what kind of grapes
The varieties that are very suitable for Belgium are:
- boskoop glorie (blue grapes)
- vroege van der laan (white grapes)
advice
- If you buy a new plant prune it in late fall to 1/3 of its length (to the hard wood).
- After pruning peal the stem and shoots. By doing this, the insects have no hiding place for winter and there will be less chance that voracious diseases occur.
- The first three years it is recommended to remove the flowers so the plant can put all its energy in building its branches.
- Just like tomatoes, armpit shoots must be removed for grapes. In an armpit only 1 leaf is allowed, remove the continuation. This is very important because otherwise there are too much leaves which induce air circulation problems and prevent adequate ventilation (fungi diseases) Also when there are too much leaves, insects have too much hiding places (voracious diseases).
- It is required for the "vroege van der laan" variety to thin out the bunch otherwise the bunch will burst when each grape becomes larger. For "boskoop glorie" this risk is much smaller so thinning out is not really necessary.
- Do not worry if you see water droplets on the branches, this is a sign that the grapes plant is healthy
- Prune at the moment the last leaf has fallen down, this should be between end of November and end of December.
- Never prune when there is frost
- In winter, don't install your grapes in a heated location, grapes need a cold stimulus for an adequate pollination in spring.
- Fertilize your grapes during spring and summer, grapes love lime
- Water supply should be provided regularly. Especially for young plants in a greenhouse but also for plants in open air during long drought periods. If for a long time there was no water supply and then suddenly there is, just like for tomatoes the fruits can burst.
- If you have a free wall oriented to the South it is possible to grow grapes in pots
