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Remove leaves from grapevine to allow sunlight on the fruit?

When the grapes appear should I remove the leaves to allow sunlight on them?

Or are they happy to ripen in the shade?

With apples they seem to go red when sunlight falls on them...

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  • YviestevieYviestevie Posts: 7,066

    I was given a grapevine a couple of years by a neighbour and I planted not expecting any fruit just for the greenery growing over a shed.

    This year I've noticed that I have about half a dozen bunches.  Som are between the shed and the fence so I'm not expecting them to ripen but I have removed the leaves surrounding the other so that they can as much light/sun as possible.  I'm not sure I've done the right thing but it seems the sensible thing to do, that, and making sure they get enough water.

    If anyone knows better I would be grateful for advice.

    Hi from Kingswinford in the West Midlands
  • I have been growing grapes with great success for many years.  Yes now is the time to cut back all the excess greenery to let as much light as possible into the fruit.  I usually pick in Bristol at end of October when my dessert grapes are at their sweetest.  The wine grapes , both black and green sometimes get picked earlier.

  • Thanks for this.  I looked at two websites about pruning grapes but neither mention this point to remove leaves during fruiting.

  • Aah, yes When I first started i had a book which had illustrations and when i was a volunteer at the Bristol Botanic Gardens as a gardener i was given the task of doing their vines every autumn as I knew how to do it.

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