Grapes have always been one of the favorite fruits of many people and are often used as a dessert fruit, seasoning for salads, and especially for wine bottles.
However, many gardeners still have many doubts when deciding to grow grapes in the garden because of the area, care, and harvesting process.
Amazingly, growing grapes hydroponically will help you solve all the problems from the area, amount of light, nutrition, and hanging.
Let’s find out in detail about the hydroponic grape growing process as well as the benefits that the hydroponic method brings.
Why Should You Grow Grapes Hydroponically?
The hydroponics method is becoming more and more popular around the world because of the benefits it brings compared to traditional farming methods.
Currently growing grapes with hydroponics can be done indoors or in a greenhouse. Growing grapes with hydroponics are considered a new, unique and innovative method.
Growing grapes by hydroponic method bring a lot of benefits compared to traditional methods such as saving area, controlling light, and nutrients, producing the most delicious flavored grapes, and especially reducing costs during cultivation and care.
Growing grapes hydroponically is not difficult so you just need to have enough basic knowledge and planning to care for them reasonably. In particular, growing grapes with hydroponics will help you eliminate any concerns about pests when growing in the soil.
The area is also no longer an obstacle when you plan to prune leaves and branches in stages so that the vines can climb on the available trellises.
Nutrients will be provided according to the stages and needs of the vine. In addition, the source of nutrients will not be lost but will be circulated in the reservoir and provided to other plants.
Lighting issues will also be controlled under regulations as gardeners can use lighting tools such as spotlights or artificial lighting.
Moreover, growing grapes hydroponically will help you solve the problems of humidity and temperature.
Compared to the traditional method, the vines will have to face many negative effects of weather such as high temperature, pleasure, wind, and snow leading to grape rot disease, one of the most common diseases that many people in horticulture encounter during care and harvesting.
How Long Does It Take To Grow Grapes Hydroponically?
The vine is an annual fruit tree, so the process of growing vines by hydroponic or traditional methods will also take 3 to 5 years to bear fruit.
Grapes grown hydroponically will still grow faster than those grown in soil. Therefore, you need to determine that this is a long process from building, caring, and harvesting for a long time.
Think twice before starting to grow grapes with hydroponics or conventional methods. However, as the vines mature and bear fruit each year, you can harvest them regularly and enjoy a glass of wine every day.
Choosing the right hydroponic system
To start growing grapes with hydroponics, you need to choose the right hydroponic system to bring the most efficiency.
As for the hydroponic system, you can choose any model that you feel suits your taste, budget, and indoor space.
Currently, some hydroponic systems are chosen and used by many gardeners, such as drip, DWC, and flow hydroponic systems.
Drip irrigation system
Among them, the drip irrigation system is one of the most popular hydroponic systems recommended by people to grow grapes and other crops.
The advantage of a drip irrigation system is that it will control the amount of water to irrigate the vine, maintain the necessary humidity and avoid root rot.
Drip irrigation will also help you to stabilize the number of nutrients for each vine, so the vine will produce better quality grapes with ideal sugar levels.
DWC hydroponic system or deep water culture
Hydroponics using deep water cultures is best suited for those who are just starting to grow hydroponic grapes as it is simple, has few moving parts, and is easy to use.
You will not have to spend too much on system installation and difficult operation because they have very few parts and are easy to control.
Flow hydroponic system
This is considered the classic hydroponic system and can be suitable for all people and all ages. This hydroponic system allows you to grow up to about 40 plants.
This flow hydroponic system is also ideal for beginners, low cost, and easy to use and care for.
In addition, you can refer to the hydroponic arugula growing model and the advantages and disadvantages of hydroponic models to choose the best system when growing grapes hydroponically.
Growing Grapes Hydroponically From The Seed Or The Stem?
Hydroponic grapes are usually grown from mature vines. They are usually sprouts and buds taken from healthy, pest-free vine stems in late fall or early winter.
To get healthy and fast-growing vines, the sprouts and buds are taken from vines grown outdoors.
Steps to grow grapes hydroponically
- Select shoots and sprouts from healthy plants, and cut into small pieces
- Place sprouts in well-drained, well-lit soil and wait for them to take root
- As roots form, you place these small segments into the hydroponic system. This process should be started in the spring to ensure the right time for the grapes to develop.
- You can use varieties in different grape varieties to create variety in future harvests
- Finally, start up your hydroponic system and begin the process of providing nutrients, controlling temperature, and humidity, and taking care of young plants.
Read more: Growing Arugula Hydroponically: Everything You Need To Know
Supply Nutrients To The Hydroponic System
Nutrition is an integral part of growing any fruit tree. Moreover, nutrients in the hydroponic system will not be worn out and lost when the flow will be recirculated instead of lost when they are applied to the ground.
Therefore, you need to carefully calculate the number of nutrients needed because vines grown with hydroponics will tend to grow faster, and taller when receiving too many nutrients.
You need to continuously monitor and adjust EC conductivity to measure the number of nutrients circulating throughout the hydroponic system.
Once the vine begins to bear fruit, it is recommended to use a nutritional formula with a high potassium content. Nutrient EC concentrations are around 2.0-2.4 for young plants and 4.0 for fruiting plants.
At the same time, you also need to change the nutrient solution regularly at least every few days to avoid problems with water contamination.
It is also important to control the amount of water, too much or uneven water for each plant will cause the grapes to drop.
Hydroponic Grape Care
The hydroponic grape care process also requires many standard conditions of appropriate temperature, light, and humidity.
Like tomatoes or cucumbers, hydroponic grapes need warm light and heat to grow. Ensure a warm temperature and a well-ventilated area for the vines to grow.
Vines can grow very quickly, with lots of leaves and small branches, you need to prune them regularly to minimize nutrients for unnecessary leaves and tops.
You should use a trellis to tie up the main stems of the vine, then prune unnecessary branches and leaves to ensure the plant can absorb enough nutrients and produce fruit.
In addition, the issue of pollination for vines when growing by the hydroponic method is extremely important. The indoor space or greenhouse will help the vines to avoid adverse effects from the environment such as high winds, storms, insects, or pests.
However, this is also a drawback that makes it difficult for vines to pollinate so they need to be supported. You can use a fan to create a breeze to help pollen fly indoors or gently shake the vines to let the pollen fly through the air and pollinate each other.
You should pay attention to this process because if you miss or don’t have support, you won’t get a good harvest. After all, the vine is difficult to pollinate and bear fruit.
How To Harvest Grapes Hydroponically?
Grapes grown by the hydroponic method will have a great advantage of helping to protect the bunches of grapes and avoid attack from insects.
So you can enjoy a vineyard with the most delicious colors and flavors. If you harvest grapes for dessert or salad, you can taste a few and feel their sweetness before harvesting them to your liking.
If you grow grapes for commercial purposes or make them into wine, you should use a glucose meter before harvesting.
You just need to gently cut the bunches of grapes without damaging the vine or the sprouts on them.
Last Words
Growing grapes with hydroponics will be an ideal solution to enjoy the grapes all year round with the best flavor without worrying about fruit rot, pests, or the negative effects of the weather.
Growing grapes by the hydroponic method will save you a lot of time, area, fertilizer, and care to fight pests. You just need to choose the hydroponic model that suits the space and grow grapes right away.
Don’t forget to pay attention to the nutrient concentration, moisture content, temperature, and sugar content in the grapes when harvested.