An engineer's effort with grapevines proved worthwhile when his second harvest saw a yield of 800kg, up from the initial 500kg produced by his vineyard along the Ipoh-Kuala Lumpur trunk road near here.
Hishamuddin Othman, 57, puts the bountiful yield down to his homemade fertiliser, a mixture of local ingredients, which he himself did not expect to work so well.
He said the fruit planted in his rain shelter houses were weather resistant and produced dense fruit.
"There are 54 vines with 28 types of grapes at the vineyard, which were planted via the fertigation technique in the rain shelter houses in February last year.
"The leaves and branches must be pruned twice after the first harvest and again some four months later," he said at the Muallim Hortigard and Nursery near here.
Visitors can visit the farm and enjoy grapes picked from the vines, for a fee of RM5 per entry, while children under 12 years old are allowed in for free.
Grapes popular with visitors are the Jupiter variant, which tastes similar to lychee, and the Krasava and Lorano types.
He said the grapes he planted were native to Ukraine.
"Grapes that are in full bloom are expected to be fully ripe next week. During the recent Hari Raya holidays, many visitors stopped by to take photos in the vineyard."
He said the vineyard provided people with an opportunity to experience an atmosphere similar to that abroad.
Hishamuddin said he also provided advice on planting and caring for grapevines to those interested in planting the crop.