How to grow grape seedlings from cuttings? At first glance, this question seems to be very difficult. There is an idea that for this you need to have a lot of special knowledge and skills. Yes, indeed, you will have to put in enough effort and patience, but with a strong desire, this can be done. How to properly grow grapes from cuttings will be discussed further.
Methods of propagation of grapes
There are two ways to propagate grapes: from the seed and from the seedling. Propagation from the seed is used primarily in breeding, although some gardeners who are ready for experiments or who want to grow grapes of their favorite variety choose this particular method. There are some features here, from harvesting seeds to planting them in the ground and ending with caring for young seedlings. But that's another topic.
If you want to grow grapes at home and keep all the characteristics of the variety, you needplant seedlings. They are grown vegetatively, namely by rooting a piece of the vine called a cutting. This method is considered the simplest and at the same time ideal, because it is based on the ability of a culture to fully revive from just one piece of planting material, retaining all the properties and qualities of the mother vine. Consider further how to grow a grape seedling from a cutting in winter.
Preparation of cuttings
So, the cultivation of grape seedlings begins with the preparation of cuttings. It is carried out in late autumn, after the first frost, when pruning bushes. Annual shoots are well suited for this, the main thing is that the vine ripens well (how to grow grapes from a cutting, we will consider in the article).
Unripe vines usually have a dirty green color and a "wrinkled" surface. Such material is not suitable for harvesting cuttings. Next, the middle part is selected from the shoot, the top and the first two or three eyes are cut off.
Storage
If you decide to grow grapes from cuttings, in winter the selected material must be sent for storage. The vine is best preserved as a whole, for this it needs to be covered with coarse-grained, moderately moist sand and taken out to a cool place. A basement with a relatively stable temperature plus 2-4 ° C is well suited.
An important detail must be taken into account - the vine undergoes an oxidation process during storage, otherwise it is called "the vine lives." Sothe higher the temperature in the room, the more actively it “lives”, that is, it oxidizes. This leads to the fact that the planting material is weakened, and its shelf life is significantly reduced. In addition, it is necessary to monitor the humidity, because at low humidity the vine can dry out, and at high humidity it can become moldy.
Before growing grapes from cuttings, in the spring, around the beginning of February, a few weeks before planting in the soil, the planting material must be checked for integrity and safety. To do this, gently press the secateurs on the transverse incision of the twig: if a drop of juice comes out, the stalk is fresh and well preserved, if the juice does not come out, it means that there was a high temperature in the room and the stalk was dry. If water came out of the incision even without pressure, the vine rotted from excess moisture. Another way to check how the planting material is holding up is to make a small incision: its color should be pale green, without any black or dark blotches.
In the spring, around March, the vine is taken out of the hiding place and taken out to a warm room. After that, it must be properly cut into cuttings. They should be 30-35 cm long and have three to four eyes. The lower cut of the cutting should be almost under the eye (2-3 mm lower), and the upper cut 2-3 cm above the eye.
Soaking the chibouks
To grow grapes from cuttings at home, the cut vine is lowered into water and soaked for 1-3 days - depending on how much moisture the planting material has collected. It is very good to add biologically activesubstances (for example, flower honey), as well as root formation stimulants. This will increase the positive result and will contribute to faster root formation. After all, growers have long noticed that the bud of the vine swells and develops faster, and it takes more time to form a root, about two to three weeks. Therefore, a prematurely formed and swollen kidney can dry out.
Sprouting cuttings
Let's consider further how to grow a grape cutting in a pot. After soaking, the chibouks must be placed in a bowl with special soil to undergo the root formation process. Large plastic glasses or bottles may be suitable for this. So, at the bottom of the container, after piercing it with an awl in several places, we pour a drainage layer, on top of it a few tablespoons of soil mixture with the addition of sand and humus. In this mixture, we make a hole in the center and carefully lower the stalk there at an angle so that the upper kidney is at the level of the top of the bottle or glass. Pour steamed wet sawdust over the soil mixture. This whole structure is covered on top again with a large plastic glass without a bottom, which can be removed after four leaves grow on a twig. Cuttings placed in such mini-greenhouses are placed in a warm place, the main thing is that there are no drafts.
