Suffolk Red Seedless Grape Vine

Grapes are highly adaptable and easy to grow! Plant in full sun, in the hottest part of your yard. Avoid areas shaded by trees or shrubs. Site selection is very important since grapes are a long-lived plant, requiring up to six years of growth from the time of planting to reach maximum harvest potential. Grapes could remain productive for up to 100 years if the site selected meets its needs.

Choose the sunniest planting location possible. A South or southwesterly slope is ideal, as it will be warmer, reducing the risk of injury from spring frosts. North-South oriented rows provide better and more even exposure of leaves and fruit to sunlight than East-West aligned rows. Grapes grow well on a variety of soils, but they will not tolerate poor drainage.

Once you have chosen the perfect spot in your yard for your grapevines, you will want to assess your soil quality. Dig a hole about twice the size of the current root mass. We recommend digging a hole in a slight cone shape as this will make it easier for you to backfill when you are ready. If planting in hardpan soils or soils heavy in clay you should use amendments such as potting soil, mulch, and/or perlite to help increase drainage. Avoid adding fertilizers to the planting hole as we will top dress with fertilizer later.

Young plants need sufficient irrigation to maintain growth, without staying overly wet. Once established, mature grapevines are relatively easy to care for. Grapes may need supplemental watering in areas of low annual rainfall. A good rule of thumb to follow here is to water only once the top few inches of soil have dried out. This will prevent overwatering which can cause root damage.

Grapes should be fertilized very lightly, if at all, in spring because too much feeding will compromise fruit production. Amending the soil with well-composted manure or compost is fine, but avoid heavy mulching, which can delay the maturation of the fruit.

Pruning is important for grapes. It creates a balance between vegetative and fruit-producing growth, to enable healthy harvests of quality fruit. Grapevines should be pruned when dormant, between January and March.

Start with the basics and remove all the dead, damaged, or diseased wood. Next, you can remove any suckers that are growing up from the ground level as well as any other shoots along the main trunk that you do not plan to train along your trellis/fence/arbor.

There are two methods generally used are spur pruning and cane pruning. Properly pruning grapevines involves the removal of 75-95% of the previous season's growth leaving 2-3 buds at the base of each spur so that canes can regrow and replace the previous year’s growth.

Dormant Tree & Plant Guarantee: 

We guarantee that trees that are shipped dormant will leaf out the following spring if you follow our growing and handling instructions.  Any dormant tree that does not leaf out can qualify for a refund if you submit a claim by May 15th.  All deciduous fruit trees, persimmons and jujubes need to be planted in the ground by April 1st to qualify for replacement, unless you are in area where the ground is still frozen at that time.  

In the rare event that your dormant tree/plant has not leafed out by May 1st, please perform a “scratch test” to check for green under the bark.  Just beneath the dry, outer layer of bark in a tree's trunk lies the cambium layer.  In a living tree, this is green; in a dead tree, it is brown and dry. To perform a “scratch test”, scratch off the top layer of bark in a small spot on a branch and on the trunk.  Be sure to do 1 test above the graft union, and a 2nd just below the graft union.  If the scratch test reveals a brown cambium, that means your tree/plant is dead or dying. 

To qualify for a refund, you must submit a claim via email to cs@fourwindsgrowers.com by no later than May 15th.  Please include your order number in the subject line of your email.  

Claims must include:

-Photos of the scratch test areas

-Your order number

-Name(s) of trees affected.    

We will review your claim and if approved, we will issue you a refund for the purchase price of your dormant tree (excluding shipping).  We reserve the right to not issue a refund for items that have already been replaced.