How can grapes be propagated?

Grapes can be propagated in both spring and autumn. However, as practice shows, spring planting gives the best results. During this period, seedlings take root easier, they are not afraid of frost, and the first crop can be harvested earlier than during autumn planting. There are several popular ways to propagate grapes, each has its own advantages and disadvantages – we’ll talk about them in our review.

How can grapes be propagated?

Reproduction by cuttings

The easiest method of propagating garden grapes is using cuttings. They can be harvested in early spring or late autumn. In the first case, this is done before the onset of vegetation and sap flow, in the second – with the arrival of a period of winter dormancy.

Autumn harvesting of planting material is considered preferable, since in spring part of the shoots is damaged by frost.

A healthy, strong vine without external signs of damage and disease with a thickness of 8–10 mm is suitable for grafting. It must be cut into separate shank so that 6-8 buds are preserved on each. If you plan to harvest many cuttings at once, it is better to store the vine as a whole without cutting it. This is due to the fact that during winter storage the places of cuts dry out slightly, in the spring they have to be renewed. Accordingly, during the trimming of the edges, the length of the cutting is significantly reduced – the material may simply be unsuitable for subsequent rooting.

The blanks are sorted by type, combined into bundles and sent for storage. For this, rooms with high humidity and a temperature of 2-4 degrees are suitable.

How can grapes be propagated?

How can grapes be propagated?

Owners of private houses do it in the basement, the temperature and humidity there are as close to ideal as possible. In addition, there is enough free space in the subfield so that the entire vine can be placed there.

The blanks are stored in a plastic film; several ventilation holes must be provided in it. In winter, you need to periodically check the condition of future seedlings. If you notice that the cuttings are drying, you should sprinkle them with water from a spray bottle. If the humidity level in the basement is higher than normal and signs of rot appear on them, they should be removed from the film, the damaged fragments removed and treated with a solution of copper sulphate or Bordeaux mixture. When the blanks are dry, they are again wrapped in a film, but they try not to wrap too much.

How can grapes be propagated?

Experienced growers store cuttings in the sand. In this case, a layer of river sand 6–10 mm thick is poured onto the basement floor. The substrate is slightly moistened from above and the vine blanks are placed, and then again sprinkled with wet sand. Caring for cuttings comes down to maintaining the necessary soil moisture.

If you do not have a basement, you can store blanks right on the site. To do this, they dig a hole 40-60 cm deep in the ground and carefully place the vine in it. To protect against frost, they cover the top with an earthen mound and wrap it with spruce branches. In this form, the cuttings can be preserved until spring without any problems.

You can place the cuttings in the refrigerator. In this case, they should be divided into separate fragments, wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in a plastic bag with holes for ventilation. It is best to keep them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or in a vegetable basket. Some gardeners smear the places where cuttings are cut with plasticine or melted wax – this method allows you to retain moisture to the maximum.

How can grapes be propagated?

All subsequent care comes down to periodic inspection of the cuttings and, if necessary, moisturizing them. At the end of February – beginning of March, the blanks are removed from the film, inspected and the spoiled fragments are removed. Then the vine is cut into separate cuttings so that the lower cut passes under the lower bud at an angle of 90 degrees, the upper one – a couple of centimeters above the upper bud at an angle of 45 degrees.

Before rooting, the material should be soaked, this procedure takes 2-3 days. To do this, 2/3 of the length of the blanks is placed in table or rain water with a growth stimulant preparation diluted in it: Kornevin, Epin or Heteroauxin. For the same purpose, you can take flower honey, it is bred in a proportion of 1 tbsp. l. to a bucket of water.

Drops of water will appear on the top of healthy blanks in the first hour. If you do not notice them even after a day, then you need to update the places of the cuts and again send the stalk to the nutrient solution. If drops do not appear within 3 days, then the material is unsuitable for subsequent rooting.

How can grapes be propagated?

In order for the cuttings to take root as quickly as possible, it makes sense to hold them furrowing. To do this, after soaking, the lowest kidney is cut off and several neat longitudinal cuts are made on the lower part of the handle. It is noticed that in these places the roots appear much faster.

Prepared cuttings are placed in wet sand and waiting for the roots to appear. As soon as they appear, you can send them for growing. For this, a soil mixture is prepared from forest land, humus, river sand and lowland peat, taken in equal proportions.

How can grapes be propagated?

How can grapes be propagated?

At the bottom of the container where the landing is planned, expanded clay or any drainage should be poured. The container is filled with soil mixture by a third and the cutting is placed in the center. After that, it remains only to carefully add the earth to the top so that the uppermost kidney is above ground level.

All further care is watering. However, caution must be exercised here. If there is too much water, young roots will begin to rot. The most effective will be watering in the pan, and not under the root.

When rooting grape cuttings, it is always better to under-water rather than over-moisten.

How can grapes be propagated?

Starting from mid-May, rooted blanks are planted in a permanent place. So that the young plant does not experience stress from the changed temperature, the cuttings need to be hardened. To do this, they are taken out into the street every day: first for an hour, then gradually increase the time interval. Shortly before planting, the cuttings should be left outdoors throughout the day.

