JUST my luck!

[bkrell]

So, I planted my little backyard vineyard back in January/February. My main desire and focus is on muscadines. However, I planted some flame seedless and Mars just out of curiosity to see how well suited my property is for actual grapes. My muscadines are still just beginning to leaf out but the flame and Mars shot out pretty quickly.

My issue is this, I have maybe a foot of sandy loam with clay below it. I've read various opinions from grapes grow anywhere as long as there is good drainage to clay is bad and on and on. What concerns me is, I had a flame seedless I yanked up because the dog had gnawed the top off it before it leafed out. I replanted another one in its place and put the gnawed grape in a large planter of potting soil that had housed a lemon tree until I grew tired of it. Flash forward a about 5-6 weeks and not only did the gnawed up grape come back, it's outgrowing any other grape or muscadine I have in my "vineyard." It's probably got about 30-40% more growth on it than the grapes I have in the actual ground.

So...is it the drainage, fertility of the potting soil or what? Should I be worried about my grapes and muscadines? The only other variable I can think of is the planter sits at the edge of light-colored patio. Could the extra sun/heat its getting be the difference?

 

[garymc]

It could be any one or any combination of the things you cited in your post. It's also possible your dog knew that pruning the vine back would stimulate it to grow and provide balance to the plant. I think you should consult the dog about every vineyard decision. And share his advice with the rest of us.