Grape vine advice needed please

[Jeannine]

We inherited a grape vine when we switched plots this year, rough guess it has been there since the plots started about 10 years, it is outside and doing well despite the fact that the plot was flooded around it due to constant rain till two weeks ago. I( have no idea what type.

We are in the process of building 1 foot high raised baeds all over the plot and we have one now around the vine.

My question is... when we fill the beds the soil level around the vine is going up by 10 inches or so, is this going to harm the vine.

There is no choice about leaving it without a box , the edge of the boxes are the basis of a side fence which we have toi put up. The only other option is to remove the vine and tarnsplant it higher. I guess the box could be left empty apart fropm the vine but it would look odd.

XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

[saddad]

Check for a grafting mark... that has to stay above the soil level as the American rootstock is toughe (phylloxera? resitstant) but not as good..

[Jeannine]

I looked for that and couldn't find one.I presumed it was from a cutting. Bear in mind grape vines are all over the place here. Very common in gardens growing up pation railings etc so may of them have started from a cutting from a neighbour. It has two main stems coming out of the ground, I could dig down and see if they merge into one.

Would any of the above make a difference?

XX Jeannine

[goodlife]

or...you could make collar around it..drainage pipe or something that is large enough to leave good inch or so gap around the trunk...and then back fill the soil around it. The plant will still 'think' is in the usual soil level...

[brown thumb]

i throught that could be done  but would the  rain pool in there  and cause rot :-\

[goodlife]

I would not think so..only way to pool the open ended pipe would be if the ground floods..but then it would be wet all over any way..not just in the pipe.
My idea is just to keep soil from touching the trunk,,
Even better would be plastic barrel or something large like that..cut half and the bottom off and slip it over.

[Jeannine]

The bit of ground that the vine is in is six inches deep in water in the winter anyway, it was until a few weeks ago and the vine is in great shape so the watr doesn't seem to bother it. I wondered more abouit the soil creeping 10 inches up the trunk.. can that hurt it

What about moving it?

XX Jeannine

[brown thumb]

if the vine is used to flooding and hasn't bothered it be fore i would go with goodlifes idea i wouldn't risk moving if it was mine there might be some one on here who knows it would be safe to move :-\

[Jeannine]

Ok, but what I need to know is what is likely to happen if I fill the box with soil , what actual harm will it do to the vine?

Also why can't I move it?

It is easier to make a decision when the pitfalls are clear in ones head.

XX Jeannine

[goodlife]

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What about moving it?
yes..you could do that..but it needs to be done when it is dormant..and it need to be cut down a lot..and it needs good size root ball to go with it.

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I wondered more abouit the soil creeping 10 inches up the trunk.. can that hurt it I would be worried doing that in a one go..but what if you could make temperary barrier around the trunk for now and allow couple of inches of new soil..it will be like mulch. And then next year lift it up another couple of inches again or so ..
It would allow new root formation and it is less drastic and you can see if there is any adverse effect..if it does look like it doesn't like it then you could think of moving it and return to original soil level..

[Jeannine]

I still don't understand.. what is likley to happen to it if I just put the soil in?

[goodlife]

 

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what is likley to happen to it if I just put the soil in?
Well..I've seen it on trees..not in grapes..they rot..I assume they get some fungal rot through the soil..
In work lads often plough soil with tractors and leave great piles against trees..there is now several  of them died. I wonder if the bark needs to adjust/change to be able to be under soil level.
It is same with many plants..you plant them too deep and they sulk and die.
I really don't know if the grape would be ok or not..but for some reason I've got 'alarm bells ringing' with the idea of raising the soil lever so much at once.