Mars

Grape

Size

Medium to large berries

Shape

Medium, compact clusters; berries turn from crimson to deep blue at maturity; thick slipskin, resists cracking

Flavor

Concord-like, mildly "foxy"/labrusca, sweet

Texture

Seedless; slipskin

Ripening window

Mid-late July - early season, roughly a month before Concord; holds well on the vine

Best uses

Fresh eating (well-suited for kids), juice, jelly, rosé wine

Pollination

Self-fertile - no pollinator needed

Tree size

Vigorous, trailing habit; recommended 8 ft spacing on a 6 ft trellis, Modified Munson training

Notes

American-hybrid seedless grape (Vitis labrusca-type), bred at the University of Arkansas (Island Belle x Arkansas 1339), released 1985 - part of their "planet" grape series alongside Venus, Jupiter, Neptune, and Saturn; don't cross-contaminate specs with those similarly-named siblings. Zones 4-8/5-8. Excellent heat/humidity tolerance but poor in wet soils. Marketing claims of "moderate Pierce's Disease resistance" circulate online but couldn't be traced to any university or USDA source, and Mars does not appear on Texas A&M AgriLife's PD-tolerant variety list - treat its PD status as unconfirmed/likely susceptible rather than resistant, despite its Southern-breeding background. General fungal disease resistance claims also conflict between sources (one nursery calls it disease-resistant, another rates it only slightly resistant).