How to Grow White Seedless Grapes

With proper pruning, white seedless grapevines produce more fruit.

White seedless grapes are a sweet treat that you can grow in your own yard. Several varieties are available for the home garden, including Thompson, Himrod, Interlaken, Lakemont and Marquis. Select a variety that grows well in your area. An arbor, made of posts and wire or cable, will provide a solid foundation for training your vines. Pruning is also essential for maximize your grape yield. With proper care, your seedless grapevines will produce more than enough fruit for your family.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• 2 posts, 4-by-4-inch, 6 feet long
• Heavy wire or cable
• Pruning shears
• Wooden stakes
• String
• Mulch
• 10-6-4 fertilizer
• Sharp knife

Instructions

1. Set two 6-foot-long, 4-by-4-inch posts and string two wires or cables from one post to the other to create a grape arbor. Position one wire or cable at 36 inches high and the other at 60 inches high.

2. Dig a hole twice as wide and about as deep as the root ball of the grapevine. Note the depth at which the vine is planted in its container. Remove the vine from the container and place it in the hole at the same depth. Backfill the hole with the excavated soil and tamp it down.

3. Apply a 5- to 6-inch layer of mulch around the plant. Water the soil thoroughly, so it is damp but not wet. Water the grapevine regularly to keep the soil moist. Apply a 10-6-4 fertilizer at a rate of 1 lb. per plant, two weeks after planting.

4. Place a wooden stake in the ground next to the grapevine. Tie the main vine to the stake with a piece of string. Trim off any smaller vines. Tie the vine to the lower cable in the arbor as it grows; tie the vine to the taller cable when it grows longer.

5. Cut the vines back to just two shoots, with buds near the wires, when the grapevine begins producing side shoots from the main trunk. Allow these shoots to grow into vines and train them along the wire as they grow. Trim back any new growth, other than the trained vines. Allow these to mature and remain until next season.

6. Water the grapevine regularly in the spring to keep the soil moist. Apply a 10-6-4 fertilizer at a rate of 1 lb. per plant each spring.

7. Allow the main trunk to produce four renewal spurs during the next growing season. Train them along the wires. Prune the previous season's growth off the main trunk after the growing season is over. This allows the new renewal spurs to grow the next year. Repeat this process for two growing seasons.

8. Look for the third year's trained vines to put out fruiting canes and begin to flower. Prune the canes so they contain 40 to 60 buds per vine. Wait for the grapes to develop.

9. Taste the grapes regularly for ripeness once they have achieved the proper color. Cut the ripe clusters from the vines with a sharp knife.

10. Prune the growth that produced the fruit off the main trunk after the growing season is over. This allows the new renewal spurs to grow and produce fruit the following year. Repeat this process each year.

References

• University of Minnesota Extension: Growing Grapes for Home Use
• Ohio State University Extension: Fact Sheet -- Growing Grapes in the Home Fruit Planting
• Cornell University Department of Horticulture: Seedless Grapes
• UMass Extension: Seedless Table Grapes