How Much Sun Do Grapevines Need?
Producing fruit takes much of the grapevine's energy, so it's essential for the plant to receive plenty of sunlight to help it recharge. Grapevine leaves gather nutrients from the sun, and exposure to sun can change the taste of the grapes as they ripen. Since sunlight is so important for grapevines, pick a spot in your garden that doesn't get much shade.
Basic Sunlight Needs
For most grapevines, give them about seven hours of sunlight per day. This ensures leaves and grapes on all sides of the plant get sun part of the day, as the sun moves across the sky. It also gives the plant time to absorb enough nutrients from the sun to develop a healthy crop of grapes.
Grapevines flourish in warm temperatures as well as plenty of sunlight. For the biggest yield, plant your grapevine on the south side of your property. Southern exposure ensures your grapes get the warmest part of the sunlight not just the light itself. Northern exposure gives the plant enough light, but it tends to be colder in the morning than southern exposures.
Sun-ripened grapes tend to be sweeter than grapes that ripen in the shade. If you prune it back properly each fall, cutting away damaged and excess canes so the new growth can flourish in the spring, most of the grape bunches on a trellis will get enough sun to be sweet additions to your table. If you grow grapes on an arbor, the grapes that hang underneath might not get enough sun to be as sweet as the bunches that grow on the outside.
If you're growing grapevines on an arbor, fence or trellis to use as warm-weather color in your garden instead of for the fruit, there's no need to prune aggressively -- only prune when the vine gets too long for its location. Grapes develop on new growth, but pruning it back each year makes for skimpy coverage if a shady arbor is your goal. If your main goal isn't fruit, the grapevine only needs about two to three hours of sunlight each day to grow strong and healthy leaves and vines.
- University of Minnesota Extension: Growing Grapes for Home Use
- University of California Garden Web: Growing Grapes in Your Backyard
- North Dakota State University Extension Service: Questions on Grapevines
- Winemaker Magazine: Plan Your First Vineyard
- Texas Winegrape Network: Table Grapes -- A Potential Alternative Crop
Based outside Atlanta, Ga., Shala Munroe has been writing and copy editing since 1995. Beginning her career at newspapers such as the "Marietta Daily Journal" and the "Atlanta Business Chronicle," she most recently worked in communications and management for several nonprofit organizations before purchasing a flower shop in 2006. She earned a BA in communications from Jacksonville State University.