Can you grow grapes indoors: a complete guide

If you have ever thought about planting grapes indoors and wondered whether it is possible or not, we can assure you. It is possible. Below we will consider general tips to help you in this interesting matter.

What are grapes grown for?

The best-known use of the grape is to make wine. But this is not the only use of the fruit, it is also used to make juices and raisins, which, in turn, are used in the preparation of desserts and other dishes.

How to grow your grapes indoors properly

Below, you can find practical solutions that will help you to grow grapes indoors.

Good varieties of grape vines for growing grapes indoors

The greenhouse or a warm room with more sunlight and good air circulation is ideal for growing grapevines.

But avoid too much sunlight to prevent fruit-bearing vines from wilting.

The quantity of a variety of grapes is at least 10 000. Listed below are some grape varieties that are suitable for growing indoors:

• Seyval
• Canadice
• Swenson Red
• Early Muscat
• Interlaken
• The Muscat of Alexandria
• Black Hamburg

Gros Maroc, Early Muscat, Buckland Sweetwater, Fosters Seedling Rembrandt, Royal Muscadine, and Chasselas Rose are also good varieties to produce fruit.

With so many species, it is easy to get confused. All the flowers are different. So you can try growing different varieties of grapes until you come to a final decision which grapevine you want to specialize in.

If you want to grow sweet dessert grapes, make sure the indoor temperature is warm.

Choosing great seeds

If you decide to plant your own grapes from seed, you need to prepare in advance. And if you plan to transfer the seedlings in the open ground, you should start to grow grapes in winter.

December is a good month for preparing to plant seeds. When you go to the store to choose a seed variety, pay attention to its quality.The healthy seeds are not soft, they are firm to the touch and in good condition when first viewed. They sink well in distilled water, so seeds that float should be removed. You don’t need spoiled seeds.

Rinse the seeds thoroughly to remove the grape pulp and soak them in distilled water for 24 hours.

Store seeds, covered with wet paper towels, in the refrigerator for several months (two or three) at 35 °F-40 °F to encourage outdoor winter conditions. The airtight bag is suitable for storing harvested grape seeds. It is recommended to put wet paper towels, row sand, or peat moss on the bottom of the bag with the seeds inside.

The growing season begins in early spring. Try to grow grapes at least at 70 °F during the day and 60 °F at night. To encourage grape growth, don’t forget to irrigate grape vine in time.

Be patient, the time from planting to when the grapevine will bear fruit can take up to 3 years.

Choosing the best container suitable for growing vines indoors

It is important to choose the right material for the grapes growing pot from the start because later the grape vines grow to large sizes. Plastic and small containers will not withstand the pressure. Avoid plastic because it can happen that such a pot will not last long and may soon crack.

The best material for grape plant containers is pottery, wood, ceramic, and clay.

The optimal size of the pots to grow grapes are 15-20 gallon pots, 18-24 inches wide, 16-18 inches deep.

Don’t forget to install a lattice or rattan in the container for supporting the grapes well.

Like other plants, grape plants need good drainage in pots, as you must avoid root rot due to wet soil at all times. A layer of rocks and pebbles added to the bottom of the container can solve this problem.

When the grape vine has grown 3 to 4 inches, they should be transplanted into a larger container. Conditions such as temperature and irrigation should remain the same.

As soon as the grapes have reached a height of one foot, they can be transplanted into the last pot. Prepare the pot as described above for planting vines.

Soil treatment

Standard garden soil used to grow a grape vine is not suitable for the cultivation of grape seeds in pots. The best choice of soil to germinate grape seeds are moist silt loam, sandy loams, sandy clay loams, red sandy soils, shallow to medium black soils, and red loams with good water holding capacity.

The best soil for germinating grape vine

Following the tips below, you can choose the best soil for germinating grape seeds.

#1. Pay attention to the acidity of the soil. The pH should be between 5.5 to 7.0. You can use a soil test kit to ensure your soil meets these requirements.

#2. Buy nutrient-rich soil and subsequently enrich it with the proper nitrogen-rich fertilizer, such as tomato plant feed, during growing grapes. The grower’s manual has a lot of essential information you can follow to grow grapes indoors.

#3. Fertilize vines more often than once a week when the vines are leafing out. It is helpful to add some mulch on top of the soil to retain moisture and protect the soil from subsequent temperature fluctuations.

#4. When growth begins in the spring, feed every three weeks with a high potassium feed fertilizer, such as tomato fertilizer. You should feed the grape vine more than once per week when your grapevine unravels the leaves. After grapes begin to mature, don’t use fertilizer as often as before, because it can cause the taste of freshly picked grapes to deteriorate.

How to grow grapes indoors

After all preparation, and with the onset of the growing season, it is time to start growing vines.

We need to warn you that it is not so easy to grow grapes indoors. You have to have patience, take the time to take care of them andbe a master at producing fruit. If you don’t want to give up after a failed attempt, we suggest you start with varieties that are suitable for beginners, and you will quickly gain experience in pruning and determining ripeness.

So let’s start.

1. Fill in the bottom of the container with rocks, mulch, and gravel that we listed above to provide good drainage.
2. Fill the pot with a prepared mix of soil and fertilizer, the recommended ration you can find on the fertilizer bag.
3. Place the grape vines in the center of the pot so that the roots are touching the top of the soil.
4. Backfill the soil around the plant, compact it a little, and place the trellis next to the plant.
5. Fasten the plant to the trellis so that the vine will climb up the trellis as it grows.

