King of the North
Primarily juice/jelly/table; high-acid; makes a decent Concord-style home wine (marginal wine grape). Extremely vigorous, productive, disease resistant. Tight conical clusters.
Across the consideration criteria
What it makes
Aromatic family
Tasting notes
How it grows
- Cold hardiness
- -35°F
- Ripening
- Early-season
- Vigor
- High
- Disease tolerance
- Very high
- Drainage need
- Moderately Well
- Soil pH
- 6–7
- Graft requirement
- Graft Recommended
- US availability
- Widely Available
Considerations
Primary buds start to die near -35°F. Shrugs off hard continental winters.
Needs roughly 2400 growing degree-days to ripen, an early-season variety (Winkler I-II). Finishes early, well before a hard fall frost.
Foliar-disease pressure is moderate for this variety, a regular spray program in a humid climate. Regular cover sprays through the wet months.
Susceptible to Pierce's disease. Only a threat in the warm, humid South and parts of California; cold-winter regions cure it naturally.
High vigor. Wants leaner ground and active canopy management, or fruit hides in shade.
Moderate heat tolerance. Comfortable across a moderate heat range.
Moderate water demand. Average moisture needs for a wine grape.
Prefers soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Outside the band, lime or sulfur brings it in range.
Phylloxera-tolerant: own-rooted vines are fine.
These are intrinsic to the grape. On a real property, Folia scores each against your site; here they're shown on their own.
Grows alike
similar to growSteuben
Same heat band (moderate) · Both moderate diurnal dependence
Fredonia
Same heat band (moderate) · Both moderate diurnal dependence
Niagara
Same heat band (moderate) · Both moderate diurnal dependence
Catawba
Same heat band (moderate) · Both moderate diurnal dependence
Concord
Same heat band (moderate) · Both moderate diurnal dependence
Delaware
Same heat band (moderate) · Both moderate diurnal dependence
Climate-adapted alternatives
more resilient picksConcord
Better downy mildew + botrytis resistance (2 pathogen-steps improved) · Same role (juice jelly)
Steuben
Better downy mildew + botrytis resistance (2 pathogen-steps improved) · Same role (juice jelly)
Niagara
Better botrytis resistance · Same role (juice jelly)
Catawba
Better botrytis resistance · Same role (juice jelly)
Delaware
Better botrytis resistance · Same role (juice jelly)
Fredonia
Better botrytis resistance · Same role (juice jelly)
Could King of the North grow on your land?
See how King of the North scores against your specific property, with local precedent, climate, and the tradeoffs for your ground.
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