Anyone Growing Marquette Grapes?

gird123 said:

Hi,

Any suggestions on where i should buy Marquette grapes? I have tried Frontenac and Marquette, the Marquette wine was much better IMO.

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I ordered mine from Double A vineyards in Freedonia, NY.

http://www.doubleavineyards.com

Good luck!

Bob

Double A has them listed as sold out for the season. Try Andy Farmer of Northeast Vine Supply https://www.nevinesupply.com/redwinevines.php

Corot Noir

Grapeman, what are your thoughts on Corot Noir?? I currently have Baco Noir, Marechal Foch & concord that I blend.

This is where I bought them a couple of years ago. Vines were in great shape and will bear first crop this year.

http://www.winterhavengrapevines.com/id2.html

Got My Vines Planted Today, So ...

another round of questions:

1) Is it ok to add mulch around each vine to keep weed/grass growth in check? If so, should it be kept away from the base of the vine?

2) I'm planning on putting a section of landscape fabric in between each vine in the rows, and will therefore only have to mow between the rows. Any problem with that?

3) I've got a pH soil tester. Should I be concerned whether the soil is too acidic or not?

The planting was tedious but a labor of love. I pruned and planted each vine, backfilling with the sandy loam mixture in each hole. Took yesterday and today to do all 32 vines (4 rows of 8 vines each).

I hope I live to see the first crop!

Cheers!
Bob

JDC said:

Grapeman, what are your thoughts on Corot Noir?? I currently have Baco Noir, Marechal Foch & concord that I blend.

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Sorry, I never saw your post here. I have Corot Noir here, but will likely remove the vines that haven't died yet. I love the grapes you get from it. It is a bit low brix, but that is easily adjusted. Acids are good when ripe and the flavors, body, tannins and mothfeel are outstanding for a hybrid. If I live in WV I would continue growing them.

Bob, mulch is OK, just be careful it doesn't harbor rodents such as mice. Lanscape fabrics are fine, but keep an eye out for mice under them if you see tunnels forming(also could be moles).

pH meter to check the soil is OK. Try to keep the pH around 5.8-6.5. A little higher or lower isn't the end of the workd, but they do best in that range.

Good luck with the vines. Have fun with the vines and enjoy checking them often. You get to know them well and may even end up naming all of them!

Thanks, Grapeman! Have a good weekend...

Bob

I order 3 Marquette vines from https://www.nevinesupply.com. I have sent them 2 emails asking for shipping information and I get nothing. No response.

The wife and I cleared a little less that a 1/4 of an acre of sage with a pick ax last weekend and I will be building a High Cordon system this week. I think the spacing will be 6' between plants and 7' between rows. Does that sound right. The soil is very sandy with very little nutrient. I'm planning on 1 row of elder berries, one row of raspberries, and 3 of Marquette.

gird123 said:

I order 3 Marquette vines from https://www.nevinesupply.com. I have sent them 2 emails asking for shipping information and I get nothing. No response.

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Try and call them. I had a similar experience last year with them too. I know they moved last year. I figured that was the reason for not getting back to me by e-mail. They can be reached by phone, the number is on their website.

Ditto what Racer said. It is a small Mom and Pop operation and when you call you will get either Andy or India (his wife). They are busier than one armed paper hanger this time of year.

Your spacing is OK but could go even a touch farther apart.

I will call them on Monday. Thank you.

just a quick aside...Andy and India are expecting their first child this summer...nicer people cannot be found

to the grape variety in question...its a vigorous variety that easily handles 8 or nine ft spacing....five and six feet and less is applicable on terrible soil and moisture starved areas.....additionally, you can easily use four arms on this variety...no need to hold back....let the foliage run wild the first yr and get the photosynthesis going to build roots...roots are your main goal the first yr...keep the foliage up off the ground....second yr take your best buds greater than pencil size..truth be told your trunk at 16 inches in height should be approaching 1/2 inch diameter...and in cold climes i would advise that you have multiple trunks....crown goal is an occasional issue w this variety..not frequent but it can occur....also you could have an accident like i did w my sprayer catching on another variety...ripped two cordons but i only lost half that vine and it rebuilt the right side in weeks...second yr let the juice run through the new trunk(s) and if the vine is going strong you can build your cordons that second yr....if this becomes your plan then let the cordons run...into the next vine and keep going...otherwise you will stunt the potential thickness of the cordon..pruning the cordon when it meets the next vine in the row and then producing laterals which and excite new grower could think and say ..hey i have a special place and in yr two i am growing my spurs too!!!! so let it run and prune to where it meets the next vine in the spring of the third leaf.....if vigor is on a slower site then build the cordon in yr three

this variety in my view needs four arms to help control vigor..but it handles it fine...needs sun and airflow...relatively disease fre..but not immune...even w superior spacing will need some hedging

if you have a nice site then dont cheat yourself and plant too close....also consider wider rows spacing so the sun can get to the trunks as well and all the soil below the canopy.....sure extra row spacing seems wasteful, but it is also wasteful to increase disease pressure on the vineyard floor only to give rise to more crop pressures and to leaving excess mositure in yet one more place than you want it

sun sun sun.....air flow air flow air flow...because you cannot control the weather and you want to reduce whatcan be done when the weather is not so favorable....also..a lot of people like grass and things in between the rows...it looks nice but to me decaying thatch left from mowing is yet another innocullum source....who needs that?

