eXtension

grape vines

Asked July 8, 2018, 8:21 PM EDT

We have 7 year old grape vines and every year we cut all the branches off and leave 2 main vines. This is the first year we have nothing growing, no leaves, no nothing. We have always done this and had enough grapes to fill a 5 gallon bucket, but not this year. What happened?

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Anoka County Minnesota

3 Responses

For lack of more information or a better explanation, we suppose the vines might have succumbed to winter damage. In Minnesota, this is a common cause for the sudden death of otherwise healthy plants.

The main vines are still pliable, they don't feel dried out or dead, they are just not budding in anyway shape or form. What details would you like for us to give you so that maybe there is an answer? This last winter wasn't any worse or longer than the ones in the past, so we are a little baffled as to what happened to them. Please tell me what we should look for, and we will be more than happy to try to help you. They were starting to bud, but that was on last years vines, but nothing on the main vines. We want to help you but please tell us what information you are needing.

In the photos we see what appear to be three grape plant trunks without arms, canes or spurs. Sharp close-up photos of the trunks might disclose useful detail.

We are not sure what you mean when you say, "they were starting to bud, but that was on last year's vines..." Does this mean there were buds on last year's stems that have been removed? If so, were the stems removed in the fall or spring?

If the trunks (main vines) are pliable, that's a hopeful sign. However, please scrape a bit of bark to see if the underlying tissue is green.

What grape variety or varieties are you growing?

What follows probably won't shed light on your question. However, if the vines are viable, new growth must emerge this growing season, at least from the roots if not from the trunks. We don't see evidence of this in the photo.