Such a culture as grapes is becoming more and more widespread in private areas.
Amateurs tend to grow both table and technical varieties in order to produce home-made wines on their own.
But today we’re not going to talk about which varieties to choose, but how to plant the grapes on our own plot without help.
Spring has come - we are in a hurry to plant grapes
Pros and cons of planting grape seedlings in spring
In spring, all crops are usually planted, although autumn is often more preferable for gardening. In order to give you the right to independently make a choice whether to plant grapes in the spring, we will analyze in detail all the positive features and disadvantages of such a planting.
Benefits planting grape seedlings in the spring season:
- The main advantage is that the bush planted in spring for the whole season before the fall will have time to settle down properly at the new place, it will get stronger and it will be much easier for him to survive the first winter. Thus, it is not necessary to worry about the sapling and to subtilize its shelter for the winter.
- Preparation for planting grapes should be carried out in advance. Therefore, it will be very good if you dig up and fertilize the soil in the autumn, as well as prepare a hole for the seedling. Thus, it is possible to significantly increase the fertility of the soil, which, in turn, will positively affect the survival rate of the grapes.
- Many grape varieties after one year of vegetation in the form of a seedling are capable of yields for the second year. In particular, if you plant for example a grape variety "Kizil" in the spring, by the autumn of the next year you will receive excellent fruits. When planting in autumn, the bush will begin to bear fruit a year later.
- It is much easier to guess in spring with suitable time for planting, because in the fall severe frosts can descend very unexpectedly, damaging only the planted seedling or frosting the soil and making it unsuitable for planting.
It is worth noting that it is precisely the spring planting that is most often chosen by many beginning winegrowers. It is much easier to take care of the sapling and gives higher guarantees of its survival. However, she has some aspects that can make you change your decision about spring planting:
- Very often in the springtime the seedling lacks moisture, so it will have to be watered very often and plentifully. Moreover, only the planted it absorbs moisture poorly, but without it it can dry out.
- The sapling itself may require additional. Also, in spring, the soil will need to be well digged and mulched (old sawdust, humus or moss).
- Too early or late planting can adversely affect the seedling, lead to the defeat of his fungal diseases.
- The best selection of seedlings is presented on the market in the fall, so in the spring you may not find the desired variety or get on frozen or dried seedlings.
When exactly to start planting a grape seedling in spring time?
Definitely certain dates for planting grape seedlings in the spring there. After all, they should be planted at a sufficiently warm temperature - not below 15ºС. At the same time, the soil should also be sufficiently heated - at least up to 10 ºС. In such conditions, you can best ensure the beginning of the growing season seedlings.
Thus, the time for landing may be delayed from the end of March to the first week of May, or even until the first of June in some climatic regions. Everything will depend on what kind of sapling you pick up for planting.
Not many know but grape seedlings can be found of two types: vegetative and already stiff. The difference is that the first only in spring were planted in the ground and just had time to blossom.
Such saplings are usually sold in small containers with soil. Also, they must have the first shoot with leaves. These seedlings are planted in the soil from about May 20 to June 15, because in the container this seedling was planted no earlier than February.
Under the stiffened seedling, it is necessary to understand a grape bush, which has already been planted in open soil and dug out of it for the winter. That is, he already has a good root system and his own kidneys.
It is best to plant such a sapling from mid-April to mid-May., although of course it is best to focus on the weather outside.
We start preparation of a hole for a sapling
Preparation of the pit for the grape seedling is quite time-consuming and lengthy process. After all, it is not only necessary to dig it up, but also to fertilize it well. The size of the pit should be approximately 0.8x0.8x0.8, so that there is enough space not only for the roots, but also for fertilizer for the next year four.
When digging a hole, the top and bottom layers of soil should be divided into different piles. The top layer is considered the most fertile, so they need to fall asleep 10 centimeters already completely dug holes.
After the fertile soil in the pit should be added:
- About 5 buckets of good manure.
- 0.5 kilogram of nitroammofoski, or other fertilizer containing nitrogen.
- A small amount of potassium and phosphorus.
- 0.5 kilograms of wood ash.
Further, this whole cake is covered with another 10 cm layer of fertile soil and mixed well. Only fertilized grape bush these fertilizers in fact will be useless, but it is precisely at the time of the entry of the grapes during the period of fruiting that its roots reach the fertilized layer.
Above the fertilizer is still poured fertile soil. Leaving the surface of the pit is worth only 20 centimeters.
Preparation of grape seedlings for planting
Immediately after the purchase to start planting a seedling is not worth it. A stiffened seedling needs to be placed in water for a few days, so that it becomes saturated with the moisture lost during the winter. It is recommended to add some honey to the water to stimulate rooting. Instead of honey, you can use other, more professional preparations.
Sapling roots should definitely be shortened by about 1 centimeter. Himself seedling should be shortened to 2-3 buds. This is necessary so that by winter the bush does not reach out too high and it would be easier to cover it for the winter. Already in the second year it will be possible to allow it to grow in plenty.
Features of the planting process of grape seedlings in the spring
Having already prepared a pit, exactly in the middle of it you need to make a recess of no more than 40 centimeters. It is very important to foresee the settling of the soil, which can be avoided by preparing the pit in the fall.
If you dug it in the spring, the deepening should be done only by 35 centimeters; for the remaining depth, the seedling in this case will descend on its own. At the bottom of this depression, a mound is made on which the grapes are planted. It is very important to deploy it in such a way that the support on which it will follow in the future lies along the kidneys.
After you have completely buried the seedling, it requires a lot of moisture. Therefore, for watering is to use about 40 liters of water.