Thanks for the great write up there Al. Hope all is going well over there Al, I know for you guys with Vineyards this is one of a few very busy parts of the seasons with all the pruning + you have the nursery also. Do you get to sleep at all this time of year Al?

Hi.

What spacing would you recommend? Would you happen to have a link or a picture of the 4 wire system? I need an illustrated Growing Marquette Grapes for Dummies.

Thank you,

Nate

Thanks, Al

Some excellent advice there and I'm printing a copy. Just finished planting my 32 Marquettes on Friday, backfilled the holes with a sandy loam. After the storm yesterday and last night, the vines looked like they were islands in the middle of small lakes. Went out today and released the water with small "canals" to drain away.

I did the spacing a little tighter than usual as I read somewhere that in Northern climes a six foot spacing between plants helps in cold weather. Hope that doesn't present a problem for me, but with the full sun exposure on the hillside, and a good breeze almost year round, there should be good aeration.

Cheers!
Bob

Wade E said:

Thanks for the great write up there Al. Hope all is going well over there Al, I know for you guys with Vineyards this is one of a few very busy parts of the seasons with all the pruning + you have the nursery also. Do you get to sleep at all this time of year Al?

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it is an interesting time of yr to say the least...you sleep when you can...like today, there was a lull in the action so i took a nap on the winery patio in between customers....last week a furnace in 1 greenhouse acted up so i slept..yes slept in that greenhouse that night in a not so comfortable chair and was able to keep the temps up to a decent level ..had to wake up on the hour to attend to the problem at hand...i am too old for that sort of thing but it had to be done.

pruning is almost done...5 rows to go and then shore up some end posts that i hit last yr...no rush on either as i have 2-3 weeks till bud break

gt some chickens this yr for eggs, they should be laying soon and gonna give a try at raising two meat steer just to make my life interesting

Gird..trust me you are smarter than you realize, for a new grower the doubts come from fear of the unknown...w a grape vine you can screw up for ten yrs straight w the same vine and then *still* get it right in the 11th yr and have a great crop...do an internet image search for scott henry, four arm kniffen, geneva double curtain if i remember right...and surely there are others, i am not sure...the main thing is photosynthesis the first yr to make great roots....treat the plant well that first yr...no weeds around it etc...second yr go for good truck and long canes for cordons in that second yr or thirds....you can take a crop off a well grown wine in the third yr...remove fruit off of them in yr 1 and 2...but do yourself a favor two because you are busting butt...save a cluster on the vine so you can enjoy the beautiful transformation from flower to edible fruit....it will also allow you a visual education in what to expect in yr three


3 V's i been thru what you have w the water...i had it very bad and had to do the canal thing just like you...i have been adding manure and wood chips to several rows per yr to fill a low point in the vineyard..one planting day a few yrs ago i didnt need a shovel..i put my hands in the mud and swooshed the soil away and dropped in the vines and swooshed the mud right back over them...'canals' were a big help

never heard about the six foot spacing because of the cold....let me know what you think of the spacing after yr two

Al good to hear from you and knowing things are ok for the most part. Look forward to some chicken and beef stories.

Bob for whatever reason some growers believe tighter spacing helps to decrease vigor and improve quality. I don't believe it and neither do most growers after a while. Plant the vines at the spacing what works best with your site. Six feet will work but 7 or so would have probably been better for your site.

Nate, I think you will be OK with the 6x7 foot spacing in your climate, because you say the soil is so sandy and poor. That should translate to a lower vigor and the Marquette should stay in check. On a good soil like Al is talking about you need more spacing and the extra cordons to help control vigor. This year I should be able to give folks a bit more information on training system comparisons for Marquette and three other varieties. I have them planted for Top Wire Cordon and Vertical Shoot positioning to compare the single fruiting zone with two double fruiting zones. Those are a modified Geneva Double Curtain and the Scott Henry system Al was speaking about. I'm hoping to see which system will give the highest yield of the best grapes.

Thank you all.

I'm very excited to get some grapes in the ground.