How to Care for Concord Grape Plants

Give your Concord grape plants TLC and enjoy the bounty for decades.

Concord grapes are a true American success story. The deep purple fruit, introduced by Ephraim Wales Bull in the late1800s after he found them growing wild in Concord, Massachusetts, quickly became a favorite of U.S. horticulturalists and hobbyists who continue to appreciate their resilience and early harvest time. If you're growing this popular variety, give your plantings plenty of attention during their first year of life and you'll be rewarded with up to 40 years' worth of harvests.

Things You'll Need

• Healthy cultivars
• Plot of land with full sun
• Soil with wide range of pH conditions (variety specific)
• Trellises or arbors
• Stakes and cord
• Fertilizers
• Pest control system
• Water

Instructions

1. Buy grape cultivars from a reputable nursery to boost your chances of obtaining a large, healthy crop with an attainable goal of up to 20 lbs. of Concord grapes per year once your garden matures. Ask horticulturists to point you in the direction of Concord varieties that are the least susceptible to disease to minimize that risk.

2. Plant rows of cultivars either four feet apart--if they're to be supported by arbors--or eight feet apart if you'll use trellis supports once the vines start to grow. Prepare the land and secure the starter vines by tying them to stakes to keep plants off the ground.

3. Fertilize cultivars with a 16-6-8-type fertilizer (follow package instructions to assess amounts of coverage your garden will require) placed two to three inches into the soil. Stick with nitrogen-based plant food unless soil tests call for the addition of phosphorus or potassium. Begin monitoring for pests, particularly if your region experiences a wet spring or hot, humid summer.

4. Prune broken or dead branches and roots aggressively during Year 1. Trim top growths to a single cane. Offer water to cultivars so vines thrive, but don't over-water; Concord grapes have deep roots and grow best when watered heavily and deeply but infrequently. If you spot yellow, shriveling leaves, your plants may be receiving too much water, resulting in iron chlorosis. Catch this early so you can treat the plants before they die.

5. Initiate a system of vine training during Year 2. Place arbors or trellises (each around 18 inches tall) adjacent to rows of plantings. Use sturdy wire to gently fasten the plants to these supports so they are given a way to climb.

6. Continue to be judicious about pruning. Select four side branches adjacent to the trunk of each Concord grape vine in Year 3, bundling them up while pruning away the rest. Establish an upkeep calendar. Begin checking for ripening between mid-August and early October, depending upon the area of the country in which your grapes are growing.

7. Add moderate amounts of fertilizer each March in the third year and adopt this maintenance plan: Remove nearly 90 percent of the previous year's growth annually, leaving four strong canes per plant after each harvest. Expect 10 to 12 buds to sprout the following season. These "renewal spurs" keep your Concord grape plants healthy so you and your family can enjoy a bountiful supply of this delicious fruit.

References

• Essential Garden Guide
• Gardening Guides/Grapes
• Ohio State University

Resources

• Searchwarp