Vitis Schuyler Grape

Vitis Schuyler Grape or Grape Vine Schuyler
The Vitis Schuyler Grape is a blue table grape. It has an unexpectedly sweet flavour for this type of grape. The fruit is mid-sized and matures in mid to late September. When autumn sets in, the leaves of Vitis Schuyler turn a rich deep coloured red. Vitis Schuyler should be grown on well supported trellises. It has a beautiful coloured leaf that changes to a deep red in colour in autumn.
Once the worst frosts of winter have passed, Vitis Schuyler should be pruned each year by cutting back the side branches to just 2-3 buds. This variety bears fruit off 2nd year wood. The sweet fruit does tend to attract wasps, so you might consider having some wasp traps installed in the vineyard area.  Once the grapes are formed in the summer, cut off the new shoots a few cm above the fruit so as to enable direct sun on the grapes from midsummer on. Thinning will bring larger fruit.  
Schuyler Grapes prefer sunny areas with good exposure to breeze, though avoid commonly windy exposures. They prefer well drained soils, and do not tolerate wet feet. Shady areas should be avoided as well.  Full sun or mostly sunny locations will help prevent diseases from spreading.
An ideal location is on slopes so as to have an angular exposure to sun, and prevent direct wind exposure. Watering the soil around the base of the plant is best timed in late spring, but in summer only if it is extremely dry.  Avoid watering the foliage and direct irrigation to the soil. In autumn, the removal of fallen leaves is recommended because the trash can harbour disease and mites. Fertilising is recommended but only to recommended rates. Otherwise the plant will grow wild and set too much fruit of inferior quality. Schuyler is a very hardy variety of Grape and can persist to minus 29°C.
This table grape has a wide range of suitability, as long as a well-drained site is chosen with good exposure to sunlight and an airy aspect. Our vines are between 5-7 years old and it will typically grow to about 3-5 metres in height. It is suited to zone H-7 in the UK so should be hardy through winter. Its flowers are considered insignificant. When well trained, this vine will last upwards of 50 years. Its fruit yield is relatively low but the flavour is in a sweetness class of its own. It prefers neutral to slightly alkaline pH’s.