Welcome to Garden Web. I thought you might like to know there is no email link on your member page, thus no way to email you. To set up your email, just go to the bottom on any page here, and click on Member Pages Then click on Edit your Personal Information, Page, and Preferences You will then probably be asked to login in again. Once there, set the drop down box to Show my email address to MEMBERS And then check the box Allow other users to send you email via forms at our site. That will place a link on your member page, and will also show your email address to anyone you email about a trade. While there editing, you may want to fill in your state abbreviation. It goes in the one box provided as for the garden zone. Some traders (myself included) like to know the state the member is in b4 responding to a trade. Happy Gardening and trading. Sue

As for the trellis question, I am a big believer in a simple vertical trellis with about 5 wires. My trellis is about 6 feet tall at the top wire with another wire each drop of 8 inches. I train the canes horizontally along the second to the bottom wire, and bend the ends to tie to the lowest wire. This encourages re growth at the main trunk as opposed to the shoot tip. Spacing should be at least 6 feet apart for most varieties and the rows about 8 feet to get a mower through the row. As for the flavor, so far it is holding out. I do have some VE types that go 'flat', so if you are in a warmer part of the US, avoid the VE grapes...unless you want one for raisins.

No, I made the controlled cross and grew out the seedlings. Late to answer, sorry.

I have an interest in breeding hybrid grapes. I'm from England, we get a lot of hybrids here but too many American ones with labrusca in. I do not consider labrusca much better for cool summers than vinifera. I believe the key to making cool summer tolerant grapes is to cross amurensis with vinifera. Amurensis ripens early and the area has cool to warmish summers and unbeatable cold hardiness. It comes from the Russian far east, not too far from Vitis coignetiae actually. Ivan Michurin's institute developed a lot of grapes from amurensis crosses and they all perform well in Scandinavia, the Baltic states and British Isles. We don't have to worry so much about winter cold here, ripening is the issue but amurensis is very hardy anyway. Amurensis x (labrusca x vinifera) is another potential one Why have you chosen Vitis coignetiae may I ask? It's not usually used to make hybrids (not sure if it just hasn't been tested for such or doesn't make good crosses). Good luck anyway, I hope to start my own project this year.