How to Plant Grapes
Let's talk about how to plant grapes and the cultivation and management techniques of grape plants, let's take a look together!
When to plant the grape seedlings? How to plant them? The grape planting team at Tian Tian Xue Nong is here to tell you now! Also, the preparation before planting, precautions during planting, and the first year's pruning, fertilization, and comprehensive management of diseases and pests, to help everyone better understand these daily management practices, achieve early fruiting and early high yield, hoping it will be helpful to the majority of new and old grape growers.
When to Plant Grape Seedlings?
Grape seedlings require high temperatures, climate, and rainfall during growth, with a minimum required temperature of around 14 degrees. Therefore, the planting time is generally chosen in spring. If planting grape seedlings in spring, March is a relatively good time, and a shelter should be built for outdoor planting to protect from wind and rain. In autumn, the planting time is from mid-July to August, which is longer than in spring. Grape seedlings planted in autumn fruit earlier, with a large area of fruiting possible the second year. Generally speaking, it takes 2-3 years for grape seedlings to bear fruit, and different varieties also have some differences.
In recent years, research has found that if grape seedlings are larger, autumn planting is more effective than spring planting. The temperature change in autumn is more stable, with a smaller range of temperature change than in spring, and the humidity of the air and soil is higher than in spring. Compared to spring, autumn is more beneficial for wound healing and new root growth. Therefore, the survival rate of grape seedlings planted in autumn can normally reach over 90%, much higher than the survival rate of spring planting.
Autumn planting can also end the high-yield period earlier. Grape seedlings planted in autumn do not need to be acclimatized, and the development time of germination and growth is about one month earlier than spring planting. Some grape seedlings can bloom and bear fruit in the same year, and the next year they can mature and bear fruit. Compared to spring planting, grape seedlings can bloom and bear fruit faster in the second year, and only a few plants see fruit in the second year after autumn planting, usually reaching the fruiting period in the third year, with the high-yield period one year later than autumn planting.
Autumn planting of grape seedlings can also avoid competing with other crops for fertilizer and water. When planting grape seedlings in autumn, it is done after other crops have been watered and fertilized. This can effectively prevent other crops from competing with grape seedlings for nutrients, which is beneficial for meeting the nutritional needs of autumn planted grape seedlings and ensuring the quality of their growth.
In the Huang Hai region of our country, if the planting period of grape seedlings starts in the second half of October, it ends by the end of November, with a period of about 50 days, which is about 10 days longer than the spring planting period. This can help extend the acclimatization period of grape seedlings, indirectly advancing the planting by one year. Spring planted grape seedlings are prone to injury due to higher temperatures and compared to autumn, the acclimatization period is one year later, so autumn planting is better.
Seedling Planting Methods
Before planting, the seedlings should be pruned appropriately, removing dead stubs, leaving 3 or more tender buds, shortening the long lateral roots, and leaving about 15 centimeters of the root. After pruning, the seedlings should be soaked in clean water for a day, or soaked in a liquid mixture of decomposed manure and water. The purpose of soaking is because the seedlings have not had water supplementation for a long time during transportation, and supplementing water at this time can help the seedlings adapt to the environment faster and improve the survival rate of grapes.
When planting, dig shallow holes 30 centimeters deep every 0.5 meters, place the prepared seedlings with dipped roots or soaked into the planting holes, spread the roots around on a circular soil pile, do not circle the roots, make the roots closely adhere to the soil, and then fill the surrounding surface soil, tamping the soil around the roots while filling. Cover the grafting site with soil 1 centimeter below, and cover the cutting seedlings so that the neck is level with the surface of the planting trench. After planting, water thoroughly once, then cover the soil after the water has seeped in to prevent the roots from being exposed. Do not put farmyard manure, chemical fertilizers, etc., in the planting holes to prevent burning the seedlings.
