# Trellis system for Petite Pearl



## saddlebronze (Jul 26, 2016)

Just wanted to see if anyone has any experience with trellis systems for Petite Pearl. I am currently on 4 cane kniffen on everything, but I am going to concentrate on the pearl, so wanted to know your thoughts. Less than 100 vines so labor is not a factor. Thanks!


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## TonyR (Jul 27, 2016)

I use a high wire cordon for mine. That was how they wanted to grow. Mine are 5 year old and there is NOT a lot of growth. Will post a pic later


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## TonyR (Jul 27, 2016)

Just walked out to the grapes and took this shot. My 5 year old Petite Pearl. You can see where the deer are eating all the vines that hang low.


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## saddlebronze (Jul 27, 2016)

Interesting. Yours looks like mid wire cordon. I have a wire that high, and I solved my deer problem with fencing. They were awful before that.


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## TonyR (Jul 27, 2016)

I have the cordons on the 3 wire ( counting from the bottom ) the fruiting is between wire 3 & 4. Vines go over wire 4 then start to drop down. The deer dont seem to eat anything from wire 3 and above, when the vines drop back down I really dont care if the deer eat the leaves, justing fatting them up for hunting seasona


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## Masbustelo (Jul 27, 2016)

Saddlebronze I know this isn't what you are looking for, but these are how I am growing my Petite Pearl. They were planted at the end of April. Maybe some one else reading this thread might like this european style trellis.


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## Poni (Jul 28, 2016)

Hey tony!
I got my petite pearl vines all growing nicely plus a surplus of 10 more in case some don't make it!


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## TonyR (Jul 28, 2016)

Sounds good.


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## LangdonP (Sep 18, 2017)

*Best Trellis for Petite Pearl ?*

I appreciated the comments here to date.
Has anyone tried VSP on Petite Pearl ?
Any approaches other than High Cordon Trellis that people have tried ?

I appreciate the advice!


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## GreginND (Sep 18, 2017)

Petite pearl has been grown on VSP by growers around here. But it does do well on a high wire as it has a tendency to grow downwards.


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## BigH (Sep 19, 2017)

My petite pearl is on a single high wire, 8 ft between vines. I have never tried any other system with it, but the vines that I have grow downward in a beautifully cooperative manner. I spend quite of bit of time in a jungle of Frontenac, La Crescent, Edelweiss, and La Crosse vines trying to position shoots in the summer. Petite Pearl is the easiest of the bunch to manage by far.

My 9 vines yielded 131 lbs of grapes for an average of 16.5 lbs / vine. I probably overcropped it a bit (still figuring out some of that stuff). Must brix was 24.8 at a pH of 3.29. It was the last variety I harvested (9/12/17 in central Iowa).

H


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## Masbustelo (Sep 19, 2017)

My Petite Pearl also really grow downward and are easy to train either horizontally or vertically. Mine have been very vigorous growers. I think they would do well on GDC, I put one vine on GDC this year.


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## VanMkr (Sep 20, 2017)

TonyR said:


> Just walked out to the grapes and took this shot. My 5 year old Petite Pearl. You can see where the deer are eating all the vines that hang low.



Grape-fed deer! Sounds delicious!! May I suggest a game cam and crossbow for unobtrusive harvesting this grape by-product?


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