Because the vine grows in length, it needs a support system, or trellis, to grow up and along it. As the plant grows, you will need to help guide it along the trellis.

6. To finish the work, place the grapevine in a sunny room and sprinkle it.

How much light do you need to grow grapes indoors?

Grapes are light-loving plants. Whether you plant your grape vine outdoors or indoors, they need plenty of sun during the growing season. Make sure you put your vines indoors, at least with the morning sun.

For indoor cultivation of grapes, you must provide them with enough sunlight for at least 7 hours for proper flowering. For this purpose, you can use an LED lamp for growing indoors at night or at cloudy times.

Pruning Your Grapes

During the growing season, grape growers prune grape vines twice.

First, they trim the clusters of grapes when they are still small, and cut a few grapes, as fewer grapes are larger and taste better.

The second time, they do the same thing and trim the grapes in bunches when they are larger, so they grow into bunches similar to those sold in the store.

The tendrils growing on the vines should be removed. These are the stems that curl around the main stems because they take energy to grow, and you want all the energy to go into the fruit.

Is this necessary to pollinate vines grown indoors?

It is not necessary in most cases, since grapes are self-pollinating plants, so you only need the vine to produce fruit. If you are growing grapes that need a pollinator, you need to plant another variety next to them or go around the flowers with a small, soft brush and run the tassel inside to help the pollination process.

Time to pick up grapes

The best way to check the ripeness of the fruit is to taste them, and don’t be afraid to do it. Ripe grapes are sweet, upon the first review their color changes from white to brown, and they are juicy, firm, and plump. Then it’s time to harvest grapes.

Don’t allow the vines to get blackish and wrinkled, since it means you missed the time of harvesting fruits.

Storing grapes

If you do not plan to consume harvested grapes now, you can store them. By following the rules, you can make sure that the grapes grown indoors will be of proper quality for up to 3 weeks.

Washing freshly harvested grapes is not recommended, as this will make them ripen faster and the shelf life of harvested grapes will be short.

Store freshly picked grapes in an airtight bag or container and place them in the coldest location in the refrigerator. In this form, the grapes will be usable for about 2-3 weeks.

You can also freeze grapes to keep them longer. Frozen grapes can be used throughout the year. Just spread them out on a lined baking sheet or tray, making sure the berries are not touching each other, as this will cause the berries to stick together. Put the frozen bag in a freezer bag or container and place it in the freezer.

Slightly defrosted grapes can be snacked on, or added to desserts, yogurts, and other dishes. But the berry can go bad if, once thawed, the berries are frozen again.

There are other ways to store grapes. You can dehydrate grapes with a dehydrator. The resulting products are called raisins, which are dehydrated grapes. They are sweet and nutritious snacks that can be eaten with tea or used in the kitchen to make desserts. Raisins can be stored for up to 5 years.

What are the difficulties of growing grapes indoors?

There are some possible problems that you can face when producing fruit.

Fungal diseases are the most common.

To prevent this nuisance, check your vines from time to time, making sure there is no debris in the soil and no signs of fungal disease.

There are several signs by which you can spot the onset of fungal disease: white and yellow spots on leaves, purplish, gray leaves, fluffy gray mold on grapes, and powdery substances on stems, fruit, or leaves.

Below you will find some tips that you can use to deal with the fungal disease.

In a sprayer, mix 1/2 cup whole milk with 4 ½ cups water. Shake the mixture well and spray lightly on the entire grape plant twice a week to control the fungus.

Buy an organic sulfur-based fungicide to treat mold, following the instructions on the package.

For gray rot, cover the soil to prevent any mold from surviving in the soil and spray the entire plant with a copper-based fungicide according to the directions on the package.

Bacterial infections can be devastating to vines.

The way grapes get infected is through contact with contaminated water, soil, insects, and garbage.

If your grapevine suffers from a bacterial infection, you will notice it by the black and red spots, and black rotting fruit may also appear.

If you notice these signs, you may need soil fumigation to address the problem.

In case your grapevine is affected by such a problem, it is best to cut a sample of the infected area and take it to an expert who can properly advise you on the best treatment.

Mistakes in growing grapes indoors

Below, you can get acquainted with potentially severe mistakes when you attempt to grow grapes during the growing season and the ways to avoid them.

If you notice that your vines are not in the best shape during the growing season or the fruit has stopped bearing, you may have made some mistakes that caused this.

1. You didn’t buy healthy seeds. You should pay special attention to the quality of the seeds.
2. Your soil is not moist enough or you water too often. You should also add a moderate amount of fertilizer, as this can lead to fewer grapes.
3. Your plants are not located in a sunny room. If the vine does not get enough sunlight and air, the flower buds will not blossom properly.Also, place the container with the vines in a room with good air circulation, especially around the flowering and fruit ripening periods.
4. You are not pruning the vines correctly. Excessive or insufficient pruning can affect flowering and the number of fruits.
5. You are forgetting the pollination process. You are only growing one vine variety that is not self-pollinating or has only male or only female flowers.
6. Your plants are infested with fungus, bacteria, or other pests. In this case, you can use a product with antifungal and antibacterial properties.

FAQ

Results

Growing grapes is not an easy task, but if you are interested and study the matter thoroughly, you will be able to grow grapes indoors. Follow the instructions given in the article and you will have beautiful, tasty grapes.