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I am pretty sure I killed my new grape vines.

13 years ago

I bought 4 grape vines about 2 wks. ago (Thompson and Flame). They did have a small amount of new growth coming out of them. I planted them in a big pot (wasn't ready to plant them in the ground yet) and watered them. The very next day you could see (on 2 of them) that the new grow wasn't happy (turning yellowish/brown.) The new grow just withered away. The other two I bought are doing the same thing but slower.

Can I save them? What should I do?

Thanks for your help in advance.

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Comments (2)

bejay9_10
13 years ago
Not sure what your climate is - however, I'll share my own experiences with Thompson and Chardonnay types.

The Thompson was planted on an arbor - this is it's 3rd spring. Actually, It didn't look like it was going to survive either. Some one said they get "Pierce" disease, and I assumed that was the problem. The main vines got all spotty - and the leaves looked awful. I learned grapes need severe pruning - (90 %) - so whacked it pretty hard and said a prayer.

This spring - I tossed some aged chicken manure at it - even tho it looked almost dead. Well - the sun came out - the weather got warmer and now the entire arbor is full of vines.

So maybe it's just a quirk - but for now I'm hopeful.

The Chardonnays are in another spot - an arbor next to the house that reflects southern sunshine - and is looking very well. My only concern is - that my location - 6 blks from the ocean - with summer fog - may not be to their liking. But who knows - perhaps this year they will be stronger.

I suspect they like a lot of heat.

bejay
Sheryl Gallant
11 years ago
Were they indoors when you bought them? Sometimes they take a few days to acclimate to being put outside. We usually do this with plants slowly, in steps but they may come back with new growth once they adapt. It has been my experience that grapes are fairly hardy and hard to kill. I would plant them in the ground as soon as possible, keep them from completely drying out and try not to watch them too hard. They may come back in the summer and surprise you.
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