Planting grapes in autumn

Grapes are a southern plant, so they love warmth and sunlight. The local climate is not very suitable for a thermophilic culture, so special attention should be paid to such important points as proper planting, care and shelter of the vine for the winter. Each gardener determines the timing of planting grapes independently, but most experienced growers say that it is better to do this in the fall.

What are the advantages of planting in the fall, as well as how to properly plant grapes on a plot in the fall – these issues will be addressed in the article.

When is the best time to plant grapes: autumn or spring

Many experts recommend planting grapes in the spring for no other reason than that this way the plant will have more time to develop and take root before a harsh winter. However practice shows that the problem of freezing seedlings is easily solved by reliable shelter and deeper planting.

Autumn planting of seedlings has a number of advantages:

1. In autumn, the ground is wetter, which is very important for young seedlings that need to take root. In the summer, the grower will have to water the young plants weekly so that they do not dry out.
2. Properly buried seedlings do not freeze in winter, because their roots are more than half a meter from the surface of the earth. But the grape seedlings planted in the autumn will harden, subsequently the vine will be able to endure frosts stronger than -20 degrees.
3. Autumn grapes wake up earlier and start new shoots in spring – the development of such seedlings is faster than those that have been planted since spring.
4. Various exhibitions and fairs, where valuable grape varieties are sold, take place in autumn. The gardener will have a great opportunity to choose the right variety from a large assortment.

When to plant grapes in the fall, each owner decides for himself. Most summer residents do this from mid-October until the onset of severe frosts. The general rule is that there must be at least 10 days left before a real winter frost, so that the grapes have time to take root in a new place.

How to plant grapes in autumn

Usually in the fall, grape seedlings are planted with a well-developed root system and several buds. The planting itself is practically no different from spring, the only thing is that the grapes will need to be well insulated and watering completed 10-14 days before the expected frost.

Where to plant grapes

The choice of a place for planting seedlings is based on the heat and light-loving nature of this plant. Grapes are best planted on the south side of the site, the east or west side is also suitable.

To protect the plant from extreme cold, you should not plant it in lowlands or at the bottom of ravines – this is where the air temperature drops the most. It is better to choose southern slopes that could reliably protect the plant from cold winds and high humidity.

At the same time, the western or southwestern side is chosen for landing. Throughout the day, the building will heat up in the sun, and in the cool evening and at night it will give off the accumulated heat to the vine.

Vineyards love nutritious, loose soil. Chernozem is most suitable for planting seedlings, but, in principle, if you fertilize the pit well, you can plant grapes in any soil. The only thing to consider when choosing a landing site: sandy soil freezes harder in winter and dries out faster in summer. In the sand, you need to make a clay castle at the bottom of the pit, which will prevent the leakage of water and nutrients. And yet, such vineyards shelter more strongly for the winter and plant young plants a little deeper.

How to choose and prepare grape seedlings for autumn planting

Proper cultivation of grapes begins with the selection of a healthy and strong seedling.

A good autumn seedling must meet the following criteria:

• have a brown trunk, up to 50 cm long;
• have one or more green shoots of any length;
• the root system should be well developed, consist of upper and lower root nodes;
• the roots themselves reach a length of about 15 cm;
• on the cut, the root should be “live”, white and wet;
• a good quality seedling is packed in clay protection – moist clay envelops the grape roots;
• seedlings should not be in the sun;
• leaves and young shoots have a rich green color (the pallor of the shade indicates that the plant is a greenhouse that has not been hardened).

When grape seedlings are purchased, they should be planted as soon as possible. Pre-spend planting material preparation, for grapes it is as follows:

1. First, grape seedlings are placed in cold water and soaked for 12-24 hours. It is allowed to add growth stimulants to the water, but many experts argue that this will negatively affect the development of the vine in the future.
2. Now you need to remove the seedling from the water and inspect it. With sharp scissors, cut the green process, leaving 3-4 eyes.
3. The upper roots are cut off completely, and those located in the lower node are only slightly shortened to stimulate growth (cut by 1-2 cm).
4. To protect the grapes from fungal infections, the plant is treated with any fungicide suitable for vineyards (for example, “Dnoka”).

Now the seedling is ready for planting before winter.

Soil preparation and planting grapes

So that the capricious plant does not freeze out in the cold winter, you need to plant grapes deep enough. The average size of the pit for planting seedlings is 80x80x80 cm, you can reduce the diameter of the pit, but its depth should remain at the level of 0,8-1 meters.

The distance between adjacent vines should be at least a meter, but if possible, it is better to increase the gaps to two meters. So, at the chosen place, they dig a hole of the specified size and perform the following actions:

• 5-10 cm of crushed stone, pebbles or broken bricks are poured to the very bottom – this is a drainage layer. Drainage is necessary in order to protect the roots from high humidity.
• A pipe is installed in the drainage, the end of which will rise above ground level when the hole is buried. The pipe is placed on the side, and it is needed in order to feed the grapes directly to the roots at any time of the year.

  

• The next layer is nutrient soil or black soil. The thickness of such a pillow is about 25-30 cm. Humus or compost is suitable as a nutrient layer: about eight buckets of fertilizer are poured into each hole.
• Mineral fertilizers are poured on top: 0,3 kg of superphosphate and potash fertilizer, three liter cans of wood ash. It is necessary to mix fertilizers with the soil, deepening by 10-15 cm.

  

• The nutrient layer is covered with a thin layer of black soil so that the roots of the grapes do not burn out from direct contact with fertilizers – 5 cm is enough.
• In the remaining 50 cm hole, a small tubercle is made of soil. Grapes are planted on it and the roots are carefully straightened, placing them along a cone.
• The pit is gradually covered with earth to the point of growth on the seedling. Lightly tamp the soil around the grapes. On this landing can be considered over.
• Immediately after planting, the grapes need to be watered, spending 20-30 liters per bush. When the top layer of the soil dries out, it must be loosened.

Aftercare

Planting grapes in the autumn is completed, now the most important thing is to prepare the seedlings for wintering. In addition to watering, grapes at this stage do not require any care, only with the onset of real frosts, seedlings should be covered.

In warm regions, a simple earthen mound above the grapes is enough, its height is about 30-50 cm. In a more severe climate, the grapes are insulated more carefully, wrapping the shoots with plastic wrap, folding them into earthen tunnels, covering them with spruce branches or sawdust.

In any case, do not rush to shelter, because it can harm the grapes. If the temperature is above zero, the seedlings can rot, in addition, insects and rodents threaten them in the ground. Experts advise covering the vine only after the first frost, so that the plants undergo some hardening.

Everyone decides for himself: to plant grapes in spring or autumn. This article lists all the advantages of autumn planting. To better understand all the nuances of this event, you can watch the video: