Grapes Flowering in November

[zazen999]

Not had this before - but today I cut back some of my biggest grapevine so that I could teach 'taking cuttings' at one of my schools and the little ****** was flowering.

It hadn't produced any grapes this year - it tends to alternate - so I will be checking it all over this weekend to take any flowers off now rather than let it flower during the winter.

Anyone else got this?

[realfood]

Does it not go into hybernation over the winter?

[zazen999]

Yes - exactly!

[PyreneesPlot]

Mine is very dormant. A leafless stick. It is outdoors and we've had a couple of frosts.

[veggiechicken]

I'll check mine tomorrow - if I remember

[zazen999]

Mine is very dormant. A leafless stick. It is outdoors and we've had a couple of frosts.

Hmm....mine is still only starting to lose it's leaves.

And it's flipping flowering!!!

[veggiechicken]

Is it indoors or out, Zaz? My outdoor ones did nowt this year, the indoors are just losing their leaves.

[zazen999]

Outdoors in the courtyard.

[veggiechicken]

Okey dokey - I'll look at all of mine and see what they're up to!

[zazen999]

Just taken a photo in the dark mind - from the back door...it is still pretty leafy...

[veggiechicken]

With a challenge like that I've been down in the garden in the rain and pitch darkness and pointed the camera at the place where there is a grape vine! Its a miracle anything came out ..

[zazen999]

I'll take some photos if I find any more flowering bits tomorrow.

I can't quite believe it's flowering still!

[veggiechicken]

I have a feeling that I have seen flowers on mine recently, maybe when I cut the grapes off it a couple of weeks ago - but that would be in the greenhouse. Will look tomorrow!

[Marcher]

Mine still has a few leaves at the ends of the longest branches, but has lost most of them. I want it to harden off and go dormant so that I can prune it. I might take it out of the pot and trellis and stick it in the ground over winter as well - I'm still considering it.
It's tempting to start pruning now, but I've heard they bleed a lot if they're not utterly dormant.

[zazen999]

That's more when the sap is rising...I prune ours in the summer and the winter before dormancy mainly because it's a darned good teaching method for taking cuttings as it's big enough to demonstrate stem/left node and 'The Grape Cutting Taker's Position*'

Pruning proper is after all the leaves have gone.

*'The Position' is the stance that you take whence taking grape cuttings. Stand tall, plant both feet firmly on the ground, back straight. If you are right handed have the long grapevine under your left armpit with the thick base end of the vine facing forwards like a javelin approximately one arms length. In your right hand you take your secateurs and then commenceth your craft.