Frosted grape vine

[ameno]

There was a frost last night at my allotment, and anticipating that I cover my grape vines with fleece yesterday evening.
Well, they've been badly damaged. Far worse, in fact, than grape vines on other plots which weren't covered. I think my covering them did more harm than good.
Anyway, grape vines are vigorous, so I'm sure they'll grow back, but what I want to know is, will they still fruit this year, or is that it for this year?
Most, if not all, of the flower buds have been frosted, so I would be relying on new growth having flower buds on it. The shoots were only at 3-5 leaves, so it's not like it had grown all that much yet.

[nickdub]

My take is that the frosted flower buds are dead and that any crop you get will only be from unfrosted buds - ie no new buds this year. I know it's too late now but if you find yourself in a similar position another year building a temporary structure from bamboo say over the plants so that when you cover it with something like fleece the leaves are not in contact with the cover, is the way to go.

In my poly tunnel the bits of plants touching the polythene have been killed on the two frosty nights in the last week here including bits of my grapevines but the parts not in contact are fine. The only plants looking really poorly on the shelves were a few just germinate cucs - the older plants like tomatoes are A OK. Its surprising how a slight difference in resistance/temperature males all the difference. Outside all the leaves on my Clethera shrub have been killed but the potatoes right next to it are growing away fine.

[ameno]

Grapes grow flower buds on this year's growth, though, so if new shoots grow directly from buds on the main framework (which they will, since on one of them the frost damage is almost 100%), then isn't there a chance those new shoots will also have flower buds?
After posting this, I found an article about Australian grape growing which seemed to suggest that the replacement shoots would still crop (although you should expect a diminished crop), but I'd like to know if anyone has any experience of this in this country?

[nickdub]

I guess what you suggest is possible, but I've certainly not come across anything to suggest it is likely to happen - be very interesting to know if you find that it does in your case. Good luck Nick

[greenishfing]

From bitter past experience of frost on my grapevines in the greenhouse I would say you will definitely get some more flowers (and grapes) but the bunches will be smaller than usual. For some weird reason my original grapevine in one greenhouse got frosted last week but my other grapevine (a cutting taken a few years ago from the original) which was in another greenhouse about 4 feet away wasn't touched. No rhyme or reason.

[chrisdb]

Mine got frosted too, with complete die back of the new growth, and a few new flower clusters have appeared with the first of the new leaves. So I'm hoping I'll get a few bunches, as greenishfing suggests.

[ameno]

Mine's starting to regrow now, although it isn't showing any significant regrowth yet (it has only been a week).

[ameno]

An update on this:
Both vines regrew well and vigorously, and produced several bunches of flowers.
The bunches on one, Muscat Bleu, are starting to colour up already, even though that vine was the worst hit by the frost and flowered about 2 weeks after the other one.
The grapes on the other vine, Boskoop Glory, are still rather small, and I suspect they won't mature and ripen in time.

[Nicos]

Good grief-you gave me a shock!... frost in August....in the south of England!
Then I rechecked the date you started the thread

(Having said that I wouldn't be surprised if some folks might get a frost this weekend!)

Good to hear the vines have recovered. This year mine hasn't produced any fruit..boo hoo...

[ameno]

Don't worry, I won't be getting frosts here any time soon. November at the earliest.

[nickdub]

Interesting to hear about the vines producing new flowers - not come across that before. I've got a pretty good crop coming on my Black Hamburg, say about 60 bunches, if I scan keep the pests off them I should get a good harvest - they're about half ripe. I did lose some to what looks like overheating to me - the fruit looked sort of "cooked" and then it went a pinky colour and started shrivelling.

[ameno]

An update on the grapes:

I got one good bunch off it 10 days ago, and they tasted lovely. But then something ate all of the remaining bunches.
I thought it was birds at first, so netted the remaining ones, but then they went, too.
They were pretty well netted, so I can't imagine birds got in, and the entire bunch was stripped, so I highly doubt it's slugs and snails. I suspect some sort of rodent got to them.

I'm planning on buying some drawstring bags made of insect mesh next year, to keep the slugs off my melons, and I shall use them on my grapes next year, too.

[Plot70]

I would be tempted to use rat traps bated with grapes and see what you get.