I Want to Live! -- What that Sick Plant is Really Saying
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- Carol Wallace
- Gary
- spinlily
- Carol Wallace
- Cottage_Garden
- spinlily
- Carol Wallace
- Jojo
- Kirk_Johnson
- spinlily
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» Carol Wallace - That's a good warning for all of us
Wait til the cats are away - and never use fish emulsion around SQS! Although Maggie, I use a lot of fish emlusion and the cats don't seem to bother it any. I always figured it was because they have their own patches of catnip which keeps them happy and out of the rest of the garden.-- posted by Carol Wallace
-- posted by Gary
» spinlily - Advice needed on sick plant :(
I planted two grapevines three years ago. I put them in a shady, not too well-ventilated place, and they haven't done well at all. They grow some leaves, but they're not abundant, and the stems or trunks are still quite thin. One of them gets mildew every year.Should I trash them and buy new vines or move these to a sunny location? (I've found out that my front yard is pretty optimal for grape-growing - rocky hillside with SW exposure.)
I *really* like grapes, and it's almost impossible to find good ones in our stores for a reasonable price, or any price at all most of the time.
-- posted by spinlily
» Carol Wallace - Sick grapes
Suzanne, it's been a while since I've grown grapes - mine get about a foot tall and some critter comes along and eats the whole plant. But I do know that they like excellent drainage, lots of sun and good air circulation. They recommend that you absolutely PULVERIZE the soil that you areplanting them in because drainage is essential. And they hate clay soil - so if you've got that you need to do lots of amending with organic matter. The soil shouldn't be too rich, though because if it is they produce tons of leaves but not too much in the way of fruit.If yours aren't too big yet I would definitely move them. The mildew is probably because you say there isn't a lot of air circulation there - they like a somewhat protected spot but need air circulation.
-- posted by Carol Wallace
» Cottage_Garden - Suzanne to be honest
most gardeners end up following a regular spray program if they want to produce good grapes -- it's very hard to do so without one because they are fraught with problems.To minimize the chemical use and maximize the good results, you need to do some research. Accurate diagnosis and timing are critical because many problems begin very early in the season but don't become obvious until much later. (I apologize I have forgotten where you live but your local extension if you have one should be able to help you with both timing and recommended products to use.)
Besides planting your grapes in full sun with at least half way decent soil and good drainage and ensuring good air circulation, you need to be vigilant and compulsive about cleaning up and destroying all prunings and all plant litter as soon as it happens. Being a clean freak will help reduce the sources of reinfection.
The only other thing you can do is try to optimize your chances by selecting varieties known to do well in your local area -- another question for the extension people.
Good luck with your grapes!
-- posted by Cottage_Garden
» spinlily - Thanks...
Although most people in our area have heavy clay soil (and that is what I'm used to gardening in), we managed to buy a house next a former sand and gravel pit... I wondered why not much was growing here when we moved in ;) But drainage is NOT a problem!I'll give the grapes a try in a new location. I don't spray because of our proximity to Puget Sound (which our yard drains into), but I do have a soap concoction that helps with the mildew, so if it's not as bad in the new location, I might be ok.
There's a town aptly named Grapeview about 15 miles away, so I have hope!
-- posted by spinlily
» Carol Wallace - Sand and gravel!!
Then with a bit of work you ought to be able to grow all kinds of things! So many plants seem to demand excellent drainage, which is a major amount of work for those of us with clay.You ought to read the article our gardening in Ireland editor wrote last year about building a scree bed. Basically he heaped a couple feet of shredded leaves on a pile of gravel and planted in it - and his alpines and rock garden plants adored it!
-- posted by Carol Wallace
» Jojo - Hey Suzanne
Hey SuzanneI highly recommend "Nimrod". It's mildew-resistant and highly productive in our mild-summers, and does very well in my garden, even though there's more shade than sun.
The grapes are small, rosey-green and have seeds, but they are DELICIOUSLY tangy and sweet.
I would ditch the ones you have and get a Nimrod, and plant it in the sunny part of your garden. Do you remember what the others are?
-- posted by Jojo
» Kirk_Johnson - Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a mixture of lime and sulpher which has been used on grapes to control mildew for over a century. It shouldn't harm Puget Sound.-- posted by Kirk_Johnson
» spinlily - Himrod?
There's a Himrod in the Sunset Western Garden Book. Is that it, jojo? Thanks for the recommendation, by the way. The ones I have are Glenora and something else, but they were end-of-season rejects from a nursery. I'll call around or check with a mail-order nursery.Kirk, I might just try Bordeaux, although mildew is my major houseplant ;)
Thanks for the reference, Carol - I'll read that.
-- posted by spinlily
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