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myk1_gw

Covering grapes for Winter

myk1
9 years ago

Anyone got any BTDT tips?

I've already got the ground heavily mulched so at least I hopefully don't lose half of them like last year but I'd like to be sure to keep as much of the thinner growth as I can so I plan on dropping them to the ground and throwing a bale of straw over them..

Comments (10)

  • glenn_10 zone 4b/5a NewBrunswick,Can.
    9 years ago

    what varieties are you growing? The more tender varieties I grow get laid down(I only grow 2 which are worthy of the extra effort) and a sheet of plywood or a tarp placed over. It seems to work ok unless rodents find their way and set up shop there. Mulching for me is too much hassle so I take my chances.
    Another thing you can try if you have reliable snow fall is to snowblow a bank on top of the rows. I myself have not done this but apparently it works.
    Glenn

  • milehighgirl
    9 years ago

    I had great success last year by accidentally putting bags of leaves over my blackberries. The bag kept the heat trapped better than just a pile of mulch by itself.

  • canadianplant
    9 years ago

    Milehigh is right. Ive mulched a lot of plants and usually leaves do well, but tender plants that "shouldnt be here" definitely benefit from a tarp or something to keep the cold air out.

    I manage to get a Himrod to survive up here well north of duluth. It hasnt produced but I still manage to get about 7 feet of vine growth, even in an exposed site (needs to be moved!) U of minn recommends growing grapes on a removable trellis that can be dropped to the ground so they can be buried as described

  • myk1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    What I'm growing now should survive, they've survived here before. But they also died here last year, or at least died back to the ground. Reliance, Neptune and Lakemont. Reliance has done great but then last year I lost a pretty big vine. Lakemont has survived but never that great to where it has had a chance to have a big vine. Neptune started out as a potted plant so it has always died back but this year I have bare root that did good and the potted plant actually might be able to have some top growth live through winter.

    Our extreme cold temperature wasn't the abnormal part last year. I think the constant snow/ice last year is what did them in. We never had a complete melt off, just slightly melted ice upon ice.
    But I'm mostly worried about the thin growth. We definitely get cold enough to kill off less than pinky size every year. If I can keep it alive I could have grapes next year and be very close to having my T's back at the start of the year on most of them.

    I don't mind dealing with mulch, I've decided to kill the grass off in that area anyway so the more mulch the merrier. The tarp is what I was wondering so the vines wouldn't be encased in rotting vegetation, or if it would be bad if they were.The bags of leaves might work.
    I'll have to go look at UofMN's page.

    Thanks for the ideas.

  • milehighgirl
    9 years ago

    I have been trying to grow Zweigelt here for several years. They say it's zone 6 but I have tried anyway. Last year the only vines that survived were buried under the dirt. I know I sound lazy but I never got the trellis up before fall and the vines were laying on the ground. The vines that ended up covered with dirt, and just an inch or so, survived. The others didn't.

    Just don't put mulch down and then cover with a tarp. Put the tarp down and then cover that with mulch. Sounds backwards but it will prevent rot, like you mentioned, and prevent homing vermin for the winter.

  • canadianplant
    9 years ago

    Here op, the link to u of min grapes.

    Here is a link that might be useful: u of min grapes

  • nyRockFarmer
    9 years ago

    Winter tarping can be dangerous if greenhouse effect is created under direct sun. Winter injury is often caused by improperly protecting plants such that they cannot maintain proper winter dormancy.

  • milehighgirl
    9 years ago

    Rock,

    Good point. For some reason the bags of leaves kept the soil at a constant temperature.

    Here's a link to a post I made concerning my blackberries that were well preserved with the leaf bags.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Blackberries and dormancy question

  • franktank232
    9 years ago

    Snow seems to work great as an insulator..i know my triple crown blackberries survive every year because of snowcover (and even fruit). I would imagine a thick covering of leaves and snow would work great...maybe even woodchips if you have them. Only issue with grape vines is rabbits love to chew them in winter...mine were vaporized this winter by rabbits..they literally ate the whole vines! so covering them might have the benefit of protection against rabbits..although voles might find them tasty too and warm and toasty... might want to keep some traps handy just to kill off any invaders.

  • myk1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    The good thing about this spot is the low winter sun is shaded by the fence so the ground stays cold to usually keep things from waking up early. I was thinking of "tarping" with landscape fabric since I'll want to use that next year anyway. Assuming I dig up the money for that much landscape fabric before nobody carries it.
    I've wondered if it wasn't the sun against the house waking things up early that killed them although the ones away from the house had the same percentage of die off and die back as the ones along the house.

    I generally don't see vole trails in this part of the yard. Maybe they get enough to eat with the root crops stored in the garden and trees planted around there.