Planting and caring for grapes on a personal plot
Planting grapes is an activity that requires careful preparation. In accordance with the peculiarities of the viticulture zone, it is necessary to choose the planting time, place and ensure the future harvest by choosing a zoned variety. After planting correctly, in two years it will be possible to get the first bunch of grapes from a new bush.
Read: do-it-yourself trellis for grapes!
How to plant grapes correctly?
The grape bush occupies a large area, and enough fertile soil must be allocated to feed the plant. You also need to place the plant in the best conditions for years to come. Thoughtfulness of the layout will help determine the amount of planting material you need. Consideration should be given to the ability to pollinate and the predominance of female flowers in one group of varieties and mixed flowering in others.
The establishment of a new plantation or the planting of one bush is subject to the laws of creating favorable conditions for the development of the plant and includes:
- choosing a planting site;
- preparation of the seat;
- the choice of the landing date;
- seedling preparation;
- planting a plant;
- care of the seedling in the first year of the growing season.
If these activities are carried out taking into account climatic conditions and, guided by the lessons of planting grapes in the video, which are posted on the resources, the vine will thank the harvest.
Choosing a landing site
Planting material
Planting material can be prepared independently from a well-ripened healthy vine in the fall. This is a responsible event for experienced winegrowers. They store the prepared material in special conditions so that the prepared shanks are alive at the time of planting.
Planting can also be done with a bush that has already taken root, but is still young. So it is best to plant the vineyard in the summer, which is desirable to finish in June.
A buried branch from the vine can serve as a seedling, which by August will give a root system and will be ready for planting. The material for breeding is a vine with a part of the sleeve. Reproduction can go by seeds, so new varieties of culture are developed.
Grape planting dates
When you can replant grapes to a permanent place depends on the climatic zone and the experience of the gardener. Autumn plantings are dangerous due to winter freezing or podoprevanie new immature plant. But in the spring the surviving bush develops faster, since while the ground was frozen, it managed to take root well. For the winter, the new plant is insulated and protected from mice. In the fall, you can buy healthy seedlings of the desired variety.
In spring, it is more difficult to obtain quality planting material. Spring planting should only be done in warm ground. If the seedlings have leaves, then hardening of young plants is required before planting. Spring planting requires more careful watering, since a weak root cannot yet provide nutrition, and moisture keeps the shank from drying out. Grapes planted in summer require shading and constant glaze, otherwise the plant will die, it will not take root.
Preparing a planting site for grapes
Grapes are planted with a distance between bushes of 2, and between rows of 2.5 meters. At this distance, landing pits are being prepared. The less fertile the soil layer and the harder the soil sublayer, the deeper the pit is prepared. The depth and width ranges from one meter to 60 cm. At the same time, for watering the deep layer and feeding the plants, a drainage layer is subsequently created in the pit and a tube is inserted into it, the end of which will always be above the surface.
Deep tube irrigation will deliver nutrients to the root system.
After that, a layer of fertile soil is formed. The planting composition of the mixture with fertile soil includes 2 buckets of humus, 0.5 kg superphosphate, 2 liters of wood or plant ash. A well-mixed nutrient mixture fills two-thirds of the pit, where the root system of the grape bush will develop for a century. The earth will fall asleep from above without fertilizers.
Seedling preparation and grape planting
The strongest seedlings are selected and the root system is formed. Only the roots are left on the heel, which should develop. The rest of the roots from the buds upstream are removed. The plant is kept in water for several days, it contains honey or another stimulant. How to plant grapes from green cuttings prepared during the summer is described in detail on the website. But this method is no different from rooting seedlings obtained by other propagation methods.
Such a bush is planted in a prepared place so that the heel roots are at a depth of 45 cm, the layer most favorable for preserving the root system in winter. The seedling is arranged obliquely, so that later it would be possible to lay the vine for winter insulation. When planting, the roots are straightened, covered with earth and watered for better contact with the soil.
When placing the seedlings in the pit, you need to set it up so that the buds from which the vine will form are directed along the row to strengthen them on the supports. The inclined position of the seedling will make it easy to remove the vine for winter shelter.
Later, the pit is poured to the edges, compacted and watered more. When planting, 4 buckets of water should be poured onto each bush, and in addition make sure that the soil is moist during rooting. From above, the planted bush is covered to preserve moisture and the desired microclimate. The shelter is removed after two weeks.
Care for grapes in the first year of life consists in the formation of 2 to 4 shoots, depending on the strength of the bush, pinching them. In August, shoots are chased, and the root system is catarovated, that is, the roots that come out above the heel are cut off. For this, the stem is dug into two buds. These roots will still freeze on the surface.