After planting, cover with black plastic film to mainly maintain soil moisture, prevent water loss, reduce weed growth, maintain ground temperature, and accelerate grape growth. In dry areas, after planting, cover with sandy loam soil to a height of 2 centimeters above the uppermost bud eye to prevent the bud eye from drying out, water again after 5 days, and it is best to use plastic film mulching, which is beneficial for raising ground temperature and moisture retention, promoting root growth.
After the grape seedlings sprout, they should start to be fertilized. In the seedling stage, mainly apply nitrogen fertilizer to promote root growth, repair root damage, and shape the plant. After fertilizing, water promptly to keep the soil moist. Generally, in the later growth stage, reduce the amount and frequency of watering, and pay attention to drainage during the rainy season.
Grape seedlings are very susceptible to black spot and white rot diseases, and in the later stage, they are easily affected by downy mildew. Spray lime sulfur alternately before germination, 6-7 times. When the seedlings have grown to 8 leaves, spray once with sterilizing agent. It is also important to clean the orchard regularly, cut off diseased branches and fruits, and reduce the occurrence of diseases.
Annual Management Techniques for Seedlings
Pruning off lateral branches
After planting, the removal of buds, determination of branches, and topping are very important. When the bud eyes germinate, the grafting seedlings should promptly remove the buds that sprout below the grafting joint to avoid the growth of suckers consuming nutrients and affecting the germination of scion bud eyes and the growth of new shoots. When the height is 20 centimeters, determine the branches and thin out according to the planting density and shaping requirements, remove excess branches, retain strong branches, and do not retain weak branches, so that the nutrients can be concentrated to supply the remaining branches for plant growth.
Fertilization
The key to early high-yield cultivation techniques is fertilization and water management. When the new shoots grow to 30-35 centimeters, dig a circular trench 30 centimeters away from the seedlings and apply nitrogen fertilizer (urea) at 15-20 kilograms per 667 square meters, water immediately after fertilizing, and loosen the soil after watering. Since the roots of newly planted seedlings are small and the amount of nutrients absorbed is also small, it is necessary to apply fertilizer frequently but in small amounts, 2-3 times a year, with a 20-30 day interval, mainly applying nitrogen fertilizer in the early stage and phosphorus-potassium fertilizer in the later stage. As the seedlings grow, the trench should be moved outward appropriately, and the amount can be increased according to the growth of the seedlings. After fertilization, water promptly, loosen the soil, and control weeds.
Providing support
When the seedlings have 10-12 leaves ( tendrils start to appear), start binding the branches and continue as they grow.
Topping
When the seedlings reach 1 meter high, perform topping of the main shoot and treatment of lateral shoots. First, remove the lateral shoots below 30 centimeters from the ground, then leave 1-2 leaves on the lateral shoots above for repeated topping, and for stronger lateral shoots, leave 4-5 leaves for repeated topping. When the main shoot reaches 1.5 meters, top it again. In the Beijing area, if the seedlings are well managed by the beginning of September, they can reach about 2 meters, and the last topping of the main shoot should be performed. Multiple toppings can promote thickening of the seedlings, lignification of branches, and flower bud differentiation.
Disease and pest control
The main pests are green stinkbugs, grape mites (eriophyid mite), and golden beetles; the main diseases are black spot, white rot, anthracnose, powdery mildew, and downy mildew. It is necessary to use medications in a timely and targeted manner according to the occurrence of diseases and pests; it is essential to use various chemical agents scientifically.
Winter pruning
In winter pruning, cut at a fully mature diameter of about 0.8-1 centimeters (determined by shaping requirements). When the lateral shoots on the main shoot are about 0.5 centimeters thick, leave 1-2 buds for short topping as the fruiting branches for the next year. Remove fallen leaves, dead branches, and weeds, and剪除带菌枝条 during winter pruning.
Burial for frost protection
In northern regions with severe winter cold, burial for frost protection is necessary in winter, with the thickness of covering soil varying by region. In the Beijing area, it should not be less than 20-25 centimeters, and enough water for frost protection should be applied.
The above introduction on how to plant grapes and the cultivation and management techniques of grapes is hoping to be helpful to you. Don't forget to check out more flower care experience and knowledge!