…… Grape disease??

[Dinghy]

I have a Concord grape vine that is at least 5 years old. It got quite a few clusters of grapes this year, and they are a nice size. A few days ago I noticed they started changing colors, and thought they were starting to ripen. I looked at them close today, and they are actually rotting on the vine! I want to cry! I have enough trouble with them not ripening enough before a hard frost. I was excited to think they were ripening early, and maybe I would get to make juice. Anybody have an idea why this is happening?

 

[bbkaren]

Mine too. I have yet to get decent grapes. I'm told they have to be sprayed like 10 times during the season. I might just pull the grapes up if that's the case; I'm not inclined to work that hard and will probably replace them with muscadines.

I think the disease is called black rot; it got my cherries and peaches too.

Sorry, it really stinks!

 

[Dinghy]

I didn't cut any leaves away from the clusters like I usually do. I'm wondering if with all the rain we've had, that they got a fungus because they couldn't dry off completely? I never heard of spraying grapes before. My daughter's neighbor had beautiful grapes, and all he did was prune them every year. I have a vine of another variety, and it didn't get any grapes on it at all. I didn't expect them to be so hard to grow, or I would never have planted them! Lol

 

[bbkaren]

I got a few grapes last year that didn't turn black. But the grapes didn't get big - they were a little larger than a pea. And sour! Oh, lord, sour! Just not worth it to me; I hear the humidity here in TN is what they don't like.

 

[Dinghy]

I decided to take drastic measures today. Lol. There are a lot more clusters than I thought, and I really want them to be ok. I cut off a lot of leaves, and all the grapes with spots. I sprayed them with Epsom salt water hoping that might help. If we get an early fall, I might still lose them, but I'm trying my best. Lol

 

[Jerry]

Try dusting them with sulphur early morning when they are damp from condensation. If it is raining alot or high humidity and no wind to dry the bunches off they will get a powdery mildew (gray white) or regular mildew (black or dark gray). Mildew is usually starting in early season. There is also a chance they have botrytis cinerea. There are two kinds of that; wet conditions lead to the first which is bunch rot, the second is the Noble botrytis and leads to a desicated berry going to a distinctive sweet wine. The second happens with dryer conditions after infection.

Opening the vine up (removing some leaves) to air circulation will help. Be attentive to how much sun the fruit gets since it is not hardened to sunlight and can easily scald or burn.

Good luck.

 

[Dinghy]

Thanks Jerry!!

 

[Jerry]

Dinghy - Too late for this year, but here is the machine you want to get for next year, plus a little blurb on when and how to do. http://www.surfermall.com/grapes/

I think these hand powered machines are in the $30 to $40 range, and you want to get 'dusting sulphur'. We would apply every 10 days to 2 weeks until out of mildew season. Hope that helps.

 

[Dinghy]

Thanks Jerry! I think the grapes are lost for this year, but I saw the sulfur powder at Lowe's when I was picking up a few other things. I'm going to get it the next time I go there, for next year. I had looked in the stores for one of those little machines last year, to spray Diatomaceous Earth. I saw them on Amazon, but hoped to find something cheaper locally. Nobody had them, but I found a cheaper way to dust on a website somewhere. You use a cheap old turkey baster. I have been using it to dust my cabbage plants with the earth for bug control. It actually works pretty well. Thanks for the suggestion though. I really appreciate all your help!!

 

[imaginative]

I've got 2 areas for grapes- one area is simply too dense and experienced this black rot.. The other area is better trellesed & is just fine.

Next year I will really thin out the dense area and also use this sulfur powder. Thanks

 

[Dinghy]

Mine grow up a fence, and still got it. I read before, but never got to it this year, to cut away the leaves near the grape clusters. It lets the sun in, so they ripen better and don't stay as damp. I think next year I will cut off the leaves that touch the ground too, the same as you're supposed to do with tomatoes.

 

[Josie]

I have no problem with any kind of rot/mildew. The stupid birds got all of them before they ripened! Next year, I guess I will have to put some netting on them! Neighbor has two bird feeders and every birds in the county visits them! She only does it because her 99 year old mom enjoys watching the birds. I guess I can put up with it for a while.

 

[Dinghy]

My neighbor fills his bird feeder to chum in the bears!! A big one walked down his driveway last night, right after I came in the house.