Shrub · Vitaceae
Grape
Vitis vinifera
Give a grapevine full sun, sturdy support, and a hard yearly pruning, and it rewards you with fruit for decades.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
730–1095 days
USDA 6–10
Overview
A grapevine is a long-lived woody climber that has been grown for its fruit for thousands of years. The European wine grape sits at the heart of most vineyards, but American species and hybrids fill in the colder corners where it struggles. Plant one well and it can keep cropping for decades.
Grapes ask for full sun, deep well-drained soil, and something strong to climb. Left alone the vine sprawls and reaches up to 40 to 60 feet (12 to 18 m), which is why the yearly pruning is so heavy. The vine grows fast and turns that vigor into fruit only when you keep it in check.
This is not a plant for the impatient. A new vine spends its first couple of years building roots and a framework before it earns its keep, and the fruit takes 2 to 3 years to arrive. The trade is a vine that, once settled, gives you grapes for fresh eating, juice, raisins, or wine year after year.
Care
The short version: full sun, deep well-drained soil, and a sturdy trellis or arbor to climb. Water young vines well to get them going, go easy on the nitrogen, and prune hard every winter to keep the vine productive.
Light
Grapes want full sun, ideally all day. They will take a little partial sun, but shade gives you a leafy vine, poor fruit, and far more disease in the damp, dim canopy.
Water
Water young vines deeply every 7 to 14 days while they settle in. Once the roots run deep, a mature vine handles dry spells well, so back off and avoid soggy soil and overhead wetting, both of which invite fungus.
Soil
Plant in deep, loamy, humus-rich soil that drains freely. The vine tolerates a fair range of soils and a pH from 5.5 to 7.0, but it will not forgive ground that stays wet.
Temperature
Grapes handle a wide swing, roughly 5°F to 95°F (-15°C to 35°C) depending on the type. American grapes and hybrids take the cold far better than the European wine grapes, so match the variety to your winters.
Humidity
Grapes prefer low humidity, around 30% to 60%. Damp, still air is what fuels powdery mildew and black rot, so an open canopy and good airflow matter more than the number on a gauge.
Feeding
Feed once in early spring as growth begins, using a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10. Keep the nitrogen in check, since too much pushes leafy growth and cuts your fruit.
Pruning
Prune hard every winter while the vine is dormant, taking out roughly 80% to 90% of last year's wood. Train it to a strong trellis or arbor and use cane or spur pruning depending on the variety. This is the single most important job in the grape calendar.
Repotting
Grapes are meant for the ground or a large permanent container, not regular repotting. If you do grow one in a pot, size up before the roots circle or the vine will stunt and dry out fast.
Size & spacing
Pruned and trained, a vine sits around 5 to 20 feet (1.5 to 6 m) with a spread of 4 to 10 feet (1.2 to 3 m). Left unpruned it can reach 40 to 60 feet, so give it a sturdy support and room to be managed.
When to plant
Grapes run on a slow clock. Set dormant bare-root or potted vines out in early spring once hard frost has passed, then prune them back hard each winter while they sleep. The vine blooms in late spring and ripens its fruit from late summer into fall, though the first real harvest is still a couple of years off.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Early spring after danger of hard frost has passed, as dormant bare-root or potted vines
- Harvest: Blooms late spring; fruit harvested late summer to fall (roughly Aug-Oct depending on variety and climate)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 6–10
Temperature: down to -23°C
Troubleshooting
Most grape trouble comes from fungal disease in damp, crowded canopies, from pests in the soil, or from wildlife after the ripe fruit. Catch it early and you can save the crop. Match what you see below, then act before it spreads through the vine.
Brown leaf spots and hard, blackened berries
Black rot strikes in warm, wet weather, starting as tan leaf lesions ringed in dark borders before the berries harden into black mummies on the cluster. It can wreck a whole crop, so act early. Strip out the mummified fruit and infected canes, prune for airflow, and spray from bud break through fruit set.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy mummified berries and infected canes
- Apply fungicide from bud break through fruit set
- Prune and thin for better airflow
A vine losing vigor with galls on its roots
When an own-rooted European vine slowly fades and its roots carry galls, the cause is grape phylloxera, a tiny insect feeding underground. There's no spray that reaches it. The lasting fix is to replant on resistant American rootstock, which the pest cannot damage.
Fix:
- Replant on phylloxera-resistant American rootstock
- Remove severely affected own-rooted vinifera vines
White powdery dust on leaves, shoots, and berries
This is powdery mildew, a fungus that takes hold in warm, humid weather and on vines whose canopy is too crowded and shaded. The dusty growth rubs off, but it twists the leaves and leaves the fruit russeted and cracked. Open the canopy with good pruning, keep the vine in full sun, and stay ahead of it with a preventive sulfur or fungicide spray.
