Growing Grapes and

their uses
Rachel Peterson

                       

           Education Curriculum Office

Modified by Georgia Agricultural
June 2002
 Introduction
Grapes are the most common fruit and are also the
oldest cultivated plant throughout the world. This
presentation will define the grape and inform you on
the general information, nutritional facts, and the
many varieties of grapes. If your pondering growing
grapes here, in Wisconsin, there is helpful
information on how to do it and problems that may
occur. I explain the parts of the plant, site selection,
planting, pruning, harvesting and picking, and
diseases. Let’s start out by asking, “What is a
grape?”
Definition…
 Grape (grap),n. derived
from an Old French word
"grape," meaning
"bunch" or "cluster"; also
a kind of hook used to
harvest grapes. Compare
to the English word
"grapple."
 General Information
 Grapes do not continue to ripen after they have
been picked.
 Woody vine
 Perennial Portions:

*roots
*trunk
*perhaps cordons
 Compound buds
 More General Information…
 Grapes are about 80 percent water
 Grapes also add fiber to the diet.
 Red grapes are rich in quercetin, a newly discovered
anticancer agent that the University of California tab
studies have shown can suppress malignant cells before
they form tumors.
 The mineral "boron" (found in apples, grapes, grape
juice and raisins) may retard bone loss in women after
menopause. Also, boron helps women on ERT (estrogen
replacement therapy) keep the estrogen in their blood
longer.
 Nutritional Facts
 serving size 1 1/2 cups (138g/14.9oz)
 Amounts Per Serving % Daily Value*
 Calories 90
 Calories from Fat 10
 Total Fat og
 Sodium 0mg 0%
 Potassium 270mg 8%
 Total Carbohydrate 24g 8%
 Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
 Sugars 23g
 Protein 1g
 Vitamin A 2%
 Vitamin C 25%
 Calcium 2%
 Iron 2%
 Varieties of Grapes

 Grapes come in three basic colors: green

(sometimes called white), red and blue-black.
 More than 50 kinds of grapes are currently in
production.
 Each variety has its own distinct color, taste,
texture and history.  
 Varieties of Grapes
 Perlette
The first grape of the
season, the Perlette is
light in color - almost
frosty green with a
translucent cast; the
berries are almost round.
Perlette means "little
pearl" in French.
 Varieties of Grapes
 Sugraone
The Sugraone berry is
bright green and
elongated. The fruit
offers a light, sweet
flavor and a distinctive
crunch.
 Varieties of Grapes
 Thompson Seedless
Almost everyone is
familiar with this grape's
light green color, oblong
berries, and sweet, juicy
flavor. The variety may
have originated in
southern Iran.
 Varieties of Grapes
 Calmeria
This grape carries the
nickname "lady fingers,"
so called for its
elongated, light-green
and delicately sculpted
berries. A winter treat,
this seeded grape has a
mild, sweet flavor with
an unforgettable tang.
 Varieties of Grapes
 Flame Seedless
The result of a cross
between Thompson
Seedless, Cardinal and
several other varieties,
the Flame Seedless is a
round, crunchy, sweet
grape with a deep-red
color.
 Varieties of Grapes
 Red Globe
The large, remarkable
clusters of the Red Globe
contain plum-size seeded
berries. The Red Globe is
popular for both eating
and decorating during the
holiday season.
 Varieties of Grapes
 Ruby Seedless
Grown commercially in
the San Joaquin Valley
(California) since 1968,
the Ruby Seedless is a
deep-red, tender-skinned
grape.
 Varieties of Grapes
 Emperor
Large, deep-red clusters
and a lasting flavor
characterize this seeded
variety that was first
planted in California in
1863.
 Varieties of Grapes
 Beauty Seedless
Originating in Davis,
California, this firm,
bluish-black grape has a
spicy taste and a tender
flesh. Beauty Seedless
ripens very early and
shows a distinctive blue-
green foilage. 
 Varieties of Grapes
 Exotic
Born in 1947 in Fresno,
California, Exotic's
berries are plump and
juicy and grow in long,
beautiful clusters. A cross
between the red Flame
Tokay and the Ribier,
this seeded grape is crisp
and mild in flavor.
 Varieties of Grapes
 Ribier
This dark blue-black
seeded grape crossed the
Channel from Orleans,
France, in 1860. The
skins are firm and the
taste is mild.
 Varieties of Grapes
 Fantasy Seedless
These blue-black sweet
berries are oval, thin-
skinned and firm.
Fantasy's conical clusters
have medium-sized
berries with pale green
flesh and a mellow
flavor.
 Varieties of Grapes
 Marroo Seedless
Originating in Australia,
the Marroo Seedless is a
cross between the
Carolina Blackrose and
the Ruby Seedless.
Bluish-black in color, the
medium-large berries are
firm and juicy with a
mellow flavor. 
 Varieties of Grapes
 Niabell
This Concord-type
variety features thick-
skinned, round berries
ranging in color from
purple to black with an
earthy, rich flavor.
Growing Grapes
Parts of the Grape Plant
Site Selection and Preparation
 Grapes require full sunlight.
 Adequate drainage and
moisture retention, required.
 The best soils are loams or
sandy loams with added
organic matter.
 Grapes grow best in soil with
a pH range of 5.5 to 6.5.
 Rows should usually run north
to south. This allows the plants
gather the most sunlight and
less wind damage will occur.
Planting
 Plant your vines in early spring
(as early as you can work the
soil).
 Grapes do not like weeds so till
the soil well to get rid of
competing weeds and grasses.
Dig a nice big hole so the roots
can spread out.
 Plant in Spring or Summer.
 Grapes need the summer heat to
develop and will produce the
best grapes late in the season.
 Planting, continued…
 If possible arrange the rows in a North-South orientation to
allow maximum exposure to the sun.
 For backyard plantings, nine feet between rows is suitable.
 For larger plantings, ten feet is suitable.
 Water newly planted vines every day.
 Plant in straight rows for easier managability, and to reduce
trellis costs.
 Spread the roots out when you plant, giving them room.
 Once you plant the grape, prune it back to 3 buds
 Pruning

