Grapes

Thank you FANCY.

It does make a big difference if they are in- or outside, at least up north. A friend has a vine planted outside but trained into his Wintergarten and he gets plenty of fruit too.

Pete, this friend of ours was able to have a much higher roof on his WG and so he trained his vine a good meter under the roof and has a good air circulation and no condensation like we do.

You can't have everything, can you?

 

Our grapes are starting to ripen -

 

Very early to be ripening now KG, but they look good.
See the passion flower is joining in. :D

 

I guess they would take longer outside but being in the Wintergarten sure helps.

That passion flower is really getting to be too much and now I'm afraid that we'll have it coming up all over the place! It has no end of blooms and they are very pretty, but the fruits don't seem to appear.

 

I wouldn't worry about getting fruits on the PF, it is really an ornamental, dont you think?

 

T'other half is unhappy he doesn't have anything on our mew grape Cardinal vine.

We cut Victoria back yesterday as she was about as straggly as my hair ... but I'm not cutting that back ... :D

 

That is true Pete and it does produce no end of the lovely blooms.

I guess the grapes take a while before they start fruiting Sis. How old is yours now? The Victoria will be all the better for the trim.

 

I think you should try a Victoria passion flower KG. Its not as rampant as the one you have.

 

We would have to somehow get rid of the one we have in there now first Pete. Sis kept pulling her former one out (I admit to having helped too) and it produced more and more shoots. Apart from removing all the paving, digging the soil/sand out to 2meter depth, refilling the hole and then cementing the whole floor over, do you or anyone else know how we can get rid of ours please?

 

Gosh, Sis, what a minor project! :D :D :D Shall I send Bob & Co up to assist?

 

No, let's wait Sis, perhaps someone has an easier idea of how to get around this problem. Once it is sorted out, then I could take Pete up on his idea and beg a cutting of your Victoria from you. - Providing it doesn't also turn out to be a rogue rioter!!!

 

What one is it that you have KG, I forgotten.
I seem to remember its one of the really rampant ones.
Has it suckered already?
If so, all I would suggest is cut it down to a few feet in height, let it grow some new leaves and then carefully apply weed killer.
Not sure if that would have any affect on the grapevine though as most weedkillers are for outside use.

 

No idea Pete, it was one of these El Cheapo no name ones from Aldi. That sounds like a good way to get rid of it but unfortunately it is growing right next to our wonderful grape vine! I wonder if we cut it down as you said and then squirted weed killer into the stem with an injection needle? The grape vine would be safe that way.

 

It depends on the type of weedkiller used.
I was thinking of something containing glyphosate which is absorbed through the leaves and is drawn down to kill the roots.
But there are brush wood killers that can be used in a similar way to how you describe, but I have found distorted growth on plants next to treated stumps, and thats out doors, never tried it undercover.
I dont really like to give any advice on these types of chemicals as I only have limited experience myself, plus indoors is a bit of an unknown factor.

 

Our grapes are ripe now so we'll be pressing them for juice in the next couple of days to make jelly from.