofcompass direction. In some areas it may be advantageous to orient rows parallel to the prevailing wind to aidin disease control. Row spacing depends on the trainingsystem and the equipment to be used in the vineyard.Nine to ten feet between rows is commonly used, butmay need to be increased to 11 or 12 feet to accommodate larger equipment or on sites with steep slopes. Rowspacings less than 9 feet may be adequate for small

home plantings but is not practical for commercialplantings. Spacing between vines within the rows isusually 8 feet, but may be closer for cultivars with lowvigor. At maturity the vines should completely fill thetrellis space without competing with each other forsunlight.

Planting

Grapevines should be planted in early spring after thedate of the last hard freeze has past. Vines are usuallypurchased as dormant bare-root plants and should bestored in a cool, moist place, preferably cold storage,until planted. Soak the roots in water for 24 hours prior toplanting to prevent the root system from drying out duringthe handling and planting process. Prune off broken anddamaged roots and shorten excessively long roots forconvenience when planting.

The planting hole should be large enough to accommodate the root system with ease. Excessive pruning of theroot system is not advised; however, it is better to prunea few roots rather than stuff the roots into a small plantinghole. Spread the roots, cover with soil, and tamp well. Ifsoil moisture is low, water the plants in after planting and

as needed until the plants have developed a root systemlarge enough to support themselves during dry periods.Own-rooted plants should be set to a depth where thelowest shoot of the dormant plant is just above the soillevel. For grafted vines, the graft union should be at least2 to 3 inches above the soil level to prevent scion rooting.

Vine Training

It is important to properly train vines during the first fewyears of growth to establish a vine form that will be easyto manage. After planting, but before growth begins, thetop of the dormant plant should be pruned back to asingle cane with two to five buds. After growth starts allbut the best two to four shoots should be removed. Oneor more of these shoots will become the trunks. Supportshould be provided for new shoots to keep them off theground. This will greatly reduce disease problems andprovide full sun exposure for maximum growth. Thetrellis should be established soon after planting to providethis support. String can be tied from a side shoot of thevine to the wires and the new shoots wrapped around thestring. Never tie around the main trunk of the plant,because the trunk will expand during the first growing

season and can be girdled by the string. A stake can bedriven next to each plant and the shoots tied to the stakeinstead of using string, especially if the trellis is notestablished in the first year. Figure 3 illustrates theproper pruning and training of vines from planting throughthe fourth and subsequent years.

Trellising

Grapevines require some kind of support for ease ofmanagement. This can vary from a simple wire trellis toan elaborate arbor. Vine support serves two purposes:1, to hold the vine up where it can be managed andcared for efficiently, and 2, to expose a greater portion ofthe foliage to full sunlight, which promotes the productionof highly fruitful buds. Trellis design features such asnumber and placement of wires is dictated by the type oftraining system used. All training systems require astrong trellis assembly to support the weight of fruit andvines.

Training SystemsGrapevines are trained onto the trellis in a variety ofways. The most efficient methods provide well spaced,even distribution of fruiting wood along the trellis andpromote full sun exposure for clusters and basal nodes.Common training methods are described in Figures 4through 7. The best cane pruning system is the UmbrellaKniffin system. (See Figure 4.) Popular spur pruningsystems are Bilateral Cordon and Geneva DoubleCurtain. (See Figures 5 and 6.) Cold tender vines, suchas European ( Vitis vinifera ) cultivars can be successfullycultured in Indiana if some provision is made for protecting the vines from cold temperatures. One of the simplest methods is to train the vines so that the renewalzone is close to the ground. (See Figure 7.) The graftunion and renewal zone must be covered with soil, strawor other protective mulch through the winter to protect thevines from winter injury. Two to four fruiting canes canalso be selected and buried to provide fruiting productionthe following season.