Before pruning, an average grapevine may have 200

to 300 buds which are capable of producing fruit. If
the vine is left unpruned, the number of grape
clusters would be excessive. The vine would be
unable to ripen the large crop or sustain adequate
vegetative growth. The purpose of pruning is to
grow yields of high quality grapes and to allow
better growth for the following season.
 1) After pruning the first winter. The single cane is cut back and tied to the
lower wire.
 (2) After pruning the second winter. Two new canes of four or five buds each
are tied on the bottom wire. A third new cane is tied up to the top wire and cut
off.

 (3) After pruning the third winter. Three of the arms (A) and the fruiting canes
(B) have been formed. A cane (C) with four or five buds is left to establish the
fourth arm.

 (4) A fully formed vine after pruning the fourth winter. The arms (A) should
be shorter than those shown. The vine consists of a single permanent trunk (T),
four semi permanent fruiting arms (A), four annual fruiting canes (F), and four
renewal spurs (S), with two buds on each.
 Harvesting and Picking

 After 3 or 4 years each vine will produce 12-15 pounds of

grapes (about 45 bunches).
 Wait until they separate easy from the seeds to pick.
 Pick on a dry day, wet grapes spoil quickly.
 Diseases

Like people, plants can catch, spread and

suffer from various diseases also.
Here is some information on certain
diseases along with some solutions and
cures.
Rootworm Damage to Grape Roots
 Species of a leaf beetle
 Seriously damages commercial
vineyards
 Larvae~ (according to the
Webster dictionary) is the
immature, wingless, and often
wormlike feeding form that
hatches from the egg of many
insects, alters chiefly in size
while passing through several
molts, and is finally transformed
into a pupa or chrysalis from
which the adult emerges
 Rootworm, continued…
 Produces only one generation a year
 Begins as an egg which is deposited under the bark of
grape vines, by the adult female
 It will spend nine to ten months in the immature larvae
stage in the soil feeding on roots
 As an adult, it feeds on grape foliage
 An insecticide can get rid of these pests.
Black Rot
 Rots fruit/turns it
black.
 Leaves covered with
spots.
 Use a fungicide.
Phylloxera
 Phylloxera is a yellow aphid
(type of insect), which feeds
on vine roots and leaves.The
feeding causes galls to form
on the developing leaves or
roots. The aphids live on the
surface of root galls and inside
the leaf galls.
 There is no known cure for
phylloxera.
Conclusion
You are what you eat. If that’s
true, I’m a big ass perlette
grape!
Hope you didn’t get too bored
with this LONG, but
informative, PowerPoint
presentation…