North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Mauch1@aol.com]

Well, the original question was in regards to grapes.  I have to ask, was the 
catalog from "Concord Nurseries?"  As I remember the original catalog from 
the original grape nursery that was later bought by Concord, used that 
terminology, but somewhere *I think* they used to define what the terms 
meant.  But maybe the company is still printing the terms without providing 
the definition.  I would contact the company and see what they mean by those 
terms.

I haven't been following grapes closely lately, but I believe that generally 
vinifera grapes are defined as "tender" and aren't usually raised above zone 
6 (USDA).  The actually can tolerate lows almost as low as Concord when fully 
dormant, but leave dormancy so easily they are often killed in the warm/cold 
cycles.  

There are also at least two other considerations with grapes besides 
"absolute" dormancy and ability to tolerate fluctuating temperatures.  One, 
some grapes are wood hardy, but bud tender.  That means that the stems of the 
grapes can tolerate the temperatures, but the buds can be kill and secondary 
or tertiary buds have to grow to save the plant (usually with no crop for 
that year.

And 2nd, You have to be very concerned whether the grape will ripen in your 
climate.  For example, I knew that a number of years ago "Villiard Noir" was 
grown for wineries in Maryland, and I tried a few plants.  Its perfectly 
hardy in my area, makes beautiful grapes. But they never ripen in my climate.

Good luck!!

<<Hello All,

In regards to grapes, what do these terms mean in hardiness temperature 
degree ranges;

     moderately hardy
     hardy
     very hardy

These terms may be used rather loosely in catalogs, but there must be a 
rather standard definition.
>>

-- 
Chris Mauchline
SE PA, zone 6
40° 5' N    75° 51'W
~650 ft elevation