Looking For the Best Grape Nursery?
There are a lot of places from which you can source your grape vines. The advent of the internet has meant that you can even buy and have your grape vines delivered to your door with ever having to step outside. Many people though still prefer to pick themselves up and go to their local nursery to get their vines. While every grape nursery will tell you that they have the best grape vines for sale, the quality does differ.
Each grape nursery nowadays has to work very hard to meet the public’s demand for premium grapevines. It’s not uncommon for a well known grape nursery to be sold out in advance of delivery dates by as much as two years. The reason for this has been the upsurge in the number and production values of vineyards worldwide. Many nurseries have been able to re-invest profits into establishing new vineyard rootstocks and developing state-of-the-art facilities.
The increase in the number of vineyards, especially in places such as California, has been both good news and bad news for the grape nursery. On one hand, the demand for grape vines had gone up but on the other, grape growers are becoming a lot more selective about the vines they purchase. Competition for space has lead to the popularity of less vigorous vines with higher disease resistance. This in turn has lead to competition between nurseries, and that can be to your advantage in terms of price. It can also mean that traditionally hard to find varieties might become more scarce.
In most cases you will have a choice between a grape nursery which produces its own grafted grape vines and the so-called ‘middle man’ nurseries which buy their vines for resale. The latter may have a greater variety of grape vines since they can buy rootstocks from a large number of suppliers. They may even be able to custom order a particular type for you. Unless you know where the vines are sourced from, you may not have a true idea of its viability.
Grafted grape vine production is a somewhat difficult process and it can take several years for a very new grape nursery to get it right. Older, more established grape nurseries have a higher likelihood of perfecting the process but, as every grape grower knows, grapes are a very temperamental vine and there is always the possibility of something going wrong. In terms of a range of varieties, older nurseries sometimes tend to stick to types that they have a tradition of growing, but this is by no means always the case.
If you’re looking for a good grape nursery for a large purchase you should always do some research prior to picking one. Check online, visit forums and ask around. Find out:
· How long have they been around?
· Do they produce their own rootstock or buy from a primary supplier?
· Do they certify their rootstock?
· Have they ever had any complaints lodged against them?
It is especially important for novice grape growers to arm themselves with as much information as possible before they buy their first vine. You need to know what varieties of grapes are most suited for your local climate. You need to know what to look for to ensure that your vine is actually healthy. And, most importantly, you need to know what to do with the vine once you have it. It’s not quite as simple as putting it in the ground.
A reputable grape nursery can advise you on how to buy grape vines but you should have some facts beforehand so you can confirm what they’re saying.
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