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Monday, April 18, 2016

Keep Grape Vines Away from Walls

Q. I was going to plant a grape vine directly in front of my cement block wall. I decided to check the internet to see how far away from the wall I should plant. The site said grapes should not be planted close to walls because the roots cause structural failure. Is there is a minimum distance from the wall to plant the grape?

A. Roots of grapes are not a big problem for walls, particularly when grown in the desert with drip irrigation. However, do not plant a grape vine immediately against the wall. Put them on a trellis at least 1 foot away from the wall. Place drip irrigation away from the wall to encourage plant roots to grow away from the wall as well.
Keep grapes away from walls for better production of fruit


Grapes need to be pruned and harvested. Planting directly against the wall makes these practices difficult. Generally speaking, table grapes grow more vigorously and are more aggressively than most wine grapes. Wine grapes might be a better choice for smaller areas and they are more versatile as a food.

2 comments:

  1. Can you grow grapes down

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    1. Plant tops are negatively geotropic. Roots are positively geotropic. So to answer your question the only reason growth on the top of plants will grow down is because of competition for light by tops growing up. You can CAUSE plants to grow downward against their will by weighting them with artificial weights or if they are heavy with fruit (think pomegranates) or seed pods.

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