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In order for the grapes to take root and eventually give a good harvest, it is important not only the planting site, proper care, but also the optimal time for planting the cuttings. Before planting grapes in the spring, you should study the characteristics of the selected variety, since the rest period for each plant may vary. However, along with this, planting seedlings in the spring has more significant advantages over planting at other times.
Benefits of spring planting
Planting grapes in spring allows you to prepare a planting plan in advance, in detail and slowly, order the necessary seedlings and study in more detail the question of how to plant grapes in spring correctly. In addition, before spring, you can more carefully prepare the planting pit, bring the site into proper shape and purchase the missing and necessary materials and tools. Since in the pits prepared immediately before planting, the soil should be well compacted, which will be below the root system, to avoid tearing off the roots. And cuttings planted in cold ground take root very poorly and lag behind in development.
The undoubted advantage of spring planting is the safety of the cuttings. There will be no need to worry about possible frost holes, the harm that hares or unscrupulous people can cause by simply pulling out a freshly planted seedling. Planting in the spring not only guarantees the survival of the grapes, subject to abundant watering, but also reduces the growing season. That is, planting grapes in the spring, fruiting occurs a year earlier, while planting in the fall, the fruiting shifts one season.
In order for the grapes to take root and develop the root system for a normal, safe wintering, they plant it as soon as the soil condition allows, but no later than May 5-15. A later disembarkation is not desirable and requires more effort in care.
Grape planting scheme
Material preparation
The life expectancy and yield of a grape bush depends on the composition of the soil and the planting site. Preference should be given to loamy and sandy soils. With good preparation of ditches and pits, grapes can be successfully grown on low-humus, shallow sandy soils. Avoid areas that are heavily calcareous or saline, where there is waterlogging and stagnant water, which are located in the vicinity of sewers. The ideal landing site is old pits, covered with earth with deep bulk soil, sites of former buildings with impurities of construction debris, decomposed organic residues, sand and stony debris.
Cuttings for spring planting are prepared during autumn pruning. When removing unnecessary branches, shoots with a diameter of at least 5-12 mm are left as a cutting, which are cut off the middle part of the fruit arrow or on a replacement knot. All leaves, shoots, tendrils, unripened tops and stepchildren are removed from the branch. Each cutting is cut off, leaving no more than 4-5 buds. 2,5-3 cm recede upwards from the upper kidney and cut off the stalk at an angle with an inclination from the eye, the lower part is cut in a straight line under the lower eye. To improve root formation, on the lower part of the cutting, 3-4 vertical strips 2,5-4 cm long up to the bast are carefully made with a knife or a needle.
Prepared cuttings are tied in bunches and marked according to the variety. To increase the physiological humidity, the bundles are placed in a container with warm water for a day, and then they are etched with a 5% solution of copper sulfate and dried. After that, the cuttings are wrapped in a tight plastic bag or film and stored in a cool place in the basement, cellar or in the refrigerator until planting. During the winter, lying cuttings should be inspected several times, remove mucus, mold or whitish plaque and turn over to the other side.
Landing technique
12-15 days before planting, the quality of seedlings is checked – their root on the cut should be light in color, annual shoots should be ripe and have a light green color on the cut. When you lightly press the secateurs on the eyes, they should not fall off. Immediately before planting, the grapes are soaked in clean water for 15-20 hours, annual shoots are cut off, leaving 2-4 eyes. On the lower nodes, the roots are refreshed, and on the upper ones, they are completely removed. To prevent fungal diseases, growth is treated with special preparations without wetting the roots.
So that the seedlings do not burn out in the sun, they should be hardened. To do this, they are kept for 5-7 days under a canopy or in a dark place, and then for 7-10 days in direct sunlight. If the seedlings are vegetative, grown at elevated temperatures and lack of lighting, the acclimatization period should be increased by 1,5-2 times.
For planting in a prepared planting pit with dimensions of 80 cm by 80 cm and a depth of 80-90 cm, a nutrient cushion 20-25 cm high is made at the bottom. For this, fertile soil and 5-8 buckets of humus are mixed. The mixture is lightly compacted. A mixture of mineral fertilizers is poured on top – 2,5-3 liters of wood ash, 250-300 g of potash fertilizers and 250-350 g of superphosphates. After that, it is necessary to mix fertilizers to a depth of 10-15 cm with the soil and compact it again. Then add a layer of fertile soil without fertilizers and humus, 5-7 cm thick.
As a result, the depth of the pit should be 50-60 cm. A mound is made in the center of the pit – a heel and a seedling is placed on it, evenly distributing the roots over the cone. Then, before growth, it is covered with fertile soil without fertilizers.
Saplings from cut cuttings are installed vertically. If their height exceeds 25-30 cm, then the seedlings are placed obliquely, leaving the base of the growth at a depth of 20-25 cm, and covered with earth. After planting, the depth of the hole should be at least 20-25 cm. The earth in the root zone is slightly compacted and watered abundantly, depending on soil moisture, 2-4 buckets per bush. After the top layer dries, the soil should be loosened by 7-15 cm. After 12-14 days, watering is repeated 2 more times. After the third watering, the ground is again loosened shallowly and mulched with 4-6 cm sawdust. In the future, after each watering and heavy rains, the pit must be loosened.
Video “Spring planting of grape cuttings – technology and principles”
This video shows how to plant grapes in the spring. Planting technology, preparation of planting pits, post-planting care are covered, and recommendations are given for preparing grapes for wintering.