Mars Grapes

Mars (PVP, but patent has expired) (Island Belle x Ark. 1339) 1986. University of Arkansas. This blue seedless has the largest berries of all American-type seedless grapes in my collection. The vigor of the vine is good, but it's behavior changes over time. On young vines, clusters are loose and straggly, making for a light crop weight. After a few years, as the vine matures, the clusters are more well filled and the vine produces more overall crop weight. The flavor of the fruit is labrusca, like the Island Belle parent, with slightly pulpy flesh. The fruit is actually at its best a day after picking, when acids go down a bit. Better disease resistance than most seedless grapes, though it still needs as much disease control as Concord. . One of the last to bud out in the spring, which helps it avoid late frost. Spur pruning works for me. Ripens about three to four weeks before Concord.