Tips and tricks for planting grape seedlings in spring

The grapevine was actively cultivated by the ancient Romans (for which there is a lot of historical evidence) and continues to be popular today due to its nutritional and medicinal properties. The culture is so original and valuable that its cultivation is singled out as a separate branch of the national economy. Planting grape seedlings in spring is the most popular option, and it has a number of features.

Harvesting vines

Until the end of the 19th century, grapes were grown exclusively by planting cuttings in the ground, but when phylloxera began to spread in Europe, grafting became the main way to plant grapes. The only exceptions are vineyards on the Mediterranean coasts. Grape cuttings are grafted onto a phylloxera-resistant stock.

But some gardeners, even in the middle (and not only the southern) lane, still prefer the old way of planting grapes with rooted cuttings in the ground.

To properly grow self-rooted seedlings, it is necessary to go through several stages.

• Before the onset of frost in late autumn, ripe vines with a diameter of 6 to 10 mm and a length of about 1.2 meters are harvested. Experts consider the ratio of diameters: general (outer) and core (ideally 2: 1) to be the criterion for determining the quality of the cutting. You can determine the degree of ripening by bending the vine - it should crackle.
• Having prepared the required number of shanks, they are soaked in water from days to three, then transferred to a 0.5% quinosol solution - this will protect the cuttings from mold. Keep the workpieces at 15 ° C for 2 hours.
• Then the vine is ventilated until the dripping liquid leaves the surface, and wrapped in burlap or perforated film.

You need to store the planting material in a cool place (0-7 ° C), withstanding the air humidity of about 95%, in order to start growing seedlings in the spring.

How to grow a seedling

Until spring, it is necessary to check the condition of the vines several times, removing the spoiled ones. Cuttings are taken out in February, they need to be planted in a substrate - a mixture of peat crumb and washed river sand (1: 1).

The cuttings are rooted either on windowsills or in closed greenhouses. The process will take 2-3 weeks, and during this period, future seedlings should be regularly sprayed, and on hot days they should be shaded, avoiding direct sunlight. It is also necessary to accustom the rooting cuttings to fresh air, conducting periodic ventilation.

If the cutting takes root properly, it will grow. After waiting for an increase of 10-15 cm, the seedlings can be planted in a school along with a lump of earth for further growing, or they can be sustained before October (in the middle and northern lane - a little earlier). Then they are dug up and transferred to the basement to be stored until spring in a moist substrate (peat, sand, sawdust) at a temperature of at least 3 ° C.

Growing up in a school

In a previously prepared area, grooves are dug. The distance between them should be 30 cm, and between the cuttings in one row it is worth keeping about 10-12 cm. Before transferring the rooted cuttings, the soil in the grooves is watered abundantly. Further, the grooves with cuttings planted in them are covered with earth and again watered with warm water. The stems protruding above the surface are spud, raking up the soil to a height of 5 cm.

All grooves are covered with plastic wrap to create a greenhouse effect. When the buds bloom, cross-shaped holes are made in the film above the cuttings to give the shoots the opportunity to grow further (in the middle lane, the air temperature is also taken into account).

Advice

During the entire growing season, it is necessary to maintain the irrigation scheme: water abundantly in June, moderately in July, and gradually reduce the frequency by the end of August.

Top dressing of cuttings is carried out by foliar method using fertilizers such as a solution of potassium sulfate, nitrate and superphosphate. Spraying is best done in the late evening or afternoon in cloudy weather. A day after fertilization, abundant watering is carried out.

Throughout the cultivation, you need to monitor the development of the seedling, leaving only 2 shoots on it, the rest of the experienced gardeners break off. At the end of August, it is necessary to mint - remove the upper part of the shoot in order to stop growth.

Seedlings from the school are removed before frost, in 3 days thoroughly watering the beds. All seedlings are tied into one bunch, after dipping their roots into a clay mash. Planting material is stored in a basement in a plastic bag at a low temperature and removed in early spring.

Planting seedlings

When the weather is warm enough in the spring (in the middle lane - not earlier than April), the seedlings are taken out of the basement and prepared for planting in a permanent place. Regardless of whether the seedlings were grown in a school or spent the summer in containers, the further steps will be the same.

So how to choose the right place?

