Ornamental grapes, called maiden or wild, - This is a perennial liana from the genus Parthenocissus, it is often used in landscape design by both professionals and amateurs, and it is also actively used to decorate buildings. In the next article, we will figure out whether to grow this plant, and if so, how.
Did you know? These grapes are called maiden (partenocissus "partenos kisses" from Greek "virgin ivy") due to the fact that for the formation of seeds it does not need fertilization with pollen.
The advantages and disadvantages of wild grapes
Thinking about the possibility of planting girlish grapes, you should carefully weigh the pros and cons, because, as elsewhere, there are some nuances.
Significant advantages include appearance. This curly representative of the flora has beautiful large carved leaves that form a thick, spectacular crown. And strong vines can withstand considerable weight and braid the surface of almost any size.
Wild grapes are not afraid of difficult growing conditions, or the smoke of the air, or pollution. Perfect for gardening and sheltering walls and as a ground cover plant, and a hedge of grapes will look very picturesque from summer to late autumn.
Another important advantage is its unpretentiousness. It will grow in any light, in any soil, occupying small tracts of land, and with minimal watering, as it is drought-resistant. It has good resistance to pests, diseases and frosts.
It is also considered a long-liver, and the growth rate of maiden grapes is about 2 meters per year. He is not capricious in matters of fertilization and reproduction. The room covered with ornamental grapes will be protected from overheating, dampness, and its walls will not suffer from wind, dust and rain.
The disadvantages include the fact that in the spring it begins to turn green after other plants and for a rather long time it looks like bare, tangled shoots, contrasting with the surrounding greenery.
Also, shoots can crawl under a tile or other roofing material and destroy it, can clog the gutter, penetrating it, grow abundantly and shade windows. All this can be avoided, just in time pruning vines.
But the root system of girlish grapes, growing by several meters, can cause significant damage to neighboring plants. In addition, it is believed that the vine can damage the foundation of the building.
Did you know? About a dozen of maiden grapes are known. They are divided into Asian (one-, three- and five-leaf) and North American species (five- and seven-leaf).
How and when is it better to plant girlish grapes
There is nothing difficult in planting a girl's grape, but you should follow the simple rules of farming.
There is no definite answer to the question of when to plant wild grapes. After all, it all depends on the climate in the region of the intended growth, weather and method of reproduction.
If you plant seedlings, then they will fit the planting period from mid-late spring to early-mid autumn. When disembarking in the autumn, take care of their shelter for the winter. Sowing seeds in pots produced in the middle-end of winter, and planting cuttings in the ground - in late spring - early summer.
Be that as it may, do not allow burnout (regardless of when you had to plant wild grapes: in spring, summer or autumn) - do not use the time span from 11 am to 6 pm for planting.
This plant grows well and develops in almost any soil, well-clarified and shaded areas will do.
Important! Although girlish grapes are unpretentious to lightening, yet, growing in the shade, it forms smaller leaves, which with the arrival of autumn do not change color to red, but remain dark green.
A few days before planting, dig the soil at the landing site, dig holes half a meter in depth and width, at a distance of about a meter from each other, other plants and supports. Pour drainage to the bottom (about 20 cm), then half - planting land with the addition of peat, leaf soil, compost (in equal proportions) and sand (in half).
Or use the finished soil mixture. Lower the seedling into the pit, preferably under a slight inclination, and pour it to the end. Make sure that the root neck remains on the surface, but it is not raised. Water two buckets of water, do not forget to create a well for watering.
Rules for the care of grapes
The girlish grape is an excellent option for those who do not want to mess around for a long time near the plants: both planting and care will not take much time.
Watering the soil
Watering for grapes requires moderate, only 3-4 times per season, each plant, select 8-10 liters of water. In especially hot weather more frequent watering is allowed. And if there are constant rains in the region, then watering is not required at all.
Mulching and top dressing
The near-stem circle can be mixed with a layer of peat, hay or other material (~ 5 cm thick). This will retain moisture and coolness of the soil and help to avoid weeding and loosening.
Practically does not need additional feeding, but if you want to stimulate the growth of girlish grapes, you should fertilize it with mineral fertilizer (~ 50 g) in spring or early summer, and repeat the procedure after a couple of months, or use organic fertilizer.
Skeleton formation and sanitary grape pruning
The plant has a fast growth rate, which every year only accelerates. Start creating plant shape pruning if you don’t want to deal with a shapeless, uncontrollable green mop. Start the main branches on the support in the form of a fan.
In addition to the purely decorative function, pruning of wild grapes is necessary in spring in order to remove all frozen and dried shoots, weakened and damaged branches.
How to prepare grapes for winter
Every year the frost resistance of this vine increases, but before the first wintering, it is necessary to protect young plants (especially those planted with cuttings), covering them with lapnik, dry leaves or other materials.
Do I need support for grapes
If you do not plan to use ornamental grapes as a ground cover plant (which is an excellent option for areas where it is difficult to grow ordinary lawn, for example, on stony or dry places), then take care of the day's support.
Make sure that the branches do not spread on the ground, as they can take root very quickly and start new shoots. A fight with wild grapes is quite difficult.
How to independently propagate girlish grapes
As already mentioned, this plant is unpretentious, and to dissolve the girlish grapes is also not difficult. You can use stem cuttings, cuttings, root suckers, seeds.
Stem layers
Cut the shoot 2 meters in length from the adult plant and dig 2 cm horizontally into the soil, then carry out regular watering. As soon as the roots appear on the nodules, the branch should be divided into several parts and planted separately. The procedure should not be carried out at high temperatures.
Lignified cuttings
This is the easiest way. Fitted cuttings that have 3-5 green buds, 25-30 cm long. When digging into the ground, make sure that at least 2 buds remain below the surface.
To form a fence of wild grapes, leave a distance of about one and a half meters between the plants, and in a couple of years they will fill in the gaps. Be sure to water the cuttings after planting and the first time to ensure that they have enough shade and moisture.
Root offspring
Long regrown branches often have root scions in large numbers with which they root in the ground. They can simply be dug up and planted in a suitable place for you to grow further. This is a very convenient and easy way.
Seed propagation
If for some reason you chose a more complicated method and decided to propagate wild grapes with seeds, then you should plant in spring or autumn in the previously loosened soil to a depth of about a centimeter.
Important! When spring sowing in the ground, you need to harden the seeds. To do this, soak them in cold water for 1-5 hours, and then place them in a damp cloth or earth and keep them in the refrigerator for several days.
Despite some nuances of care, girlish grapes are an excellent solution for decorating buildings,
creating hedges, landscape compositions and replacing the lawn in difficult areas.
Due to its unpretentiousness and extreme vitality, it will not require much attention and professional knowledge in gardening from you.
