Isabella grapes grow and care – vine of the genus Vitis and also known as Isabella vine or Isabela grape, Isabella grape perennial deciduous plant used for the edible fruits and leaves also used as ornamental vine, can hedge plant and create shade in the summer, can grow in mediterranean, desert, subtropics or temperate climate and growing in hardiness zone 6-11a.
Leaves color green, the leaves size 6-18cm, with veins under, 3-5 lobes and serrated in the edge.
Flower color green, the small flowers growing in a cluster
Fruit rind color is purple, the inner fruit is purple green, the purple grapes are sweet and ready to eat but for juice possible to use in green and purple
Trellising, trim the leaves next to the grapes, prune strongly once a year
What is the best way to start growing?
Plant / Vegetative Reproduction – explanation bellow / Seeds
Is it necessary to use vegetative reproduction? Yes, it’s ensure the quality of the fruits, and it’s easier than seeds
Difficulties or problems when growing: Grow viciously, some of the grapes in a bunch of grapes not ripening in the same time
Planting season: Winter, spring, summer
Pests and diseases: Ants, aphids
Pruning season: Autumn / Winter
How to prune:
Leave just the big branches all the little
Size of the plant? 5-20 m, 15-60 feet
Growth speed in optimal condition: Fast growing
Water requirement: Average amount of water / big amount of water, the plant like water but can be drought tolerant
Light conditions in optimal condition for growing: Full sun but can grow in half shade
Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant? No
Growing is also possible in a planter /flowerpot / containers: Yes, soil need to switch every few years when the root ball arrive to size of the container or switch to bigger or cut the root ball and prune the branches, decide the height of the trunk and every year in the winter cut to the same size, no need frizzler take some of the fruits that not edible and put them back in the soil.
Blooming information
Bloom season: Spring / Summer
General information about the flower Small green flowers growing in a bunch
Thinning the bloom: Firsts years recommended to thinning some of the bunch
Pollination is done by: Bees, fly
Edible Fruits
Fruit harvest season: Summer / Autumn
Fruits pests or diseases: Birds
What can be done with big quantities of Isabella grape fruits? Wine, eat raw, juice, cakes
Work requirements on the fruit: Clean the leaves next to the fruits, reduce the amount of pests on the fruits
How long does it take to bear fruit? 2-3 years
Ripening of fruit: Some of the grapes in bunch of grapes not ripening in the same time
Edible leaves
Leaves harvesting season: Spring / Summer
How to harvest the leaves? Young leaves but fully grown, when the leaves mature it’s too much fibrous
Information about leaves: Big leaves with veins under, 3-5 lobes and serrated in the edge
Uses of Isabella grapes leaves: Vine leaves (Stuffed leaves), cooked
Vegetative Reproduction
Vegetative Reproduction Method: Cutting
Preferred season for vegetative reproduction: Winter to spring, possible in the summer and the autumn be reduce the chance to grow roots but possible with the right condition
Time to grow roots in vegetative reproduction: Begin of the spring it can start to grow leaves and root 1-3 weeks
Treatment for vegetative reproduction: Just to put in the ground and watering the plant, keep the soil moist,