Weed Control

It is important to provide good weed control during the

first year or two of vineyard establishment. Younggrapevines do not compete well with grasses and otherweeds, and weed growth can lead to increased diseaseproblems. Plastic and biodegradable mulches, as well asorganic mulches such as grass clippings or compostedleaves, can also be used to control weed growth. Mechanical weed control such as shallow cultivation is alsoan option. For larger plantings the use of herbicides maybe necessary. Consult ID-169, Commercial Small Fruit and Grape Spray Guide , for information on suitableherbicides.



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Year 1

At planting End of 1st year

Beginning of 2nd year

Year 2

End of 2nd year

Year 3

Year 4

Beginning of 3rd year End of 3rd year

Beginning of 4th and subsequent years End of 4th and subsequent years

Figure 3. Pruning and training a grapevine from planting through the fourth and subsequent years.


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Figure 4. Umbrella kniffin training system. Figure 5. Bi-lateral cordon training system .

Figure 6. Geneva double curtain training system. Figure 7. Training system for cold-tender cultivars.

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Vineyard Management

Pruning

Pruning is the most important cultural practice in themanagement of grapevines. It is done to select fruitingwood, maintain vine shape and form, and regulate thenumber of buds retained per vine. Grapevines requireannual pruning to remain productive and manageable.Pruning can be done anytime during the dormant season;however, it is best to delay pruning until late winter orearly spring because pruned vines are more susceptibleto cold injury than unpruned vines. In addition, delayedpruning allows for adjustments in bud number in theevent of winter injury. It is important to assess budsurvival before final pruning, especially on cold tendercultivars.

There are two basic types of pruning: cane pruning andspur pruning. These differ only in the length of the

fruiting wood that is retained and the method of trainingused to effectively display the fruiting wood. Balancedpruning is used regardless of the type of pruning andtraining system.

Balanced Pruning

An average mature grapevine will have 200 to 300 budscapable of producing fruit. If all buds were retained theresult would be a large crop that would not ripen properly,reduced vine vigor, and poor cane maturation. To avoidthis situation researchers have developed a method ofpruning to balance the fruit productivity and vegetativegrowth which will give maximum yields without reducingvine vigor or wood maturity. This procedure is calledbalanced pruning. The number of buds retained isbalanced to match the vigor of the vine. The term usedto describe vine vigor is vine size, which is determinedas the weight of one-year-old cane prunings.



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To balance prune a grapevine, estimate the vine size,then prune the vine, leaving enough extra buds toprovide a margin of error, usually 70 to 100 buds total.Next, weigh the one-year-old cane prunings with a smallspring scale. Then use the pruning formula to determinethe number of buds to retain per vine (See Table 2). ForConcord vines the pruning formula is 30+10. Thismeans that a vine that produces three pounds of caneprunings would require 30 buds for the first pound of

prunings plus ten buds for each additional pound for atotal of 50 buds. After determining the appropriatenumber of buds to retain, prune the extra buds off, takingcare to space the fruiting buds evenly along the trellis.

Pruning formulas have been developed for many cultivars based on their productivity. Some cultivars, especially French hybrids, are highly fruitful. Balancedpruning alone will not adequately balance the crop loadand vegetative growth. On these cultivars cluster thinning and shoot removal may be required. Clusterthinning is the removal of all but one cluster per shoot.The basal cluster is usually the largest and should be

retained. Shoot removal involves removing shoots thatoccur from secondary buds on count nodes and basalbuds from wood older than one year. Neither of thesebud types are very fruitful.

Pest Control

Diseases

Disease control is necessary to maintain healthy leavesand protect the fruit from rots. Most diseases of grapesare caused by fungi which thrive in hot, humid conditions.The most common diseases are Black rot, Downymildew, and Powdery mildew. Many factors affect theamount of disease that can occur, such as site selection,vine vigor and canopy density, cultivar susceptibility andother factors. Most cultivars are susceptible to some orall of the major diseases of grapes. A few cultivars areonly slightly susceptible to the major disease and can beproduced with little or no pesticide use. Normally,however, some pesticide use is necessary to producegood quality fruit. Refer to Table 1 for specifics oncultivar susceptibility. Responsible pesticide use requiresa knowledge of pest identity and biology. Growers

should scout their planting carefully and seek help inidentifying problems. Most fungicides registered for useon grapes are effective against only certain diseases.Correct identification of disease problems is necessaryfor effective and responsible disease control. Contactyour county office of the Purdue University CooperativeExtension Service, and ask for ID-169, Commercial Small Fruit and Grape Spray Guide or ID-146, Controlling Pests

in Home Fruit Plantings for specific recommendations ondisease and insect control.

