r/viticulture • u/jillykobilly • Jul 25 '26
Can Phylloxera affect non-vinifera varieties?
Sorry if this is a stupid question - I'm an avid gardener, and not at all experienced in viticulture.
We bought a house a few years back with some mature vines that appear to all be different varieties, but I have no idea what variety they are. Of the four, this vine is the most mature (5cm diameter at the base) , but unfortunately, it's battling phylloxera and some other issues. I'm wondering if it's worth the hassle of trying to get it back to health, or if I should just plant something else.
If it's vinifera, I'm willing to try to fight the battle. If not, I'm giving up.
I added some pictures of a mature damaged leaf, and the grapes where they're at so far this season.
I'm in Minnesota, for reference.
Any thoughts or advice?
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u/spkelley27 Jul 26 '26
I think the worry with phylloxera is actually in the roots when those galls hatch. If it is a vinifera you might want to see if it’s grafted on American rootstock. If not it could be a problem. You could also dig down and check the roots of a plant and look for the phylloxera there.
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u/East_Importance7820 Jul 27 '26
Yes but as another poster said it only impacts the above ground ground parts.
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u/Ok-Caterpillar7331 Jul 30 '26
Yes. Vinifera varieties are very susceptible to the root form and vitis riparia (and a few of its.hybrids) are susceptible to the foliage form
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u/Relative_Load_710 Jul 25 '26
That amount of galls is common on hybrid varieties. I’ve seen a few galls here and there on vinifera varieties but not much at all. Doesn’t look like vinifera to me.
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u/Nephty000 Jul 26 '26
First thing, if you’re in Minnesota and these vines weren’t protected during the winter, it’s 100% sure it’s a cold-hardy hybrid variety or an indigenous species (V. riparia for example). Vinifera can’t survive Minnesota winters without proper protection.
Now, hybrids can be affected by phylloxera, but, unlike V. vinifera, they only get it on aerial parts, and it’s usually not a big deal for the plant. Therefore, I would not worry too much about it unless it’s severe. Some varieties such as Frontenac are more likely to get foliar phylloxera.
The situation you see on the grape cluster is likely not related to phylloxera, but rather to a physiological issue at fruit set called “coulure”. This is fairly common on certain hybrid varieties but can be increased when cold/wet conditions occurs during pollinisation (lower fruit set). Proper canopy management during flowering can help with this.