How to grow Grape

Vitis vinifera · table grape, grapevine

Perennial climbing vine grown for edible fruit. Usually established from nursery plants and trained on trellises or arbors.

Quick facts

Type	Berry
Family	Vitaceae
Light	Full sun
Soil pH	5.5–7
Frost	tolerates light frost
Soil for sowing	from 10 °C
Germination	14 days
Sowing to harvest	730 days
Where it grows	Greenhouse, Open ground

When to plant

Planted as a young plant from a nursery while it is dormant — in early spring before the buds open, or in autumn after leaf fall.

Care

Greenhouse

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	18…25 °C	balanced (NPK), 14 days into the stage
Growth	every 6 days	18…30 °C	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage; potassium, 30 days into the stage
Flowering	every 8 days	20…30 °C	phosphorus and potassium, at the start of the stage
Fruiting	every 5 days	22…32 °C	potassium, at the start of the stage; potassium, 21 days into the stage
Harvest	every 4 days	22…30 °C	—

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 3 days	18…25 °C	balanced (NPK), 14 days into the stage
Growth	every 7 days	15…30 °C	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage; potassium, 30 days into the stage
Flowering	every 10 days	18…30 °C	phosphorus and potassium, at the start of the stage
Fruiting	every 7 days	20…32 °C	potassium, at the start of the stage; potassium, 21 days into the stage
Harvest	every 5 days	20…30 °C	—

Growing notes

Light

Requires full sun (at least 8 hours daily) for optimal ripening and sugar development.

Soil

Well-drained, deep soil; avoids waterlogged conditions. Tolerates a wide pH range but prefers slightly acidic to neutral.

Care

Prune hard in late winter to encourage new fruiting wood. Provide strong support and train canes regularly. Water deeply but infrequently to promote deep roots; reduce watering during ripening to enhance sweetness. In cold climates, choose hardy varieties and protect young vines in winter.

How to tell it is ripe

Berries have turned the full colour of the variety, blue, red or white.
White grapes change from deep green to a translucent yellow.
The whitish bloom on the berries becomes more noticeable.
Taste a few: ripe grapes are at their sweetest, and colour comes weeks before flavour.
Ripe berries feel slightly less firm.
Seeds inside have turned from green to brown.
Cut whole bunches with the stalk attached using scissors or shears, and only when they taste sweet, since grapes do not ripen after picking.

Pests and diseases of Grape

Downy Mildew
Grey Mold

Sources

Figures cited from these sources.