BABY GRAPES

[NorthernWinos]

Really enjoying the first signs of fruit...

Baby grapes are starting to show on a few vines....sure hope we don't get a late frost....sure can happen around here.


The Candice is opening with lovely pink buds....

And even the Swenson Red does seem to have some life left in the trunk...sure was slow coming around.

 

[Wade E]

Hey if you get a frost you can make Ice wine! Just kidding, fingers crossed for no frost!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Mid 30's by Tuesday night.....darn!!!! Hope they are wrong...it had been 87* the past 2 days and didn't get to 70 today...felt good....Planted out the kole crops....they love it cool....No wilting today.

 

[reisjdmd]

NW
they look beautiful. good luck!

 

[NorthernWinos]

More baby grapes out there....

It has been so hot and dry...today the Northwest winds have had a chill in them....winds are suppose to be strong this evening...then drop along with the temps....mid 30's tonight and tomorrow night...hope the grapes don't freeze.


I loosely tossed straw over the blooming strawberries and picked all the tender asparagus...just have to hope for the best.

 

[grapeman]

Those babies are growing like gangbusters there NW. I hope the temps stay well above freezing for their sake(and yours). You may actually need to thin those a little! I love the looks of the lettuce in the other pictures.

 

[NorthernWinos]

I hate thinning out fruit....know you are suppose to do it to apples....Hard for me to do that. Kind of let Mother Nature take it's course.


These are a very early ripening grape with tight tiny clusters....so thinning might really reduce the yeild...I really don't know much about grapes...just have grown them for juice....trying new varieties now to see what can make it up here so far out of grape growing range.


Was 33*F last night and windy, so no frost. I uncovered the strawberries and now they say maybe patchy frost tonight but south of us...not taking any chances...covered the strawberries again....will be in the 80's again by Friday...so frost danger should be past.


Hopefully Mother Nature won't thin the whole crop.

 

[jobe05]

I'm with ya there NW, I hate thinning. I figured if the plant can't handle it, it will shed what it can't grow.


Although, Even though my 2 scuppernong vines are doing well, the one that is doing better as far as growth (more wood), it has no fruit showing, none what so ever. The smaller one, has fruit galore. So I have buried a few branches to allor them to root and next year I will trim it way back. I'm not going to like doing it, but 'll just close my eyes and get it over quickly...... I know it has to be done.

 

[NorthernWinos]

And if this little baby sets fruit...I'm suppose to pick it off....

 

[Wade E]

Its going to a good cause NW!

 

[NorthernWinos]

I'm with ya there NW, I hate thinning. I figured if the plant can't handle it, it will shed what it can't grow.

Where we lived before we had apple trees, a young one had set a lot of fruit...during a severe wind storm the whole top of the tree broke off...It became a dwarf tree.

The little tree in the above photo is a crabapple tree, it will have a lighter load...but I will watch it for overloadas this is only it's 2nd year....amazing what tiny trees try to do.

Appleman....an interesting thing happened this year....we have a Harlson and a Harlson Red apple trees...they are bi-annual producers...always produce the same year....last year was their production year and they had nice crops...One of the trees is loaded with blossoms again this year.....How did they get out of cynic??Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[grapeman]

NW,
generally apples that are bi-annual producers are so because they tend to overcrop one year so they put all their energy into producing fruit and have nothing left to make blossoms for the next year. By thinning the crop they are able to produce good quality apples and develop buds for the next years' blossoms. Chances are that last year being so dry there, you got a fairly heavy June drop on that tree which lessened the load on it. If you want to thin them slightly each year, when you spray the first time for insects after blossom, use a light rate of Sevin spray. It has a thinning effect for up to 30 days after bloom. Orchards use sprays that thin more severely and there are formulas for calculating the amount of thinning needed and timing/rate of application.


We all hate to thin, but commercial operations need to figure profit in there to survice. A big crop of 2 inch apples(lets say 10 bushels per tree@250/bushel=2500)is worth about a dollar fifty a bushel. If the same tree produces 10 bushels of apples, but they are all 80 count that is only 800 apples, but they might be worth 15 dollars per bushel. So you get $15 per tree for the small ones compared to $150 per tree from the large ones.

 

[NorthernWinos]

I have never sprayed an apple tree for anything....guess we don't have enough to attract any bugs...If I could spray for deer would be nice.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Baby grapes are growing....got really chilly last night...seems unacceptable after temperatures 25* above normal...