Sunbelt is said to be more mildew resistant, that is the #1 problem with bunch grapes here. You can also spray them with Serenade which helps.
Bottoms Nursery sells this type of grape.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bottoms

I planted one Himrod and one Reliance last year in 11"x11" square pots on my deck this last year. I ran braided stainless steel lines for them to run down. Not sure if they'll necessarily make it through the winter, but they look like they're still alive. I also bought these at Lowes, what I got was basically a twig in a box that someone tossed some root hormone on...and i mean, it grew, slooooowly, but it did grow, and got 3-4 feet of vines (total) before end of year.

All I can tell you for sure is....they're slow growing. I'd probably have been better just to start from seed, quite honestly.

I was told not to expect fruit until 2-3 years in. I guess the vines have got to harden completely before they will fruit, and they need something to 'run' on (i.e. small diameter supports/lines/cables) in order to get there.

thanks both! I didn't realise they were so slow-growing. I suppose one can buy older plants (from somewhere other than Lowes/HD) and they should fruit sooner.

We planted 2 grape plants from Johnson's 2 yrs ago. They were maybe 1 yr old in pots at the time. Types: 'Mars' and 'Venus' (heh heh). I didn't find them slow-growing, for me they were very vigorous. Very very vigorous, perhaps because they received regular irrigation. One fruited last year, at least 15 clusters, but just as they began to ripen to sweetness birds got them. This yr I'll cover with netting. No problems with mildew on my 2 plants either. I'm hoping they both fruit this year, and continue mildew-free. I'd say go for it!

I am most familiar with Concord grapes (for jelly making) and, once established, they grow like gangbusters. They are really easy to root, as well. Just put some vine prunings in potting soil and leave in the shade. In no time you will have lots of roots and can transfer them to pots and, ultimately, the ground.

no, please don't twist my words!

i specifically said that the Himrod and Reliance varieties from Lowes (the store that the original poster mentioned) were increeeeedibly slow growing for me. but it's probably because they propogated them from twigs like the poster just above me stated, probably only a few weeks prior to me buying them.

i only hope that my results with fruiting are as good as yours.

Satellite:

I think your experience with those plants-in-boxes from HD and Lowes is right on. They seem to be pretty hit and miss and (when planted directly into the ground anyway), do take a little time to establish themselves. I have no experience with those particular varieties but do have some experience with those plants in boxes...you are doing pretty well IMO.

I do believe that the above comments about Mars and Venus are also correct. Ace hardware in East Atlanta carried these varieties last year and have had no mildew even after holding them over in pots. They came from Johnsons and were good size. When I last looked Johnsons said they were clean out of everything on their website! Which is exciting if everyone is buying and planting so much fruit!!

Thanks for all your comments, its really helpful. SH, I will resist the temptation to just buy one at Lowes, having read your experience (it IS always very tempting, we are there so often for house reno stuff).

Johnsons have Mars, Venus, Concord and Reliance in stock at the moment. They are listed as 2-yr old plants -- which i think means they would start fruiting next year, is that right?

I found another GA nursery called Willis Orchards that has 3-yr old Venus grapes (listed as "fruiting size"). I read some conflicting reports on DG Watchdog about them though...does anyone here have any experience with them?

On a related note, has anyone seen any of those 3-in-1 or 4-in-1 plum/pluot/plumcot trees for sale within the Atlanta area? I've been looking at mail-ordering one as well. I have the same dilemma though, I'd rather like one that will fruit this year (I guess I'm a little impatient!), but they are harder to find and shipping is a lot on a tree that size. The closest to town I can find is Isons -- they have a "Burgundy" Plum tree in fruiting size (6-7'), but not one of the Combination trees.

if i were you, i would buy with johnson and get the 2yr plants. johnson was very good to me. although my dang montmorency cherries are *still* on backorder =( i need to call and ask when they're thinking i might get them.

btw - something to think about - if "fruiting size", how are they tied up? will you be pruning them back, reducing the size, and will it affect fruiting?

yeah. i'd go 2yr. personal opinion.

i've never seen a pluot in atlanta. most of the fruit- and rare-plant-nurseries i've found near atlanta are in N. GA.

hey mayland, i just wanted to pop back in, since i'm seeing some movement in my grapes over the last couple of weeks and you'd expressed interest in growing also.

approximately 4 weeks ago, buds started to pop on my old wood ("canes") from last year's growth. as of this last weekend, the buds have opened into 1-2" shoots with several leaves. i noticed one of the vines is already showing itty-bitty clusters of green on the canes, which I assume are early grapes because they have the shape and spacing of grape clusters with the little balls being no larger than a poppy seed at this time.

i didn't mark the two i bought, but based on reading over at Cornell Uni's website, I'm guessing the one that is showing fruit clusters (1-2 per bud/shoot) are my Himrods, they are supposedly some of the earliest to fruit. the other one, which i assume is Reliance, has significantly more furry leaves. i truly won't know which is which until ... well, until august-september! 3-5 more months!

i am continuing my reading today so i can try to figure out if i can leave ALL the fruit on the canes, or if you get improved quality by thinning the number of clusters.

so, i guess the quick gist to share is this:

