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September 3, 2009
Grape Vines and Brick
I've just discovered that the vine growing on the side of my brownstone is a massive grape vine. I know most vines damage the brick and mortar, and should be cut, does anyone know whether grape vines damage the brick?
Thanks.
Comments
it's sad to have to cut them down. i have a lovely grapevine growing up my fire escape. :) but i do believe that any clinging vine does damage. you might either want to put up a trellis or something similar if you want to keep it.
Posted by: CG_ups at September 3, 2009 12:16 PM
See if the wine made from the next grape harvest can offset the cost of repairs. Cheers!
Posted by: GHB at September 3, 2009 2:06 PM
Grape vines will die when the frost hits. I'd take them down then unless they're really big. I don't allow ivy on my walls but let grape vines go each summer & haven't had problems.
Posted by: Arkady at September 3, 2009 2:08 PM
Grape is a grabbing vine, not a clinging vine, and easily trained. If you provide a trellis, the tendrils will grab the trellis rather than any portion of your building. Unlike the aerial roots or disks of clinging vines, the tendrils do not stick to or penetrate mortar. As Arkady noted, they will die back in the fall, and/or you can cut the plants back. For more info, visit/call the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Resource Center: http://www.bbg.org/lib/grc.html
Posted by: vinca at September 3, 2009 2:24 PM
my grape vines have been yielding a lot of grapes. they're finally turning purple. i wonder when it is ok to eat them. they look a little manky though. pretty to look at but hmmm. maybe i'll just leave them as decoration.
Posted by: CG_ups at September 3, 2009 2:41 PM
A grape vine should not cause any damage. unless it is pulling down a roof gutter or other feature. They grow best on arbors. There is a family in Brooklyn Heights, on Joralemon Street, that has a large arbor out front that is covered with grapes. They look so beautifull hanging down from the arbor. That vine looks like it is decades old.
Posted by: Minard Lafever at September 3, 2009 2:52 PM
Some vines damage brick and mortar (clingers, as vinca notes); some don't (grabbers, op cit). But all vines shade walls and thus keep walls wet, which is a good reason to remove any climbing vine from a masonry wall.
Grapes, on the other hand, are a good reason to keep the vine!
Posted by: WBer at September 3, 2009 3:10 PM
I eat them if they're in good shape. If not, I dry them & use for bird food in the winter. I would cut them off if I were you - they're really messy if left to fall on their own.
Posted by: Arkady at September 3, 2009 4:17 PM
Thanks for the info. Great help. Unfortunately, I don't think an arbor will work, they are growing from the back of an adjacent building onto the side of ours in the yard of a third building (complicated, I know). But glad to hear that they are not damaging the mortar. I love the idea of all these grapes growing on the side of the house. I cut some back today but couldn't reach the top 5 feet or so which I guess I just won't worry about for now. Maybe I'll get a good harvest later this fall. Home made wine on the way.
Posted by: ralph gardens at September 3, 2009 5:24 PM
I grew up hearing how vines were bad for masonry structures, but if you go through Europe and Great Britain, you see masonry structures, both brick and stone that have vines on them that have obviously been there for a very, very long time with no visible negative effects. I wonder if it's legitimately a problem, or just one of those things that gets repeated enough that it becomes fact. Obviously some vines like Trumpet vines that actually pull on a structure are a problem, but I wonder about the grapes, ivys,creepers etc.
Posted by: Bond at September 3, 2009 6:36 PM
I think some vines definitely are trouble. I once lived in an apartment in London where vines were growing over the window. One tendril actually grew right through a 2 inch thick wooden window frame and into my kitchen. That can't be good for brick.
Posted by: ralph gardens at September 3, 2009 7:22 PM
Re: grapes—my grandfather grew grapes, as did most of our (Brooklyn, first-generation, immigrant) neighbors. Most of the older vines in Brooklyn are Concord Grapes producing an irresistible fragrance and a decent table wine (if you know how). Also good for preserves, straight-off-the-vine consumption, and birdfood.
Re: ivy damage to mortar—This is not an urban legend, but neither is the issue/damage always clear-cut. Some references:
http://www.gobrick.com/pdfs/Ivy%20on%20Brickwork.pdf
http://www.gobrick.com/bia/technotes/TN46.pdf
http://www.nps.gov/history/HPS/TPS/briefs/brief01.htm
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,197133-3,00.html
A segment of the TOH Boston project covered a stucco exterior damaged by vines.
Posted by: vinca at September 3, 2009 7:40 PM
Try making a Concord grape pie -- like a delicious cross between blueberry and tart rhubarb.
Posted by: slopette at September 3, 2009 10:12 PM
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