How many bunches can a grapevine support?

[Eristic]

I have 4 established grape vines on my plot of unknown variety that look set to produce literally hundreds of bunches of grapes. Estimate 2-300. The plants were ruthlessly cut to near ground level last spring when I took the plot over from a complete wilderness, and new growth trained on post and wire supports. The man near me with the vinyard seems to think there are too many but he's more of a vintner than a gardener and his plot is a grassy wilderness.

I am planning to grow them as dessert fruit not for wine and had hoped to extend the vines along the plot boundary but there would be no point if the vine cannot support fruit all the way along. The plants are robust and in good health and I would have thought that nature would limit the amount of fruit set to within the limits of the plant.

Your views are welcome.

[Eristic]

[BAK]

I would treat this year as a learning exercise:

* I agree with leaving all the bunches on and letting the plant decide

* you do not mention anything about thinning out each bunch. I would thin a percentage of them (precise number depends on how much time you have as it is obviously a bit of a fiddly job) and compare the results.

We have two pubs in our locale that both have fairly rampant well-established vines which get little or no attention but seem to produce quite good crops, depressingly much better than we get from our young(ish), well looked after vines.

[LesH]

     Hi Eristic, if you are growing them for dessert, then thin them to one bunch per two feet (60 cm). Then I think it would also be as well to thin the bunches. With a pair of thin nosed scissors reduce the number of grapes in the bunch by a third. Mine end up in bottles every year, very nice too. good luck.   

[cleo]

That`s pretty sound advice-I might go down to one bunch per foot of mature rod though

[Eristic]

Thanks for the replies so far. I did intend to thin out individual berries within each bunch as I believe this produces bigger berries.

As for wine, I'm going to upset a lot of conisewers but I don't think grapes make teribly good wine. Elderberry is far better. 8)

[tuinman]

try this link and scroll down to grapes

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/problems_fruitveg.asp

[saddad]

Elderflower makes an excellent cordial...
My vine is only in its 4th or 5th year and has cropped heavily every time...
;D

[OllieC]

I've heard that Bordeaux make some lovely juice for a fiver or so a bottle, including all work & bottling!

[Jeannine]

My spares go into Grape Jelly ,super on hot toast mmm XX Jeannine