- the "twigs" i bought were from Lowes and came in a box
- i bought them late in the year, planted in early May, i believe.
- they barely had any green on them when bought, only 2-3 leaves per box (on the single twig!)
- during the first 7-8 months, once proper support was given, they they grew up to 2-3' vines (himrod) and 1-2' vines (reliance)
- in second year, they are showing promise for much more growth and already fruiting in the case of (i think) the himrod.
- vines were planted in 12" x 12" x 14" clay glazed pots with a single hole in the bottom, and were planted with a mix of soil and small 1/8" rocks for improved drainage as pictured here, on the right (i think this is the reliance)

some other things i can share, although someone probably wrote a book about it elsewhere knowing my luck:

- i found that the vines wouldn't wrap around anything larger than a pencil in diameter. if you give them something smaller than that to wrap around, the 'feelers' (or 'legs' or whatever) will shoot out and wrap around it, and when they finally rest and start to firm up, they eventually die and become rock-freaking-solid, as hard as a coathanger, and hold the vine in place. it feels like they could hold up several pounds of grapes when necessary.

- if i don't let the vines wrap their feelers/legs around anything, mine shriveled up and fell off in many cases. the vine WILL NOT make additional ones. so, if they don't sense something to wrap around, you're going to be wire-tying the canes (hardened vines) to your support structure. some people seem to do this anyway.

- in the pic of my grapes i posted above you can't see the support cables i setup. i will explain them...i went and got some bulk steel braided cable from the hardware store, you'll find it in the rope and chain section. you may know this product as "picture wire", but i bought heavier duty stuff than that, and i got the stainless steel version so it wouldn't rust. i then bought {{gwi:808517}} and tied up both ends of the cable into a loop, so they looked like

. i measured the rope initially so it would fit between my main deck posts and screwed each end in so that the tension on the wire was reminiscent of a guitar string. this gives my vines something to grab onto as they grow horizontally.

- i placed my vines in the corners of the deck and ran two horizontal lines going each direction away from the pot, so the vine can grow up a bit, then start running horzontally. i *think* i am going to let only one vine/cane to form per guidewire/cable.

- my advice is, before you let your grapes grow, decide what kind of support structure you will have, and know that a trellis isn't going to work so well because grapevine feelers/legs can't wrap around something that large - remember - pencil diameter or smaller.

this is just my 2 from a 2nd-year grower going through the trials and tribulations of growing vines on a deck area for the first time ever =)

hope it helps! share your experiences if/when you got em!

SH, this is really helpful, thanks so much!

I did buy (mail order) from Johnson's in the end, given their great reviews -- i got a 2-yr old Reliance grape plant. It has big fat buds on it right now, so I'm very pleased!

I have it planted in a rectangular planter on the deck in full afternoon sun, with potting soil and lots of small rocks for drainage.

I must confess, I skimmed the lengthy literature online and that came with the plant, about how to do the horizontal lines etc, my eyes glazed over, and I went with my original plan of placing the pot in front of a nice old wrought iron gate we have (vertically) on the deck, and hoping for the best.

Thanks for a condensed version! and especially for the tip on the cable diameter. My wrought iron gate will be way too fat for the feelers to wrap around then, so I will buy some of your steel cable and run that up and along the gate to make a more suitable trellis.

We also have deck railing (with a much larger length than the gate can offer), so if the gate doesn't work out i can switch the grape to the deck rail and put something else on the gate.

I will definitely post an update when it starts growing.

On a related note, I also went with a plum tree from Johnsons, -- after much agonizing over whether to buy a fruiting size Burgundy from Isons, I decided on a smaller AU Rubrum from Johnsons given its better suitability to growing down here. I planted it a few weeks ago but last week all the leaf buds turned brown, so am rather concerned. I will wait and see if any new ones appear, otherwise i will have to call Johnsons and see what their policy is.

I'm pleased to have added some fruit and veggie plants this year -- you suggested this to me a few times last year, thanks for that! I have Montmorency cherry (just leafed out), plum, blueberries, grape, green peas, carrots, arugula and tomatoes and have finally found a good location for a raised veggie bed to plant several other veggies in. Now just need to persuade DH to build the wood frame for it...

re: johnson's policies - they do a full refund the first year upon death. i remember reading this at their site somewhere. they just ask that you're honest with them :)

my two AU Rosas from johnson started leafing out about 2-3 years ago. i bought them bare-root (shipped) and they did well. but i have them in one of the best spots in my yard - best soil, best sun, best mulch. got two montmorency cherries delivered last week and got those in the ground this weekend (they should be coming out of dormancy, surprised they shipped em!)

can't wait to see them bloom and start growing.

as for the cherries and pears - make sure you trim them back the first and second year as suggested in the johnson literature. the goal is to trim back to a few main branches.

i can't wait to eat grapes later this year!!

Good crowd here.

I am rooting some grape cuttings right now. They are budding already.
I know that they are not going to fruit this year but I wonder if they will grow enough to cover a treliss.

A Questin:
What is the best plant food for grapes to really take off and grow lots of vine?

The cutting Thst I am rooting are white table grape, that I brough from california. I cut them myself right of the vine from my brother's yard. I hope one day to be able to taste the fruit.

I was told to root them in sand. That is how I am doing it. I have put the sand ( sifted gravel actually) in a 5 gal. bucket with drainage. So far one of my cuttings has leaves but the rest are growing buds.

With the weather getting warmer they should move soon. I hope so!(grin)