Grape Planting
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009Those meant for wine are called wine grapes, and those grown for eating as-is are called table grapes. Grapes are grown all over the world. Being the most popular fruits all over the world, a branch of plant science has been devoted to grapes. Viticulture deals with everything about grapes: from old breeds to new hybrids, from seed to harvest, and everything else about grape planting.
Centuries of growing grapes has yielded fruitful results. Now the question of how to grow grapes is preceeded by a question “What do you plan to use them for?” The question is whether how to grow wine grapes or table grapes. The principles are mostly the same, but the difference lies in the specific requirements.
The simpliest of two is the table grapes. Table grapes are supposedly juicy and sweet. We also expect them to have smooth and flawless skins, and have plump, full appearances. The first step to ensuring this is to make sure the soil is rich and fertile, and if it is not, make it so.
More nutrients results in larger grapes and faster growth. Grapes are juicy, so a steady flow of water is needed by table grapes. On the other hand, grapevines do not fare well when soaked in water, so make sure that the soil is loose enough or has enough sand to ensure good drainage.
Fertilizers may be used to make the soil richer, but be careful when doing so. The grapes’ taste is affected by whatever chemicals there are in the soil, so care must be taken when using fertilizers. Excessive fertilizers or the wrong kind of fertilizers can make the resulting crop bitter or sour. To be sure that you get the sweetest and juiciest, pick them at the peak of ripeness. Pick too soon and you will get sour grapes. Do not pick them too late either, as they would start losing water and spoil too quickly.
Growing wine grapes follows the same basic steps as table grapes. Differences lie in the soil to be used, the amount of water to give, and special techniques applied to wine grapes. There are a many varieties of wine, each coming from specific kinds of grapes. These grapes will have different requirements to develop the flavors and characteristics sought after in wine
















