Have you ever grown seedless grapes?

[muncybob]

I like grapes but not crazy about the seeds. I see that now there are a lot of seedless varieties out there...even one that has a bit of a blueberry taste to it(yum!). Has anybody in zone 6 or 5 grown seedless grapes and if so, what types did you have the best production from?

 

[SlyFerret]

Sounds like something that would be challenging to get into... considering... you have to get seeds for the seedless grapes somewhere!

-SF

 

[Jags]

... you have to get seeds for the seedless grapes somewhere!

-SF

Hmmm...very interdasted. How do it know?

 

[muncybob]

From what I understand you buy the plants and then can propogate from the canes you prune each year. Sounds easy(of course most things do until you acually try it)...I just wonder how well they can survive our winters. I know the regular grape vines we use to have could probably grow just about anywhere.

 

[lukem]

I just started two seedless varieties this spring. Too soon to tell how well they'll do, but for a few bucks I figured what's the harm in trying?

This is one of them...don't remember the other: (broken link removed to http://gurneys.com/seedless-pink-reliance-grapes/p/79459/)

I usually have to cover my Concords once in the spring when a late frost threatens. I've got a big sheet of burlap that goes over the arbor...will do the same for the newbies too.

 

[fishingpol]

I have 2 Canadice vines I planted about 8 years old fully covering my pergola. The grapes are on the small side, a little spicy, but good overall. The skin is a little tough, but we just spit them out as we eat them. Last year we had several buckets of grapes, more than we needed. The neighbors took a few for themselves. It will take a few years to yield good results. They winter very well and we have had doves nesting in the vines for the past 4 summers.

 

[HeatsTwice]

I grow Thompson Seedless grapes (along with a vinyard of Sauvignion Blanc). But I am in California and I don't know the zone. When ever I need more the process is very simple:

1) In Feburary, find a grape varietle you think will grow in your area and cut a cain about 2.5 feet long which has about 7 buds on it.
2) Make sure the cut on one end is 1/4 inch from the the last bud on the cain. The other side just make the cut over an inch pas the top bud.
3) The end which has the cut 1/4 inch from the last bud can be put directly into the ground (make sure the soil is soft enough so that pushing it in will not rip off the buds. I always punch a whole deep enough in the ground to let the first three buds get burried.
4) Back fill the hole.
5) By April the buds above ground will start to break and then grow more cains. The buds below ground become root structures.
6) While the vine is young (1-3 years) besure to water it regularly.

Buds on a cain are like stem cells in that they sort of figure out what to do once they realize if they are above/below ground.

A word of caution, once Thompson Seedless vines become established and bearing fruit (1-2 years), don't prune it. If I prune even my largest Thompson Seedless grape vine (about 3 inches diameter at the trunk) it pouts and will not produce fruit. They are picky in this way.

As the vine grows larger and you start to get a lot of fruit, you may lose some to Royal Rot (powerdry mildew) which is easily treated using wetable sulfer spray. Then birds become an issue. These I deal with by putting up large strands of red/silver reflective tape hung from 8-9 foot poles. The tape blows in the wind and reflects sun light very brightly and also makes a "whoshing" sound that birds don't like.

 

[osagebow]

I'm right down 81 from you, and grow seedless thompson and reliance, and some seeded types - no pics, kinda ignored them this year stuffing the trellis with wood. . In good years, they are similar in size to fishingpols - (VERY Nice, BTW, Fishingpol!)

Recommend reliance over thompson, , light purple, earlier, less hassle, more well...reliable. Each spring I prune the heck outta them and have my students root the cuttings in small pots with rotenone. Easy, fun, (great info above from Heatstwice!)
I have heard seedless concord are bulletproof also.

Good luck! By the way, don't try to grow pricey Italian red wine varieties out here ...hard to do ! LOL...concord will make a passable dego red.

 

[muncybob]

Good info, thanx! I'll add this to my mile long TO DO list for this autumn.