What causes grapevines to shrink?

Question

i planted grapes in a new location"full sun"north east exposure,and fertile ground, but the leaves have been shrinking for some time now , literally getting smaller, i have had this happen to shrubs before and still don't have the answer.

Answer 1

Grapes are strange plants. They have two systems to them, above ground and underground. In the winter, the root system stores all of the nutrients. In spring, the warm ground and air causes the nutrients to transfer to the buds, which then reaidly grow into stems. If you have pruned stems from the previous year, the buds on them will fruit.

In the fall, the grapes ripen, and the nutrients in the leaves and stems go back to the roots for winter. This causes the leaves and stem to shrink a bit, turn brown, shrivel up, and die.

What might have happened is, when you planted the grapes in a new location, the root system started developing more. This would then suck the nutrients out of the leaves and stems, causing them to shrink up a bit.

Grapes are usually transplanted as bare-root vines in the winter. Maybe your grapes have been fooled into thinking that winter started already.