grape vines in pots !

[ardroil]

will grape vines grow in pots? i managed to get my hands on two vines, but all my planting is done in pots, but i do have a big wooden fence i could put them up against, do you think this would work ?

[BarleySugar]

I have seen them growing in pots, with fruit on, so as long as you follow the basic rules, food water, decent size pot, I would think you would be fine. It's important to prune a grape vine to limit the leafy growth if you want decent fruit, so if you put up trellis or wires against your fence you should be able to train them to cover it nicely.
Ann

[sarraceniac]

It does work ardroil. Just make sure they are big pots and the soil mix is right. Feed regularly and keep them moist in fine weather and as long as you take the usual precautions with grapes against various nasty blooms and fungii (usually not a problem growing outside) then you should be OK.

[sarraceniac]

We posted at the same time with basically the same advice barleysugar. So it should be OK. LOL.

[ardroil]

thanks for that info, what do i feed them with? i really have no idea about grape vines!

[Snadger]

I have seen them growing in pots, with fruit on, so as long as you follow the basic rules, food water, decent size pot, I would think you would be fine. It's important to prune a grape vine to limit the leafy growth if you want decent fruit, so if you put up trellis or wires against your fence you should be able to train them to cover it nicely.
Ann

In Inverness?????

[BarleySugar]

Never been to Inverness, so no I haven't seen them fruiting up there, but I thought the questions was, would they grow in pots, not would they grow in Inverness. Ardroil already has the vines anyway.
I would have thought that trained against the fence, it would be possible to cover with fleece or something in the spring and autumn to protect the grape flowers and the fruit from a cold snap.
This looks quite interesting http://www.weekendgardener.net/growi...es-in-pots.htm

[selfraising]

Also be careful of vine weevil when growing in pots. I had mine in a pot in its first year and when I went to pot it on the container was full of larvae.....yuk!!!!!!

[ardroil]

thanks barleysugar, ill let you know how it goes, we had a fantastic summer last year and our winter seems to have been not as bad as most of englands, but we did have temps of -6 like most of the country, but ill give it a go anyway and ill try and train it up the fence, and i should be able to cover with fleece when it turns nasty again, ill take pics and show you how its getting on, keep your fingers crossed for me

[ardroil]

uh yuk, how do i stop that, and what do they look like?

[Snadger]

I think the grapevine is supposed to be hardy but having said that there are no vineyards above Yorkshire in UK (unless I'm proved wrong)

I struggle to grow grapes INDOORS in pots in NE England. this year I'll be planting one outside the greenhouse and training it inside as last year I was sick of watering the container it was in!

If the vine was just to be used as a climbing plant with colourful autumn foliage it should be fine.

I know some parts of Scotland are on the gulf stream and have sub tropical climates but don't think Inverness is one of them?????................

[BarleySugar]

If you google vine weevils you will get pics of the beetles and the grubs. They are creamy white C shaped grubs that eat the roots. You can get nematodes to water edible crops with, they 'eat' the weevil from inside. I think the temp needs to be above 5, I usually water in Sept/Oct down here to kill any before the winter, and before they do too much harm. I don't think there's any chemical you can use on food crops.

[selfraising]

Well they look like little white maggot things, about a centimetre long and are apparently attracted to container plants, I think cos I'ts warm and snug, think they feed off the roots. Not sure if you can prevent it but others may have advice. I know you can get some stuff to kill them off with. I think the adults can do damage as well. I tipped the whole lot out onto my flower bed and let the birds do the rest!!! Then filled with fresh compost! I would check the container at least once of twice a year.

[ardroil]

eeek i cant look at pics of them, but i will keep an eye out for them,
i lost a hanging basket last year in the space of 2 to 3 days it went from full bloom to totally dead, someone told me it was vine weevil, i just chucked the whole thing out, oh and it stank aswell

[selfraising]

Just found this article talking about the adult beetle, no vine weevil pic so don't worry!



Their presence is shown by semi-circular notches eaten into the edges of leaves, most notably on evergreen shrubs like Rhododendron, Euonymus, Azalea and Camellia. This damage by the adults is not fatal, just unsightly (although is a good indicator that there will be eggs, and larvae hatching in the autumn). The real damage is done by the larvae which feed on the roots, often killing the plant, especially potted and young plants. The first sign of the presence of the larvae is usually yellowing leaves, poor growth and a wilting plant which does not respond to watering. Unfortunately it is often too late to save the plant. Rescue is possible if the damage is not too extensive, wash off all the compost to remove the grubs and remaining eggs, then replant in fresh growing medium. Some plants are more at risk from attack than others, eg. Sedums, Primulas, Fuchsias and Impatiens, but most plants in pots are at risk.

Looks like your hanging baskets were victims!