You expect a bountiful harvest after seeing your vigorously growing plants, but you find only a small number or none on the vines. This is after pruning, watering, and feeding the plants in a way you thought was the best. After a closer look, you get to see only a couple of small, bad-looking, underdeveloped clumps. This can be the worst nightmare for a farmer, whether first-time or experienced. What a disappointment.

Let's explore reasons why this might happen and possible ways to prevent it. Dive in to learn more!

Why are there no grapes?

Before understanding the mystery behind why grapevines fail to bear fruit, you need to know the science of grape farming, exploring factors like ecological requirements, management, and requirements. With this information, you can have a clear insight on how to prevent the issue and increase production. So, what are the common factors that may contribute to this issue?

Age of the vines

Normally, under good care, grapevines tend to be more productive in their early to middle years. Beyond this, production reduces as the vines age. You may expect fewer fruits as your vines get older.

Pruning

Imagine having a bushy vineyard and still expecting high yields. How now? Grapevines require regular pruning to maintain or increase their yield potential. Under-pruning and over-pruning can have a significant impact on production. Also, pruning at the wrong time can reduce your yield capacity.

Check out this article on Why you are Failing as a Grape Farmer in Kenya to learn more!

Pests and diseases

Like other plants, grapevines are prone to a couple of pests, such as borers and beetles, and diseases like botrytis bunch rot, and powdery mildew. If not controlled in time, they affect the setting of flowers and the growth of fruits.

As a farmer, you need to prune off infested branches for optimum air circulation and keep the foliage dry to discourage disease development. You need to stay informed on effective chemical or organic control methods to devise effective control plans.

Vine vigor status

The vigor status also has a massive impact on production. Weak vines have a lower N in their tissues and a higher C (carbon)  between shoots and clusters. If the shoots outcompete the clusters, there will be reduced flower development. The end goal should be to have moderate vegetative growth,  not an overly vigorous or weak vine.

Vine nutrition

Vine nutrition also has a huge impact on bud fruitfulness, fruit set, and fruit development. Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are potential causes of inflorescence necrosis and poor fruit set. Also, micronutrient deficiencies of zinc (Zn) and boron (B) lead to poor fruit set as they play a key role in pollen generation. Nutrient deficiencies in potassium and phosphorus have an impact on fruit production. Perform regular soil testing and implement effective feeding programs to maintain healthy vines.

Water stress

Inconsistent or improper watering before bloom can stress the vines and lead to poor fruit set. Generally, grapevines require adequate watering during the growing season and are more consistent during the fruit development period. Water stress results in a relatively lower or higher vigor status, whereby the C:N ratio becomes unbalanced. What happens? You have clusters of underdeveloped fruits, and most flowers are aborted.

Environmental Factors

At times, weather conditions can be unfavorable for fruit development. These may include extreme heat, too much rainfall, drought, or prolonged cold weather with plants not receiving adequate sunlight. However, grapes need a specific number of chilling hours to produce high-quality fruits.

Improper Training

Failing to manage vine growth and training them on the wrong trellis system may also lead to low production. Train and support them properly to enhance fruiting.

Lack of Pollination

Pollination plays a major role in fruit set and cluster quality. The absence of pollinators or ineffective transfer of pollen leads to low or no production. To enhance pollination, you should have beehives strategically positioned at different parts of the vineyard.

Variety characteristics

It can be disappointing to do all the steps right, from land preparation to planting, management, training, pruning, and eventually, during flowering, you find the issue was at the beginning. You purchased low-quality grapes or a variety with a low fruiting potential. To avoid such issues, you should purchase seedlings from certified nurseries.

Get started with Frutunda

Are you looking for a certified nursery to purchase seedlings? Reach out to Frutunda for high-quality grape seedlings today!

Call / Text 0769623300
WhatsApp https://wa.me/254769623300