Weird Wild Grapes??

814 Views 3 Replies 4 Participants Last post by spudwinkle, Aug 5, 2013

Jim-Iowa

Discussion Starter · Aug 5, 2013 (Edited)

There is something going on around my place that really puzzles me??
There are Grapes growing in the fence line and in the road ditches along my 1/4 mile lane. But they all seem to be male plants? In 3 yrs, I have yet to see any bear fruit?? There have to be fruit bearing plants to spread don't you think. I assume they have been spread by birds from old homesteads in the area? And remember eating fruit from the grape vines as a kid.
This really puzzles me since in June the boundry fence between me and my neighbor was dozed out(Bare Ground) and a new fence put in. And while mowing the pasture last week noticed a beautiful new grape vine coming up in the new fence. It has to go as I won't have it tearing down a brand new fence.
I would transplant(it and some more) if I thought they would bear fruit.
If I was guessing they would be an old line of Concord? Since they were once common on farmsteads in the area.

Anyone ever had luck with moving wild grapes and getting fruit?

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Chagrin

· #3 · Aug 5, 2013

They're not sterile, but with a wild apple or grape seed there's no guarantee as to what it will produce. Lots and lots and lots and lots of breeding went into the fruits/vegs we have today. When a good plant does come along then the only way to grow additional plants is by cloning it -- taking a cutting from one of its branches.

The purpose of grafting as pertains to apples is to control the size of the tree (standard, semi-dwarf, dwarf etc.), the freeze resistance, flood/drought tolerance, strength, etc. As pertains to grapes I believe it is primarily for disease resistance.

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