It will be useful to accustom the seedlings to the bright sun. To do this, after hardening, young plants are placed in a sunny place, gradually increasing the time of exposure to ultraviolet rays. When the threat of return frosts has completely passed, the prepared seedlings are placed in a permanent place.

How can grapes be propagated?

How to breed by dropping vines?

Many fruit bushes are bred by layering. This method involves digging shoots and branches to the ground. With the correct procedure for one summer, you can get several new plants at once. This method is used for poorly rooted varieties, as well as seedless varieties, it can be used for ornamental girlish grapes. At the same time, the nutrition of future seedlings from the parent bush is preserved, thereby ensuring the full development and formation of their root system.

How can grapes be propagated?

lignified shoot

The instillation of lignified shoots is carried out in April, before the onset of sap flow. For this, strong shoots of last year, located close to the ground, are suitable. In the chosen place, they dig a trench 45 cm deep from the bush to the area where you plan to dig the vine.

Soil is poured into this hole, fed with humus, compost and superphosphate, and then the shoot is carefully placed. You need to bend it with all care so as not to break it. At the bottom of the hole, it is fixed with a wire or a stone.

Where it is planned to grow a new plant, the vine is bent, then carefully brought out and fixed to a peg. After that, it is necessary to remove all the buds and eyes located on the shoot from the parent grape to the bend zone. The trench is sprinkled with soil and thoroughly moistened. Usually, fairly strong roots form in a year, and with the onset of the next spring, the young plant can be painlessly separated from the parent.

How can grapes be propagated?

green escape

If the grape bush gave a lot of young shoots, then in June or July you can try to dig in the most powerful of them. The technique of work is similar and involves the removal of the upper part of the shoot with a pair of leaves. If the shoot is long, you can dig it as a sinusoid and bring it to the surface two or more times. In this case, all areas remaining under the ground are carefully fixed in the trench with studs.

During rooting, it is important not to allow the soil to dry out. Compliance with agricultural technology allows you to get several young plants at once by the beginning of the next growing season.

How can grapes be propagated?

“Chinese” taps

The name “Chinese” was given to layering, which is formed due to the complete laying of lignified shoots into the substrate. This method is used for breeding weakly rooted varieties. In this case, in early spring, the longest shoot growing at the base of the vine bush is chosen, and it is dug along its entire length into a trench to a depth of 20–25 cm.

From above, the planting material is sprinkled with a moistened substrate and pinned several times. The pit is not completely covered with earth, but with a layer of 5–6 cm. When buds appear on the branches and shoots begin to grow from them, you can add a little more earth to the ditch.

With proper care, shoots will grow in all buried buds. In this case, in the last decade of August – early September, the vine is carefully dug up and cut into several young seedlings – they can be planted on a permanent plot. However, in this case, during the summer season, it will be necessary to remove not only extra bunches, but also young shoots and all stepchildren. This will reduce the load on the main bush, but at the same time reduce the yield.

How can grapes be propagated?

How to vaccinate?

Experienced growers use grafting to breed crops. It can be carried out in different ways, while it is permissible to use cuttings prepared from young shoots of the current season, and last year’s. Depending on this, different terminology is used: “black to green”, “black to black”, “green to black”.

It is best to use cuttings prepared in the fall and stored in the basement as a scion.

Such a vaccination will be effective if the buds on the branches are already slightly swollen. When performing work, the cuttings are selected in such a way that their size fits the rootstock shoot. After that, the workpiece is soaked in water for 3-5 hours and oblique sections are formed on the handle and stock, then the grafting zone is connected and tightly fixed.

How can grapes be propagated?

How can grapes be propagated?

Grafting “black to green” involves the use of two-year-old cuttings with awakened buds. They are grafted onto strong green shoots of this year. This grafting is carried out using the “split” technique, the work can be performed throughout the entire growing season.

Kidney grafting is performed in June / July, always on a green vine. It involves the implantation of a kidney into the rootstock using longitudinal or T-shaped incisions. The grafting site is wrapped with plastic wrap, and after months it will be well established.

How can grapes be propagated?

How can grapes be propagated?

How to grow from seed?

The seed method of propagation of grapes is very long, the first harvest will have to wait several years. Usually, scientists resort to this method to develop new varieties. In summer cottages, it is not in demand.

Usually, seeds are planted to a depth of 2 cm, on sandy substrates – 4 cm. The first shoots appear after one and a half to two weeks, at this moment the container with young sprouts should be placed on a lighted windowsill, protected from drafts. At this stage, seedlings need at least 15 hours of light per day, so backlighting should be used if necessary.

It will be useful to mulch the ground with perlite. This will prevent the development of the black leg. As soon as the heat comes – young bushes can be planted in bulk containers or open ground.

How can grapes be propagated?

How can grapes be propagated?

Despite the apparent complexity, any person who is familiar with the rules for caring for fruit and berry crops can propagate grapes. Despite the fact that garden grapes are a liana, by their nature they are not much different from other fruit shrubs. Accordingly, his breeding techniques are basically the same as, for example, gooseberries and currants. You can get new plants at home by cuttings, grafting or layering. If you follow all the rules, then even beginners can get high quality planting material.

How can grapes be propagated?

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Anna Evans

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