Can red and white grapes be grown together in the vineyard, or does that create a risk of cross-pollination?
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Dear Dr. Vinny,
Can you grow red and white grapes together in the same relative area in the vineyard? Or does this create the possibility of crossing one with the other?
—Stephane C., Springfield, Mo.
Dear Stephane,
Valentine's Day may be coming up, but domesticated grapevines aren’t the most romantic of plants—they are hermaphrodites that self-pollinate. That means when the flowers set, they pollinate themselves to become grapes, without the helps of birds or bees. They were developed this way to grow consistently.
Of course, if you had grapevines that were planted from seed, you would see more traditional plant reproduction happening, and indeed you would risk grapes cross-pollinating.
—Dr. Vinny