• For planting grapes, you should choose a place not shaded by trees or buildings - it should be well lit by the sun. It is better to plant rooted cuttings in good clear weather and without the risk of frost. If in April the air temperature is still unstable, then it will be correct to postpone the landing to mid-May (especially in the middle lane and northern latitudes).
• Each grape variety requires a specific soil, as this factor affects the taste of the berries. This must be taken into account when choosing a variety for cultivation on your site, although the vine can take root on almost any soil - only saline soil, low-lying and often flooded areas are not suitable for it.

Landing features

On the previously dug ground, pits are made for seedlings with a distance between the holes of 1-1.5 meters. They may vary in size depending on the variety, but the standard are squares with a side of 80 cm and the same depth. On 1/3 the hole is filled with earth (10 parts) mixed with sand (1 part) and fertilizer is applied - rotted manure (3 parts).

The seedling is installed in the spring in the hole so that its "heel" is recessed 0.5 m relative to the edge of the hole. The roots must be carefully spread over the entire hole and gradually begin to pour the earth until a section of the vine with three buds remains above the surface ... Sometimes it is recommended to plant 2 seedlings in 1 hole, making a distance of 0.5 meters.

If at the same time the seedling does not reach the edge of the hole, this is not scary, let the depression remain. In the future, as the vine grows, it will be necessary to gradually fill the hole. After finishing planting, the hole should be watered abundantly, and then filled with sawdust, adding organic fertilizers (manure) to them. The layer thickness should be 3-4 cm.

Grafted seedlings

If it was not possible to stock up on varieties resistant to phylloxera, then it is better to grow grapes by grafting. They do this in several ways: they are grafted at home on the table or carry out similar work right at the school, or green cuttings are grafted onto mother bushes.

The grafted seedlings go through several stages before they are ready for planting in the open ground in the spring. Below is the tabletop grafting method, which starts one month before the main planting.

Advice

It will be correct to prepare scion and rootstock cuttings in advance (even in the fall).

• 3 days before grafting, rootstock cuttings are soaked in warm water (+ 25 ° C), 3-5 hours before the process, the grafts are soaked.
• Removing excess moisture from the cuttings with a soft towel, remove the eyes from the rootstock and refresh the lower end.The length of the stock is 40 cm, the scion is 5 cm.
• On both cuttings, oblique cuts are made and a special incision (tongue) is made.
• The parts are interconnected in such a way that there are no gaps, and they are well tied to improve the grafting.
• The grafted cuttings are placed in a box for stratification on steamed pine sawdust mixed with crushed charcoal. Sawdust is also poured between the rows, and the top layer is in addition covered with moss.

Stratification is carried out within 10 days in a bright, warm room (+ 28 ° C) with humidity up to 85%. Then the box is taken out to an open area and vaccinated in this form for another 15 days, periodically moistening the sawdust. After that, the cuttings can be planted in a school, maintaining a distance of 30-50 cm between them, and the distance between the grooves - 12-15 cm. Fertilizers should be placed on the bottom.

Advice

Rooted grafted seedlings can be sent for ripening in a bright room with a moderate temperature (about 18 ° C) in moistened sand after school, and only after that they can be lowered into the basement for winter storage.

In the spring, the grafted seedlings are taken out and sorted out. For planting, individuals with a strong root system and a mature growth of 5-6 eyes are left. The main thing is to pay attention to the vaccination site. A complete circular soldering should form here. Saplings that do not meet these parameters are discarded, there is no point in planting them.

So, choosing any suitable method for planting grape seedlings (but taking into account the grade), gardeners carry out thorough long-term work (a couple of years will pass between harvesting the material and planting seedlings in spring). However, the concern for the future harvest does not end there, because you will need to pay a lot of attention to subsequent care, the main point of which is watering.

Watering also has its own characteristics. During flowering and a week before the berries ripen, as well as after harvesting, watering is stopped. The rest of the time, the procedure should be performed every week. To make it more convenient to water the bushes, a drainage pit is made between them, in which irrigation pipes will pass. It is recommended to plug them with a rag so that there is no loss of moisture between waterings.

Having planted seedlings in open ground in the spring, you should be prepared for the fact that with good care they will quickly grow. Therefore, in the fall, you will have to do pruning to form a bush. This work is especially advisable for vines that require shelter for the winter.