How to Grow & Care for Grapes in Florida
Early European settlers tried to grow grapes in Florida, but discovered that the grapes could not grow well in the climate. Florida's universities began researching grape cultivation in the 1930s and developed hybrids that thrive in Florida. The bunch grape grows in typical bunch formations, while the muscadine grape forms small clusters. These grapes have good resistance to many diseases, particularly Pierce's disease. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Fertilizer
- 8-foot posts
- 9-foot posts
- Galvanized steel wire
- 6.5-foot stakes
- Pruning shears
Instructions
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1
Dig a hole 8 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Pour 1 gallon of water into the hole. Place a one-year-old plant in the hole, cover the hole with soil and add enough water to reach the depth of the roots. Leave a space of 8 feet between plants and 10 feet between rows. Repeat watering once or twice a week.
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2
Apply fertilizer two weeks after the vines start growing. Use 1/4 pound of 10-10-10 fertilizer in a circle with a radius of 6 inches around each muscadine grape plant. For bunch grapes, add 1/4 pound of 6-6-6 or 8-8-8 fertilizer in about a 1-foot radius around the plant. Apply fertilizer three to four times per year, keeping rates at 4 pounds per vine per year or less.
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3
Set 8-foot posts 2 feet into the ground, spaced so that three vines grow between each two posts. At the end of the row, set 9-foot posts 3 feet into the ground. Staple a galvanized steel wire along the rows at a height of 6 feet above the ground.
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4
Place a 6.5-foot stake beside each plant and tie the stake to the wire of the trellis. When the shoots emerge, choose one strong shoot from each plant and tie it to the stake with a string or tape. Prune off all other shoots. This shoot will grow to become the trunk of the vine. As it grows, keep tying it to the stake to encourage it to grow straight upward.
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5
Choose two lateral shoots that grow in opposite directions when the main trunk is about 6 inches above the wire. Cut off the part of the trunk above these two shoots. Tie the two shoots to the wire so that they grow in opposite directions as cordons.
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6
Prune the plant during the dormant period, which is during the month of January in south Florida, from January 1 to February 15 in central Florida and from January 1 to March 10 in north Florida. Cut back canes on the cordons so that they only have three to four buds each. This improves the size and quality of grapes and reduces the plants to manageable sizes.
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