Wife planted flowers with the grapes

[David Engel]

Hi All,

My wife planted flowers in the big pot and the raised beds where the 2 year old grapes are being trained. I know it’s not standard... a real vineyard master would probably have fired her. But... this is a back yard hobby mixed in with the rest of the garden. Your thoughts on whether or not any harm will come to the vines?

Thanks - Dave

 

[Snafflebit]

LOL! What type of flower? It could hurt or even help if it draws bugs away from the grapes. Groundcover is used around grapes to take up excess moisture and aerate the soil.

 

[Rice_Guy]

the flowers are not likely to harm the grapes. Depending on how much the grapes are sprayed, the grape culture methods may hurt the flowers. I have debated rhubarb under the grapes at the old house.

My wife planted flowers in the big pot and the raised beds where the 2 year old grapes are being trained. I know it’s not standard... a real vineyard master would probably have fired her. But... this is a back yard hobby mixed in with the rest of the garden. Your thoughts on whether or not any harm will come to the vines?

 

[balatonwine]

If you go to a search engine and type in something like:

companion plants for grape vines

You will find many examples of flowers, spices, and even vegetables that can be planted with vines that actually help the vines. Roses, for example, were planted in vineyards as a "canary in the mine" plant. Roses show symptoms of fungus sooner than vines, and if the roses had any symptoms, it was time to spray the vines.

I planted roses too, not as a canary, but simply because I like the look.



Another plant often found near or in vineyards in parts of Europe are Iris. Such as in Tuscany:

I also planted Iris near and in part of my vineyards: