When will our vine produce grapes?
Q This spring we added a ‘Boskoop Glory’ grape vine to our greenhouse, but it isn’t showing any signs of anything other than producing leaves – should we be worried?
David Maltby (via email)
A Your ‘Boskoop Glory’ grape is too young to flower and fruit, and it takes a year or two after planting for a vine to mature. I urge you to grow it as a cordon – a single upright stem with fruiting laterals (side-shoots). Ideally, support it with tensioned plastic-coated horizontal wires spaced 1ft (30cm) apart.
Tie laterals to the left and right of supporting wires and, in summer, shorten them to five leaves. Remove flowers in the first and second years to channel energy into vegetative growth.
In November, shorten the leader’s current-year growth by a half and cut back laterals to a bud about 1in (2cm) from the base. It will encourage fruiting spurs to form.
As for feeding, sprinkle the root area with Vitax Q4 or some other balanced granular fertiliser. Water it in and repeat monthly until September.
In an unheated greenhouse, buds burst in April. When flowers form, cup your hand around a spray and draw it over blooms to ensure pollination. Alternatively, to distribute pollen, shake blooms daily, around midday.
