Hello all-

I am in Oakland in the Bay Area. I am having trouble with fruit size and quality on my Red Flame seedless grape. I am so disappointed I am ready to pull it and try raspberries. I would like to keep the vine if I can fix this issue. (I'll grow the raspberries elsewhere.)

Each year the fruits are teeny tiny. A grape the size of the tip of my pinkie finger is a giant. Most fruits are 1/4 inch or less across. The clusters are few, poorly formed and ripen inconsistently. Taste is unremarkable. I am not expecting the type of production that comes from the pro growers with all their tricks of the trade, but I want more than this. My area has had cool and foggy summers these past two years but this vine has never given any better.

The vine has been in the ground in full sun for five years. It has no pests or diseases and grows like thunder each spring. I have it trained to a wire trellis. I prune it in fall and have tried some pruning tricks to encourage fruit size. No luck. I prune it during the growing season just enough to contain the vine as it wants to hug the rose, apple, fig and tomatoes.

Any ideas to improve the quality?

Thanks.