Two black thumbs...help me save my CA wine grape tree!!

[stacya]

I received a CA wine grape tree back in March, and have managed to keep it alive and looking well until the past week or two...I have it indoors on a windowsill in my kitchen (wondering if that's part of the problem), and these days when I water it (and I just watered it today for about the first time in 5 days), the water went right out the bottom of the pot...I know they have a dormant period, but I think my tree is a little TOO dormant...this tree is very special to me, as it was given to me by a group of friends after I lost a pregnancy at 19 weeks, so to keep this plant alive is of utmost importance to me, and unfortunately, I was born with not one black thumb, but two...the fact that I've been able to keep it alive this long is amazing...I live in southern PA, so the climate isn't too terrible here, but I really don't know if I need to move it outside, or to the basement, or if it's the end of the line for it...the leaves are dead and brown, and I think I remember the instructions (which I can no longer find), said that I need to trim the shoots at the end of the season...but until I have some guidance, I really don't want to do anything that might keep it from surviving...

Thanks for any help you can provide to me!!

[webmaster]

I'm not an expert, however I've visited at least over a hundred wineries in California and Spain and have spoken with and listened to even more wine growers about the subject to have some general idea of what goes into growing wine varietals.

For starters, I'm fairly certain it's not an indoor plant. It needs to be outdoors in the sun. Grapes are pretty much grown in the sun, the longer and consistent the warm weather the more lush the leaves will get and bigger the fruit. Rain at the wrong time can be bad for the fruit, same with an early frost.

Wine grapes are typically cultivated in areas where it gets warm during the day but is cooled during the night, usually by a blanket of fog or whatnot emanating from a nearby river or traveling over the hills from the ocean. Full sun in the day, cool at night.

The end of September through October is when harvesting typically begins and then the vine goes dormant for winter. Also keep in mind that grapes are a vine, not a tree. Grapes are typically grown along a supporting structure to prop them up. The only vines not doing this, as I recall, are the twenty to eighty year old vines that are thick and wildly knotty. Quite beautiful when they reach this stage. So because they are vines they probably will need a supporting structure out in your yard.

[stacya]

I don't know...the instructions said that it may or may not grow grapes, depending on climate, and the picture shows just a very small bunch of grapes...and it's definitely "tree looking," as it looks just like a bonsai tree, so I don't know about it needing support...

Here's a pic of what it SHOULD look like...

[img]https://a764.g.akamai.net/f/764/16742/1h/www.1800flowers.com/800f_assets/images/flowers/images/shop/catalog/3173f.jpg[/img]

I agree that I don't believe it's meant to be indoors, but I really don't know what to do when the harsher weather comes, as it will be doing soon...I guess for now, I will put it out on our patio, and hope that will revive it...I know you shouldn't water it that often when it is dormant, and so that's why it had been about 5 days since I'd last watered it, and it STILL ran out of the bottom of the dish it's in...

Thanks for your input! I'm going to go put it outside right now!

[alexinoklahoma]

The weak part of a Vitis is the roots. Freeze those and its gone... So, the idea is to protect the roots - and do so by burying the pot or just putting the rootball into a hole once it goes dormant. Tenderish first year growth may have issues the next year if hit with harsh exposure(s), but its the new growth that makes 'em pretty anyways

So, learn about 'winterizing bonsai' or whatever term(s) you wanna search for - its well documented

I live Central OK and have had grapes that make it through icy/wet winters routinely when even longish vines are covered with mulch throughout dormancy to let Ma Earth keep temps at rootzone within tolerance of the species...

That seems to be a decent vitis 'specimen', so a bit of care will go a *long* ways - most of the real work already done, it appears It is most definitely an outdoor plant, but do not think its needs are similar to plants 'in-ground' - *very* different needs and such. Use good-quality 'bonsai-type' soil for sure, not the type soils that they like when in-ground....

HTH,
Alex

[stacya]

Thanks Alex! I'll check into the winterizing, and see if I can find some bonsai soil somewhere!

[alexinoklahoma]

Easiest to 'make' your own soil, fwiw. I use sifted 'claydama' (fired clay 'bits' often called 'soil conditioner') and pine-bark mulch (no largish pieces and none of the 'dust' in bag) and maybe some perlite/comparable. Stuff like that would be just fine for your plant(s), IME. Much cheaper than buying 'specialty' soil

G' Luck,
Alex