Hi there, I’m growing red seedless grapes from a cutting I bought at a nursery. These hardy “Reliance” variety red grapes are bred to survive harsh winters. But after transplanting, the leaves are wilting and dying.
The young vine was growing well inside the house, in a pot, when I noticed lots of fungus growing on the soil. Possibly from over-watering? So I thought it was time to transplant the vine outside, and throw out the fungus-y soil.
I dug a hole in my garden next to a trellis and used garden soil mixed with perlite (same as previously in the pot). I removed the vine and roots, tried carefully to remove all the soil, and transplanted the vine.
I watered, careful not to over-water, and added a bit of diluted Marphyl fertilizer (same as I had used in the pot). The spot gets direct sunlight for a good chunk of the day. A soil tester shows the Ph level at 6.8, and the soil as “Wet” after watering, but not maximum wet.
I’m really hoping this vine can be saved. Any advice you have would be so greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Thank you for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners.
Spring is the right time of the year to plant out your Reliance grape vine. I would check to see if there are any new stems coming up from the ground. Grapes tend to grow new shoots even though other parts of the plant are ailing. How long should you wait — watch for new shoots weeks after the tops have been trimmed. At this time remove all the dead canes and trim the live canes back to a few inches. This should assist the roots in feeding new growth.
Overwatering the roots when in the pot would drown the roots, and reduce the plan’ts capability to absorb oxygen and nutrients. The issue could also be transplant shock, which can been avoided by taking the grapes out during the day and bringing them back indoors in the evening, to help adapt to the different light and outdoor weather variances.
Reliance is a cold hardy variety that tolerates many types of soils. Testing the pH of your soil allows you to confirm that your vine is in the perfect pH of 5.5 to 7.0 pH range. The website of Missouri Botanical Gardens has detailed information on Reliance grape variety, its habitat, growth, soil requirements and diseases: Vitus Reliance
Looking at the vine, it does appear the leaves have wilted. Maybe a closer look at the leaves would show that the fungus in the pot may be a disease. Our Ontario OMAFRA website shows different types of disease that may have affected your Reliance Vine: OMAFRA website Grape Disease
More information on growing grapes that includes Reliance you can read Extension University of Missouri Growing Reliance Grapes