I am looking to install wine-producing grapes in my back yard, but I want to purchase vines from a reputable company, especially since I want to minimize the chance of exposure to Phylloxera. Where would you recommend I shop for the 12-20 vines I would like to install in my back yard?
While I cannot guarantee that any of these nurseries sell stock that is free of Phylloxera, here are three reputable nurseries that may have what you are looking for:
Raintree Nursery
Burnt Ridge Nursery & Orchards
Cloud Mountain Farm
Source: Susan Hill. The Pacific Northwest Plant Locator 2000-2001.
If you would like to know more about Phylloxera, Oregon State University’s booklet, Grape Phylloxera: Biology and Management in the Pacific Northwest discusses the subject in great detail.
I have purchased 150 grape vine, bare-root plants packed in damp wood shavings, covered by plastic. I have been storing them for about 1 1/2 weeks. A number of circumstances have prevented me from planting them and I am concerned they are going to begin to mold. The current weather forecast suggests I need to do something temporarily with them before permanent planting or I am going to lose, most if not all of them.
Any suggestions?
If at all possible you should place your plants in refrigeration or in the coolest place possible. Store them in the dark, and uncover the plastic. Check frequently to make sure the wood shavings stay barely damp.
Alternatively you can “heel them in” which means unpacking, but leaving the plants in bunches and temporarily “planting” them in either the ground or in large containers of peat moss based potting soil.
Source: Oregon Viticulture, ed. Hellman (2003).