Hi,
My grapes seem to be growing in in a strange way. Can someone tell me what the issue is here? There were also several other bunches that were growing but have shriveled up and fell off the vine. Am I underwatering? Thank you for your help.
The leaves look OK, so it is difficult to say underwatering, but you are right, they clusters are uneven. Some grapes are larger, some are smaller.
Grapes do need a lot of water, but do not like standing in wet soil. Water thoroughly, they have a deep, spreading root system, then allow the soil to go only somewhat dry between watering.
You do not tell us how old are your vines.
Vines need pruning and bees (pollinator) to set up fruits, they do look that you have the pollination ..... and I cannot see a major sign of a disease attacking the vine ...
I feel that for this year you will have to accept what it is, but as you tell us that fruit ended up shriveling and falling off I am telling you what I do, I prune the vine where the grapes are setting, I see a bundle of grapes and I prune the vine 2 nodules ( leaves) past the bundle of grapes, so the energy of the grape vine goes into producing the fruit instead of growing the vine.
I have the best crop of grapes every year after I start doing this. Works well all the times.
Uneven pollination might be part of the answer. If the weather was unsettled when they were in bloom then the bees might not have visited each flower, or else some flowers got knocked around by the rain, so set a poor crop. I do not think this is all that is going on, though.
