# fertilizing grapes



## jtstar (Jun 20, 2010)

Has anyone ever fertilized their grape vines in their early years before they started to produce fruit to give them a jump start. If so what kind of fertilizer should I use


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## jeepingchick (Jun 20, 2010)

personally i would use and organic fertilizer ..or manuer (i spelled that wrong...) 

i dont see anything wrong with fertilizing to get a larger yeild as long as you use stuff that is ok to eat.


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## grapeman (Jun 20, 2010)

Unless your soil is extremely poor, you should not need to add any fertility the first couple years in Nebraska. If the vines are growing poorly, get a soil test done before just adding what may not be needed. Decades of indiscriminate phosphorous applications has led to an excess of it in the environment and a great deal of water pollution.


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## jtstar (Jun 20, 2010)

I have extremely sandy soil here not sure why but last summer I had to redo my hyderant and after I got down about three it was all sand where I was digging. When I was weeding my vineyard this spring I was encorage to use Preen to help with the weed problem so I got to use it for the first time about a week ago on one row of the vineyard and then we got rain and I didn't get the other three rows done but when I got the other three row done this weekend I notice that the leaves where a darker green then three row that didn't get done so I have to think that they might have needed a little help.


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## djrockinsteve (Jun 20, 2010)

In the beginning I used miracle grow and just small amounts. I squeezed off all shoots producing grape clusters to allow the vine to grow and for the development of deeper roots. Now on the third year I no longer fert. as the vines will grow and produce fewer grapes.

Any fert. now should be natural.


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## jtstar (Jun 20, 2010)

Next year will be my third year with the vineyard and this is the first time that I have used any weed killer or fert. on it at all. I don't know what is harder waiting for the vines to produce grape or waiting for the wine that I mix up to be finished so I can drink it.


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## djrockinsteve (Jun 20, 2010)

I have noticed a week ago many of my grapes are turning brown and shriviling up. With all the humidity I think it's a fungus among us. I sprayed them and hope it stops. I have many grapes this year compared to last year. Still having trouble knowing what will give me grapes next year.

It's a trial and learn basis. Their not for wine, just to eat.


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## Wade E (Jun 20, 2010)

My freind had this same problem last year with them looking good and then just turning brown and shriveling up. I know nothing about growing rapes so dont take anything I say literal but last year was a very wet one for us so what you are saying could hold truth about being to wet and maybe causing some fungus or maybe its just to wet period. I noticed that I had some grapes growing in my bushes this year and they produced little babies but then just disappeared, dont think the birds would have eaten them this young as they were just as big as a pin head.  I dont really care about them but just wondering, they are wild and I cut the heck out of them last year not knowing they were even grape vines as they have been there 10 years and never even seen a cluster or anything and they are all tangled up in some Forsythias.


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## bruno (Jun 21, 2010)

I am into my second year with 1500 new vines. Had the soil tested last year and the report noted that I lacked nitrogen and phosphorus. Added both last spring and this spring. The vines seems to be doing great this spring, of course we have had a lot of rain in the past month. Lots of grape buds developing which will have to be pruned.


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## grapeman (Jun 21, 2010)

The row that got the weed control should be greener, because the competition was removed. Early weed prevention is critical to get a vineyard established early and thriving. You can apply a small amount of a fertilizer per vine, but you don't want them too vigorous as then they may not harden off early enough this fall before winter. Ask Wade, I have pure sand at my place and the vines are plenty vigorous enough. I haven't fertilized them at all yet this year and may not. Here is a picture to show some growth.


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## djrockinsteve (Jun 21, 2010)

That looks great. You've got your work cut out for you.


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## djrockinsteve (Jun 22, 2010)

I just sprayed my grapes again with a fungacide this morning. We keep having rain and humid weather I'm trying to keep this crap under control. Next step I'll just have to nit pik all the marked leaves off. Probably should have done that then sprayed.

I still have plenty of graped I just hate to see so much work go to waste.


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## Manimal (Jun 22, 2010)

djrockinsteve said:


> I just sprayed my grapes again with a fungacide this morning. We keep having rain and humid weather I'm trying to keep this crap under control. Next step I'll just have to nit pik all the marked leaves off. Probably should have done that then sprayed.
> 
> I still have plenty of graped I just hate to see so much work go to waste.



What kind of grapes are you growing? If you're growing any vinifera, or some hybrids, you really have to watch for downy and powdery mildew. Both of these mildews are exceptionally common in Eastern North America. 

It kind of sounds like downy mildew to me, as it tends to be spread by rainfall... although it is pretty well impossible to tell just through a brief description. If you look at the leaves you might notice "oil spots" on some which seem pale green/yellow and almost translucent. On the bottom of the leaf you will see a faint white/grey "downy" growth. This is the early stage of the fungus. The leaves will eventually form necrotic spots and the whole leaf may go brown and fall off. It can affect the fruit as well... they will shrivel up into little hard mummies. Severe infections can pretty well defoliate the vine and destroy the fruit. 

For good control, you need to start a fungicide spray program when the shoots have 5 unfolded leaves. Then follow the manufacturers schedule for re-applying. There should be plenty of info online which should help you determine whether you might be experiencing downy mildew in your vines.


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## djrockinsteve (Jun 22, 2010)

I'd have to chech the vine tags for what grape strain I'm growing and again they are just to eat. All seedless.

The spots I'm getting are brown and then turning red. I will have to cut them off and trash them tomorrow or Thursday.

Bad news is I have some grapes shriveled up and brown. Almost like they were dehydrated but trust me they've gotten lots to drink. It's the consistant humidity and rain.


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## djrockinsteve (Jun 23, 2010)

Here is a photo of the crap I'm dealing with on my grapes. And again it's about to rain.

The kinds of grapes I have are, Glenora, Himrod, Reliance, Interlaken and Canadice. All seedless and just for eatin'.


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## grapeman (Jun 23, 2010)

That looks like a bad classic case of black rot to me.
http://nysipm.cornell.edu/factsheets/grapes/diseases/grape_br.pdf

Early control with a product like mancozeb in the form of dithane or manzate are critical. Since they are protectants you need to begin treatment at about 3-6 inches of growth and repeat every week to 10 days through cluster closure. Switch over to captan 66 days before harvest., but you usually don't need to spray much for black rot after that anyways, because the clusters are beginning to close soon after that and the grapes become more or less immune to it at that point.


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## Manimal (Jun 23, 2010)

I agree with grapeman... lots like black rot. Black rot usually has reddish-brown spots with a darker border, just like you have there. If you look at the spots with a hand lens you should see little black "pimples" on the surface of the spots.


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