Insects

There are relatively few insect pests of grapes. One ofthe most common is the Japanese Beetle. The adultinsects emerge each year in June and July and feed ongrape foliage. The damage can be severe if uncon

trolled, especially on young or weak plants. Anotherimportant insect pest is the Grape Flea Beetle. Thesebeetles emerge early in the spring and feed on developing grape buds. If left uncontrolled these pests cancompletely destroy all primary buds and cause considerable loss of fruit production. Other insect pests includethe grape berry moth, grape phylloxera, grape root borerand European red mites. Insecticides should only beused if an insect infestation is present and the amount ofdamage is severe enough to warrant the cost of chemicalcontrol.

Herbicide Injury

Injury from 2,4-D herbicide is frequently confused withdisease or insect injury. Most cultivated grapes arehighly susceptible to injury by this herbicide and relatedcompounds. These herbicides are used in a variety offorms on many different crops and non-crop situations.Because of their extreme volatility, many 2,4-D compounds can injure vines at great distances from the pointof application. The use of these compounds in field cropproduction, especially reduced tillage situations, may limitthe production of grapes in certain areas. You shouldinform your neighbors of your intentions to grow grapes

and diplomatically request that they avoid using 2,4-D orrelated compounds, or that they use only the low-volatileformulations and make applications with equipmentdesigned to reduce drift. Timing of application can alsohave an impact. Grapes are most sensitive to injuryduring the early part of their growing season when theshoots and leaves are expanding rapidly. Later in theseason, when the growth rate has slowed, vines are lesssensitive. Wind direction and speed during 2,4-D application can also greatly effect the amount of drift andsubsequent injury to grapevines and other sensitiveplants.

Symptoms of 2,4-D symptoms are easily distinguished.The youngest terminal growth at the time of exposure willbe stunted, misshapen and have thick veins that tend torun parallel to each other rather than branching as innormal leaves. Growth will be stunted for several weeksfollowing injury. Severely injured vines may die or notrecover for two or more years.



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Table 2. Suggested pruning formulas for various grape cultivars on single curtain training systems.

No. buds for 1st No buds for each MaximumGrape Cultivar pound of prunings additional pound No. buds

Concord 30 10 60-70Catawba 25 10 40-50Delaware 25 10 40-50Niagara 25 10 60-70Steuben 30 10 60-70

French-American Hybrids:All require removal of non-count shoots and some require additional cluster thinning.

Small-clustered cultivars

Foch 20 10 50-60Leon Millot 20 10 50-60Baco Noir 20 10 50-60Vignoles 15 15 60-70

Medium-clustered cultivars

Vidal 15 5 30-40Chelois 10 10 30-40

Large-clustered cultivars which usually require cluster thinning to one cluster per shoot.

Chambourcin 15 15 30-40Chancellor 20 10 30-40DeChaunac 20 5 30-40Seyval 20 10 30-40

Villard blanc 20 10 30-40

European ( Vinifera ) cultivars:All require pre-bloom cluster thinning and/or shoot girdling to increase cluster size.

20 20 40

Seedless table grape cultivars:All require pre-bloom cluster thinning and/or shoot girdling to increase cluster size.

Canadice 30 10 50Himrod 30 10 50Mars 30 10 60-70

Reliance 30 10 50Vanessa 30 10 50

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Illustrations by M. L. Hayden.For more information on the subject discussed in thispublication, consult your local office of the Purdue UniversityCooperative Extension Service.

It is the policy of the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, David C . Petritz, Director, that all persons shall have equal opportunity and access to programs and facilitieswithout regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, or disability. Purdue University is an Affirmative Action employer.

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Growing Grapes in Indiana