from what i read go light on the 1st fertilization. some say don’t fertilize at all the 1st summer. I’m just going to let mine grow this summer then give them a good dose next spring. my king of the north is leafing out right now.
I’ve read that too. I’ve had some planted in an area the past 3 years with very little growth except a Concord. That was a couple gal plant though so I’m wondering if it just had leftover fertilizer in that from the greenhouse. I moved them all this spring when they were dormant to a new area that would get more sun, but pretty much the same soil.
My King of the North is just leafing out too. That was a new one this year.
This is my soil test from a couple years ago, but no amendments have been made since.
| pH | OM | N1 lb | P-O ppm | P-B1 ppm | K ppm | Ca ppm | Mg ppm | S1 lb | Zn ppm | Salt1 | Na ppm | CEC meq |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | 0.6 | 3 | 19 | 38 | 41 | 160 | 29 | 6 | 0.33 | 0.01 | 17 | 2.72 |
1 Like
Very true at least for us. We have a 3 very old concords on pergola on our property. This will be our 5th year at the house and our best year produced 175lbs. The largest vine is around 4". I’m thinking we can break 200 with a little more care.
4 Likes
If that is powdery mildew on the cluster it’s a very early case and it’s mild. As for the leaves, it’s hard to tell-- do you have any pictures of the topside of leaves, straight on? The rescue or eradicant spray for powdery mildew is potassium bicarbonate or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). Oils work by smothering the mildew spores but don’t apply before 90F+ heat.
1 Like
Thanks. Unfortunately I pruned that branch and discarded it. I’ll check for the same fuzz on other branches/bunches tomorrow and post here.
1 Like
I am growing Mars seedless as one of the 3 varieties for its labrusca flavor. I planted it last year and this year I got a few bunches. I am not sure if I have the right variety. First, it doesn’t have the bright blue color as I see in bunchgrapes page. Second, I don’t taste a lot of acid in the fruit. Its mostly sweet with a spicy flavor. The fruit is nice, but it definitely doesn’t have the concord-like labrusca flavor.
Here are some pics
Here is one bit in direct sun to show the real color
Any one who has grown/tasted Mars confirm if this is not the right variety? On that note, whats your favorite labrusca flavored grape?
7 Likes
Get your hands on “The Grape Grower” by the late Lon Rombough. He made a bunch of excellent suggestions. I was surprised at how many grapes are being developed by the U. of Minn.
If I get the space (came to this idea after filling the yard with apples & am now designated zone 6) there are four varieties I want to grow, at least one from U of MN: Marechal Foch.
1 Like
This looks exactly like Mars compared to this list of Arkansas varieties.
“‘Mars’ is a reddish-blue colored, seedless grape with a foxy flavor (a flavor often associated with Vitis labrusca grapes). Berries are medium in size and are slipskin. Skins are thick and fruit cracking is seldom a problem. Yields of ‘Mars’ can be 10 or more tons per acre. It is extremely cold hardy with a very vigorous growth habit. It is the most disease resistant of the Arkansas cultivars.”
https://grapes.extension.org/arkansas-table-grape-cultivars/
1 Like
Catawba is my favorite of the Labrusca types I’ve tried, but I’ve only had the major industry varieties (Concord, Niagara, Diamond). Nice acidity, more refreshing than cloying like the others.
1 Like
Thanks @kiwinut The color does look similar. I don’t get any “foxy” flavor though, but I might give it one more season to see if it changes. Meanwhile, I’ll try some concord to make sure my expectation of labrusca is right 
“Foxy” is a very loose term that often just means any labrusca type flavor. I have heard Mars’ flavor described as much more refined than Concord, but I have not tasted it myself.
yup, thats what I am thinking as well. May be I was expecting a more strong “foxy” flavor whereas Mars may be more smoothed flavor. I should try some other American varieties like Concord seedless (does it taste the same as the old Concord?), Catawba and others
I would wait until the roots are 5-7 years old before you judge the flavor. Everything I have read about grapes suggests that a larger, more mature root system improves quality.
2 Likes
i just put in king of the north and marquette grapes mostly for juice and fresh eating. they are growing well, put on about 8ft of growth since june. already got 2 scaffolds started. I’ve read marquette is one of the newer cold weather grapes being used for wine as well. i may try that mixed with elderberry or black currants. should make some interesting wine.
1 Like
I have Mars growing on my back porch. It looks pretty much like your picture. Mine do have labrusca flavor but nowhere near as strong as Concord or the wild grapes around here. Mine have significant acid, especially if you eat them before they are very ripe.
One annoying thing that happens with mine is uneven ripening within clusters. Anyone have a suggestion of how to improve that? I did thin quite a bit this year. Had to spray Immunox for the first time for black rot, but one spray took care of it pretty well as long as I pick off the fungus infected ones every few days.
5 Likes
I have read it comes from too many bunches on the vine. Gibberellic acid is supposed to make them ripen evenly. GA3 is fairly inexpensive.
1 Like
Mine does that too some years.
Here in the Puget Sound lowlands
We need cool hardy 
grapes.
It’s a very different thing
than cold hardiness.
And some of the Vinifera type grapes
Do poorly.
Our lower light intensity causes certain grapes to set little fruit
Thompson Seedless sets little fruit and of low quality;
But
Labrusca hybrids
Riparia and Rupestris hybrids
Do very well.
Concord
is about the latest grape that will mature here.
My thing is Muscat flavor grapes .
Other species of grape
that are a good fit, locally
Vitis Coignetiae
Vitis Longii
And some Vitis Aestevalis— the earliest ones.
2 Likes
@HollyGates This looks so great! I’m hoping to do something similar on my front porch. What are you using for the trellis? EMT? Thanks!
Thanks Megan!
Not EMT and unfortunately not super easy to replicate for the average citizen (but not all that hard). For that particular trellis I used pieces of stainless pipe cut with an abrasive saw. I picked that size because they were about the right size to run a 3/8 tap into to create threads in both ends. On one side went a stainless eye with 3/8 stud. On the other side went a stainless anchor bolt with 3/8 machine screw threads on one side and lag threads on the other side. This whole assembly was threaded into woodwork along with some washers to create a series of stanchions sticking out from the porch structure. Then I used 1/8" stainless cable with crimp on fittings to go between the stanchions described above.
In another place I used this trellis construction an air conditioner fell out my neighbors window and onto the trellis cable. A number of the stanchions got bend, mainly at the anchor bolt. Also the stainless pipe was difficult to tap threads into. So now I’m experimenting with another idea based on M10 stainless all-thread with a female threaded eye on the end and stainless tube down below. It requires some machining on a metal lathe so I don’t know that it saves me any time but it is a little bit beefier at the anchor bolt side.