Home Merlot Vine Photos

The Cape Cod Winery was nice enough in March 1999 to give me three cuttings of merlot when we visited them during their spring pruning.

I've planted them in four large plastic pots, keeping them on our sunny porch during the summer and moving them into the cellar for the winter. We've only had to replace one so far - a squirrel found it tasty. Vines don't produce grapes until the third year, so right now we're just tending to them and keeping them healthy.

We're curious if you can grow grapes in containers. The soil is a mixture of sand and topsoil, with rocks in the bottom for drainage. We have considered planting them in the ground, but as they are only cuttings the roots they've developed are natural merlot roots, without the benefit of being grafted onto American rootstock. This makes them succeptible to the phylloxera louse.

June 1999 photos
August 1999 photos
April 2000 photos
May 2000 photos

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