I have a 3 year old concord vine, last year was the first for fruit. I pruned last fall to two branches (main canes). The vine is doing well so far and has abundant little bunches of grapes starting... the challenge: last year 3/4 or more of the little bunches just fell off and I was left with maybe 3 or 4 scattered bunches of grapes AND half of the baby grapes on each bunch fell off as well. just read another string about summer pruning and would like to do that post haste re cutting back from the end of the vines to the 3rd or 4th bunch and let the energy go to the remaining bunches... I'm scared I'll loose the ones that are left... Does anyone have any idea why I lost the bunches last year?...the bunches were an ince or two in length when they all dropped off..... I'm assuming they all dropped off - Hmmmm, I went out one morning and they just weren't there. I did look at the base of the vine for them but they had just vanished. Wondering about the possibility that some bug found that it likes small bunches of grapes?? Suggestions please! Jen (greenhorn1)
Hmm, it sounds more like birds than bugs. HOWEVER, I have some (well, hundreds of) wild muscadine grapes here in florida, and got one or two bunches of grapes two years ago, none last year, and now this year I have seen thousands of bunches of miniscule grapes on the vines wherever they see sun. Recently I noticed some little hairs on the individual grapes, which would seem to indicate that pollination is supposed to occur, and now a very few grapes seem to be growing, while others are disappearing. The obvious answer would appear to be that this is a sexual process, requiring pollination. Is it possible that I need a second variety for cross-pollination, and that I will again have very few grapes? I was looking forward to taking off my shoes and socks and crushing hundreds of pounds of Muscadines, which I understand can make a fine sweet port. What must I do to ensure a good crop of grapes in the future? I also just put in some Stark's Reliance and Glenora vines, which are a seedless grape (red and blue respectively). I hope I do not have the same problem there????
I don't know about Florida, but where I'm from ( British columbia ) I also had missing grapes until I discovered just after dusk a bear was having an enjoyable meal ! Barb S
