Is A Grape A Good Tree For Bonsai?

Grape is that well known fruit and special ingredient that’s found in wine, but of course it comes from a tree, well a vine.

The grape vine is a very interesting plant; they grow naturally in Mediterranean areas and can get some pretty cool looking trunks. They can be used in bonsai, but they are not that common and they really only look when you use old, larger material.

I have grown one from seed and its pencil thin and really nothing interesting. It really needs to go into the ground and thicken up, which is not really possible in my climate. You can follow its development in my Grape Bonsai Progression. 

Is Grape A Good Species for Bonsai?

Grape is a cool species, but for bonsai I do not think it is ideal. I think there are far better species to use instead.

It is a vine, which makes it growth very unlike a normal tree and will give you the challenge of long, skinny branches with no thickness that can be hard to work with.

The trunk itself can be good, but you need to find an old, large tree and dig it up, a larger tree like this is going to look much better. If you are like me and growing from seed, it is almost a waste of time.

They do grow fast though, and if you do have a good trunk, they can look pretty amazing. I do like them; I just think the chances of you doing the grape justice are low. You are most likely going to end up with an average bonsai and your time would be better spent focusing on another species that can get better results with the same amount of time and effort. 

Is Grape Foliage Good For Bonsai?

Grape foliage is not the best for bonsai. They are nice looking leaves, but they are often quite large. They will reduce in size with the right techniques, but in general, they are kind of big. This is again another reason why I think they work better as larger bonsai. The leaves look more in scale on larger trees.

Internode Length

The internodes for me are troublesome and not ideal for bonsai. You will often get long, straight internodes between leaves. These can be reduced, but there is still an issue. At every spot there is a leaf, you will find the branch slightly swells.

They sort of look like witches fingers (well any old persons hands) you know when the fingers are skinny, but each knuckle is kind of fat. Kind of a weird example, but it just reminds me of that.

When I look at my tree, all I can see is these bulges along the branch and its very ulgy and there is nothing you can do about it.   

Is A Grapes Growth Rate Good For Bonsai?

Grape vines can grow fast. They are vines, so it’s in their nature to shoot out long… vines. The problem is that this long growth stays thin. It does not thicken easily, which is not good for bonsai development.

This is why I suggest you start with an already established trunk, then all the hard work is done and it’s not too much trouble if your branch structure is slightly thin.  

You could potentially grow grapes on a bonsai, but this will be hard, as you are probably likely to prune the flower buds off during the season, but it could be possible in some cases to get flowers and grapes to grow.

Response To Pruning

Grapes will respond well to pruning. Being a cultivated fruit it is very common for them to be pruned and they respond very predictably from it, which does make building branches very easy, which is a good thing for bonsai.

Back Budding

Grapes will also back bud. You can often find people starting trees from stumps and having no problem growing the tree out from this. When they are in the growing season, they do not really throw out random back buds, which is always good as keeping on top of these can be annoying.

Ramification

Ramification is possible, but it’s not the best. You can definitely reduce the leaves and internodes as well as get finer growth. It can reduce a lot, but it can still look a little chunky, which is why I keep suggesting you grow a bigger tree, so it will look more in proportion.

Is A Grapes Styling Ability Good For Bonsai?

As grapes are vines, they do not really have a style. You can really do whatever you want. I would suggest you start with a good trunk and see what kind of style would work with this trunk and go from there.

Wiring

You can wire grapes, but you need to be careful. The branches can get a little straight and stiff and trying to wire any kind of shape into them can be hard and it can be easy to snap them.

You really need to do this when they are young, so you can move them easily, but then you need to watch out that the wire does not start to cut in.

Is A Grapes Fall Colours Good For Bonsai?

Grapes are deciduous; but the show in autumn is nothing special. The leaves just sort of dry out and turn brown and then hang onto the tree until the wind blows them away or you cut them off as they  are too ugly and depressing to see.

Is AGrapes Winter Silhouette Good For Bonsai?

Once the leaves have dropped you can admire the structure of the tree. I just tend to see the long vine like branches and the ugly internodes with witch finger knuckles. I don’t really like looking at the grape during the winter, but some of you might enjoy it more. 

Is A Grapes Bark Good For Bonsai?

The bark is quite interesting on grapes. If you have an old trunk they look awesome. The bark can be seriously craggy and full of character.

However, on smaller, younger branches the bark actually peels as it grows. It can look pretty cool, almost like it is growing so fast that its splits the outer bark and bulges through.

It is not that thick, but it is quite craggy, so it does hide scars very well.

Deadwood Opportunities

Deadwood can actually work very well on a grape, but again, on older, larger pieces. If you have a good trunk with plenty of movement and character, then some deadwood can look amazing. I have seen some unreal examples and the best grape bonsais I have seen have had some sort of deadwood on the trunk.

As for deadwood branches, these do not work as well and should be avoided.

Are Grape Roots Good For Bonsai?

The roots are okay for bonsai. They are not amazing but they are not awful. They are kind of thick and fleshy, but they are not super thick. I have found they generally all seem to be same thickness throughout the root ball and they are still a size that is proportionate. I’d like them thinner, but I’m also very glad they are not any thicker.

They also seem to respond well to pruning. I have hacked mine back a few times and it doesn’t seem to mind.

They also tend to grow really long roots. I assume in nature they must have very deep roots, so you will need to take them back if you want to use them as bonsai.

Is Grape Easy To Care For As Bonsai?

I haven’t found the grape to be hard to care for. They are not really ideal in my climate, so I do shelter mine quite a lot and keep it mostly inside.

However, it seems happy enough and I am not really doing anything special to keep it happy. You can read more about this in my Grape Bonsai Care Guide.

Conclusion

Grapes can be okay for bonsai, but really it depends with what you start with.

If you get an old thick trunk with plenty of interest, you will end up with a good tree. If you are starting with anything else, then the struggle is too much and it’s not worth your time.

You are better putting the same amount of energy into a different species and ending up with a better result.