How to Make a Grapevine Bonsai
If you want to know about making a grapevine bonsai, follow our editor to find out!
Using cutting or layering methods, grapevines can be designed into curved dragon shapes, basket shapes, or fan shapes, etc., for bonsai, which can be both ornamental and provide delicious pure green fruits. Its cultivation techniques include the following aspects:
Firstly, choosing soil and seeds
Grapes can adapt to various types of soil except for heavily saline-alkaline soil. The soil must be deeply cultivated and fertilized with a lot of organic matter to improve soil fertility. Grape varieties should be chosen to suit early-maturing large fruit varieties for pot cultivation.
Secondly, outdoor cutting
In the north, grape cutting can start in mid-April. When cutting, the cuttings should be slightly oblique and fully inserted into the soil, with the upper bud eyes 1 centimeter from the ground. The grape rows should be oriented from south to north, with plant spacing of 17-20 centimeters and row spacing of 130-150 centimeters.
Thirdly, field management
After the cuttings sprout, leave one main vine to grow on each plant, removing all other lateral branches. When the seedlings reach 30 centimeters tall, a trellis must be set up to prevent lodging, and the grape seedlings should be evenly tied to the trellis wires. When the seedlings reach 80 centimeters tall, the main vines should be pinched. After pinching, 4 lateral branches should be left to grow, and each lateral branch should be pinched after growing 5 leaves. From June onwards, spray a 200x solution of Bordeaux mixture every 15 days. To control pests, except for a 10-day period during flowering, a low-dose, high-efficiency, low-toxicity, and low-residue pesticide should be sprayed every 10 days.
In winter, after the leaves fall, dig a deep trench 33 centimeters wide and deep in the center of the row, then apply pond mud, cakes, and farmyard manure, and cover the soil after application.
Fourthly, pot shaping
It's best to choose a ceramic pot with a diameter of 35-50 centimeters that has good water permeability and ventilation. The potting soil should be rich in organic matter. Before the grapevines sprout in spring, bury the pots in the soil at intervals of about 35 centimeters along the row, with the pot surface slightly lower than the ground. Gently pull down the branches that are full of buds and capable of fruiting, with a vine length of at least 80 centimeters, press them into the pot, fill with soil, and tread firmly. Leave 4-5 full buds on top of the potting soil, then insert a 120-centimeter-long thin rod and tie the vines to it. 20 days after the grapes sprout, make a ring剥 on the vines inside the pot to encourage early and abundant root growth. The position for ring剥 is close to the root end inside the pot, with a length of 2 centimeters, completely removing the epidermis. After the cuttings bear fruit, leave 5 leaves above the fruit cluster to pinch, ensuring that the plant inside the pot is below 120 centimeters tall. Leave 4-6 fruit clusters per pot. Before flowering, remove half of each cluster to ensure that the fruit clusters are neat and the fruit is evenly distributed.
Fifthly, fertilization and water management
After the grapes sprout, water immediately. To ensure that the roots in the pot are well-developed, the potting soil must be kept moist. If the weather is dry, water thoroughly every 4-6 days, and after watering, cover the pot surface with wheat bran or straw to retain moisture. After the grapes drop their flowers, combine watering with applying a 3%-5% nitrogen-phosphorus complex fertilizer every 15 days.
The above experience and knowledge on how to make a grapevine bonsai are shared for your reference, hoping this article can be of some help to you!