Fix:
- Open the canopy with proper pruning and shoot thinning to improve airflow
- Apply sulfur or a recommended fungicide on a regular preventive schedule
- Site in full sun with good air circulation
Ripening clusters pecked or stripped clean
Birds and other wildlife know when grapes are ready, often before you do, and they can empty a cluster fast. Drape netting over the vines as the fruit starts to color, well before it ripens. Then pick promptly once the grapes are ready rather than leaving them on the vine.
Fix:
- Drape bird netting over vines as fruit begins to color
- Harvest promptly once fruit is ripe
Toxicity
Ripe grapes are a safe, everyday fruit for people, but they are seriously dangerous to dogs and cats. Grapes and raisins can cause acute kidney failure, and even a small amount may be enough. Keep fruit, fallen grapes, and prunings well away from pets, and treat any ingestion as an emergency.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Toxic
Treat grapes and raisins as dangerous for cats too. The same kidney damage seen in dogs is the real worry, so keep fruit and fallen grapes well out of reach and call a vet right away if a cat eats any.
Dogs Severe
Even a small amount can trigger acute kidney failure. Watch for vomiting, diarrhea, low energy, a lost appetite, belly pain, heavy thirst, and a drop in urine. This is an emergency, so call a vet at once rather than waiting for signs to build.
Horses Caution
The danger to horses isn't well studied. Play it safe and keep grapes, raisins, and vine prunings away from them rather than offering the fruit as a treat.
Rabbits Caution
There's no solid evidence either way for rabbits, so don't risk it. Skip grapes and raisins entirely and stick to greens and hay that are known to be safe.
Livestock Caution
How grapes affect cattle, goats, and sheep is unclear. Given the kidney risk seen in pets, fence off dropped fruit and keep prunings out of grazing areas.
Birds Caution
Grape toxicity in birds hasn't been pinned down. To be safe, avoid feeding grapes or raisins to pet birds and keep an eye on poultry that range near the vines.
People Safe
Ripe grapes are a safe, everyday fruit for people, eaten fresh, dried as raisins, or pressed for juice and wine. The danger is to pets, not to you.
Keep fruit, prunings, and fallen grapes out of reach of dogs, and never feed grapes or raisins to pets. Grapes and raisins are also advised against for cats as a precaution.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
Grapes split broadly into the European wine grapes, the cold-hardy American types, and the hybrids that bridge the two. These are the ones a home grower is most likely to meet.
'Cabernet Sauvignon' (V. vinifera)
A classic European wine grape with small dark berries that needs a long, warm season and does best in zones 6 to 9.
'Thompson Seedless' (V. vinifera)
A seedless green table grape that is also the fruit most often dried into raisins.
'Concord' (American Vitis labrusca)
A cold-hardy, slip-skin blue-black grape grown for juice and jelly that handles colder zones than vinifera can.
'Niagara' (American Vitis labrusca)
A cold-hardy white labrusca grape with a bold foxy flavor, used for both juice and white wine.
'Reliance' (interspecific hybrid)
A seedless red table grape bred for cold hardiness and better resistance to disease.
Companions
Grapes do best with low plantings that improve the soil or warn of disease early, and worst near big trees that steal their light and water.
Plant near
Roses: Traditionally planted at vineyard row ends as an early-warning indicator, since powdery mildew often appears on roses before the vines.
Clover or legume cover crops: Living mulch between rows improves soil and reduces erosion without heavily competing once vines are established.
Keep apart
Large shade trees: Compete for light, water, and nutrients and cast shade that reduces fruiting and worsens disease.
How to propagate
Grapes are easy to multiply from the vine itself, and most new plants are clones rather than seedlings. Cuttings and layering are simple, while grafting takes more skill but solves the phylloxera problem.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Late winter while the vine is dormant · Roots in one growing season; fruiting in about 2-3 years
Take pencil-thick dormant hardwood cuttings with 3 to 4 buds in late winter, while the vine is still asleep. This is the standard way to start own-rooted American types and rootstocks, and the cuttings root over a single growing season before fruiting in about 2 to 3 years.
LayeringEasy
Spring to early summer · Roots within one growing season
Bend a low cane down in spring or early summer and bury part of it so it roots at the buried nodes. By the end of one growing season it has its own roots, and you can then cut it free from the parent vine.
GraftingDemanding
Late winter as a bench graft, or in spring · 1-2 years to a productive vine
Graft European vinifera scions onto phylloxera-resistant American rootstock, done as a bench graft in late winter or out in the field in spring. This is standard practice in soils where phylloxera is present, and the graft grows into a productive vine in 1 to 2 years.
Myths
Only dried raisins are dangerous to dogs, not fresh grapes.
Fresh grapes are every bit as dangerous as raisins, and so are sultanas and currants. All of them can cause acute kidney failure in dogs, whether the fruit is fresh or dried.
Seedless or peeled grapes are safe for dogs.
The seeds and skin have nothing to do with it. Seedless and peeled grapes are just as toxic, and because the dangerous dose is unpredictable, no amount is worth the gamble.