In order for the sapling to settle down well and not lose moisture until it can fully saturate it from the soil (that is, until it is acclimatized in a new place), it needs to be covered.
The stiffened grapes can cover with fertile soil, mulch and sandforming a peculiar hill. So that the sand does not erode, it must be applied with something heavy. After 10-15 days, the sapling can already be released from such a "captivity", since he already has time to master.
If you planted a vegetative seedling, it is impossible to fall asleep with sand, since it is possible to harm green shoots. Its recommended cover with a simple cardboard box with a specially cut hole for the top of the seedling. This shelter is also not worth keeping more than 2 weeks.
What is special about planting grapes in autumn: answering the most popular questions and giving instructions
What is good or bad in planting grapes in the fall?
As in the spring planting, autumn also has its advantages and disadvantages for planting grapes. TO benefits Autumn planting should include:
- We have already mentioned that it is the easiest way in the fall to pick the right kind of grapes, since both nurseries and special markets are simply overflowing with seedlings.
- In autumn, the humidity of the earth is usually much higher than in the spring. Therefore, in particularly abundant irrigations, grape seedlings will practically not be needed - only directly after planting.
- With good harboring for the winter (and in the south without shelter), the soil does not freeze to the roots, so the sapling during the winter period has time to get accustomed to the new environment and by the spring begins to grow new roots.
- When the first spring heat sets in, the seedling planted in the fall will begin to develop much earlier than the one that was planted in the spring.
But still, in any case, you should pay attention and remember the following limitationsthat accompany planting grapes in autumn:
- Only planted seedlings are not very easy to survive the winter. It often happens that even with a good shelter such seedlings freeze, and in the spring you have to replace it with another.
- Also, a young and unstable seedling can damage rodents, large amounts of snow and strong winds.
When exactly in the fall to begin planting a grape seedling?
Autumn planting of grapes can also be carried out in fairly extended periods. You can start it from the first weeks of October. From this period, grape seedlings are best suited for transplanting to a new place. But in principle, this process is quite possible to carry out until such time as the earth does not freeze through.
Are there any differences in preparing the pit for planting grapes in the fall?
In general, there are no differences. The depth and width of the pit is the same as for landing in the spring. However, so that in warm winters the sapling did not have time to adapt and did not begin to bloom unexpectedly from the abundance of fertilizers, it is worth making a wider layer between the fertilizers and the root system of the grape seedling itself.
In fact, the main task that the autumn planting carries out is the preservation of the seedling until the spring period. because, unlike a cellar, a seedling in the land will be able to retain much more moisture and there will be less likelihood that it will enter the growing season.
But in the preparation of the pit in the fall at its very bottom often do drainage system, falling asleep on the bottom of rubble, 5 centimeters thick. crushed stone is covered with paper and a pipe is attached to it, along which it will be possible to feed the grapes in the future.
How to prepare a grape sapling for planting in the fall?
A sapling must be very well inspected, and a little cut his roots. Strong pruning is not necessary, so as not to damage the root system. It will be enough to remove 1-2 centimeters. The number of buds on the stem of the seedling should be about five, standard pruning to be 3-4 eyes.
Before direct planting, the grape seedling, as well as in the spring, is dipped into water for 2-3 days. Place the water, you can use a specially prepared "talker" (diluted with water, clay and manure). However, to apply any stimulants of rooting in this case is not worth it. Only in order that the sapling does not so quickly lose its moisture is recommended. antitranspirant.
What are the features of the planting process in the fall?
There are no significant differences from how the grapes are planted in spring. Only it is necessary to take into account the fact of subsidence of the soil, since the pit was prepared immediately before planting, and the soil in it did not have time to settle. Placing a heel on a mound, the sapling is best to bury gradually. Filling it with soil only to the middle, the soil should be carefully compacted with your hands and pour 10 liters of water into the pit. After that, you need to continue to bury the sapling and finally pour it another 30 liters of moisture.
After planting, the soil around the seedling is mulched. This procedure will allow for a longer time to retain moisture in the soil.
How to properly and why to shelter a seedling planted in the fall?
Covering a grape sapling is necessary so that it will not be damaged by frosts and various pests. It is most effective to fill it with soil in such a way that its layer is 25-30 centimeters higher than the uppermost bud of the seedling.
But do not forget about caution and try not to damage the seedling. Therefore, while landing near it it is important to drive a strong count and on top of the seedling and cola to install a simple egg-box from under the water. The neck of the egg-caps is naturally cut off and rests against the peg and by no means falls on the seedling itself.
Further, this whole structure is completely covered with earth, rising above the billet by 30 centimeters. Above the hill can be covered with dry branches. At the first thaw the sapling is unearthed.
It is also interesting to read about grafting in the fall
General rules and features of planting grapes
What is the soil grapes best take root and bears fruit?
Grapes are a lover of fertile land, therefore, it should be planted in black soil or in other very light soils. important take into account the level of groundwater. In the event that they in your area rise to a depth of over 1.5 meters, you should definitely dig a drainage system in the area.
Before and after planting the grapes, the soil is kept under the black steam so that the seedlings can get as many nutrients as possible. Also, it must be periodically watered and fed with mineral fertilizers. Organics will flow to the roots of the vine through mulching.
What scheme to choose for planting vines?
When planting grapes in the garden is best to do retreat between the rows of 2-2.5 meters. The distance between the bushes will directly depend on the grape variety and soil fertility: the better the soil and the stronger the bush is, the longer it will take to make a distance.
Thus, for vigorous varieties, you need to indent 2 meters, for medium-growth ones - 1.5. If the grapes are planted near the buildings, then it is worth to retreat from the wall at least 0.7 meters.
