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Key to grape success? Deep irrigation

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED JUN 30, 2020

Grapes need a lot of sun and water for best results. (Photos: Debbie Arrington )

Vines require a lot of water, sun for best harvest

Are your grapes getting enough water?

Summer irrigation is crucial for a good harvest. Grape vines may adapt to drought conditions and low water supply, but they’ll bear a lot fewer if any grapes.

According to the UC Cooperative Extension master gardeners, grapes need deep irrigation every two weeks during these hot summer months (or more if the heat is particularly brutal). Give vines a slow, deep soaking that fills their root zone.

Drip irrigation works well with grapes, but remember, they need a lot of water. According to the master gardeners, each mature trellised vine needs 8 to 10 gallons a day. Less vigorous or young vines still need 6 to 8 gallons daily. (By comparison, a tomato plant requires about 5 gallons of water a week.)

Consistent irrigation will prevent several grape problems.

“Avoid water stress during the period between bloom and berry softening,” say the master gardeners. “Fruit on the vine may succumb to cracking if the vines are allowed to dry and then wet again. Check the soil profile to be sure the plants are getting adequate water but not too much.”

Thirsty vines don’t like a feast-or-famine water cycle. For nice plump grapes, keep the soil evenly moist. Use a moisture meter, a soil probe or just look – with a trowel, dig down a few inches.

Grapes require sun for sweetness. Although vines may produce grapes in shady spots, the plant needs at least eight hours a day of full sun for the grapes to produce enough sugar to taste “sweet.”

Grapes that ripen in shade tend to be less sweet.

Sunlight on the fruit can bring out the grape’s sweetness and color (especially red varieties). That’s why vineyards may snip off leaves shading grape clusters. Grapes ripened in the sun tend to be sweeter than those that ripen on the shady side of the plant. But clusters still need some afternoon shade or the grapes can become sunburned.

When to pick? Grapes ripen on their own schedule and may look ready before they actually are at their sweetest. The only way to tell is test. Pick a plump grape and taste it. If it’s not sweet, wait a few days, then test again.

For loads of great grape advice, check out the UCCE grape page: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/grapes.html

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vineyards grapes gardening Sacramento grapevines summer fruit irrigation vines

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Garden Checklist for week of May 19

Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.

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