Irrigation
Watering is necessary every two days, but this must be done through the pan. It is necessary to pour warm settled water into it and put a glass or a bottle with a handle for 15 minutes. Through the holes in the bottom of the glass, exactly as much moisture as the plant needs will get into the container.
Within two to three weeks, the bark should crack on the bottom of the cutting (some say on the heel), after which the root will appear. All this will be clearly visible through a transparent glass. If the bark did not crack and roots did not appear, this means that the temperature and humidity of the environment in which the planting material was located was low. Therefore, the cuttings need to be held longer.
Next, there will be swelling of the buds on the shoots and the germination of young leaves. Some growers recommend that during this period it is imperative to harden seedlings, taking them out daily to the street and gradually increasing the residence time. First put in the shade, and then in the sun, while carefully avoiding drafts. As mentioned earlier, after the appearance of roots and a few leaves on the shoot, we remove the upper glass. So, we already have ready-made material for planting in prepared soil. Do not keep the seedling in the container for too long, because the longer the roots have grown, the easier it is to damage them during transplantation.
Landing
Before landing in a pre-prepared place, you need to carefully monitor the weather forecast and how warm the soil is. If planted in cold soil, the cutting is unlikely to take root well. But, on the other hand, if you keep it longer and drop it off later, then from a long content it can becomeweakened, so if it takes root, then it is unlikely that a he althy vine will ripen. In addition, young grape seedlings are very sensitive to temperature changes, the slightest frost will destroy the root system and all work will be in vain. Therefore, sprouted seedlings are planted around the end of June, when it is finally getting warmer.
Care
Growing grapes from cuttings at home is easy, the main thing is to provide the right care. After planting in the ground during the growing season, you need to maintain the necessary moisture, protect young leaves and buds from the scorching sun or excessive cold, feed the seedling with special fertilizers (nitrogen or phosphorus). But you need to know that in the second half of summer it is not recommended to apply nitrogen fertilizers, because they stimulate growth, but slow down the ripening of the vine.
During the growth period during the summer, "green operations" are carried out: they consist in removing excess shoots (you need to leave one best), stepchildren and other procedures. But the main thing in this process is not to overdo it and not do all the operations at the same time, as you can weaken the plant.
If the weather conditions are not very favorable, a seedling (to grow grapes from a cutting, as you can see, the task, albeit not a very difficult one, but requiring a competent approach) can be affected by fungal diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out spraying with fungicides in a timely manner. If the shoot is damaged by ticks or midges, treat with acaricides.
At the end of summer, chasing is carried out - the top of the shoot is cut off. But all this is carried out gradually: it is impossiblesimultaneously remove excess shoots and carry out chasing, this will harm the plant.
In late autumn, after the leaves fall, the seedlings are dug up, neatly folded into a convenient container, sprinkled with wet sand and lowered into the basement for storage, maintaining the proper temperature (2-4 ° C) and humidity there. In the spring, after repeating the above-described hardening and disinfection procedure with a weak solution of manganese, they are planted again in the already warmed soil at a “permanent place of residence”. A seedling is considered sound and well-bearing in the future, which has at least 3-4 roots evenly spaced in a circle, the growth thickness is approximately 4-5 mm, and a well-ripened vine is at least 15-20 cm long.
Like all living things, a plant needs attention and care. It must be borne in mind that not all grape varieties reproduce equally. Some are easier to root and grow grapes from a cutting of this variety is easier. Others, without special fertilizers and biostimulants for the formation of the root system, are quite difficult to grow. But, despite all the difficulties, it is impossible to refuse planting such "complex" grape varieties, because these species have a lot of other positive qualities - high resistance to temperature extremes and frost resistance, endurance to various diseases, or just an excellent presentation.
Conclusion
So, we looked at how to grow grapes from cuttings. If you follow the breeding technology in growing this crop, and if you have the desire and patience, you can get a very rich harvest of large and tasty grapes on your own.plot!
