Many gardeners prefer the autumn planting of grape seedlings. The procedure carried out at the end of the season requires careful preparation of both beds and planting material.
Advantages and disadvantages
Planting grapes in autumn with seedlings has both advantages and disadvantages. So, it should be mentioned that by this time the bushes usually have a fairly strong and well-developed root system. Getting on the open ground, the culture adapts rather quickly, and therefore copes with wintering without any problems even in the presence of low temperatures. A seedling planted in autumn will enter the spring period quite strong and healthy. This means that it will be able to withstand the effects of fungi, viruses, insects and immediately begin to grow and grow stronger.
Another advantage is that in autumn, due to precipitation, the soil is already well moistened, and therefore does not require additional irrigation. On the planting material market in the fall, there is a decrease in prices and an expansion of the range – this will allow you to choose the most suitable option with the best characteristics. The main disadvantage of the autumn procedure is the possibility of losing a seedling during a cold snap.
In principle, the presence of covering material, as well as consistent preparation for wintering, will prevent such a nuisance. In addition, following all the recommendations will allow you to get hardened specimens in the spring that will cope even with spring frosts.
Deadlines
Autumn planting is usually carried out from the beginning of October until the soil begins to freeze. However, the main role in choosing the date, of course, is played by the climatic features of the region. The time is calculated so that at least a month and a half is left before the arrival of the first frosts, so that the seedling has time to adapt to a new place. Temperatures at this time should be kept within +15 +16 during the day and +5 +6 at night.
Thus, in the south of Russia, landing is carried out from mid-October to early November. For the Moscow region and the regions of the middle zone, the first half of October will be more successful, and for the Leningrad region – the last days of August and the first of September. In the Volga region, Siberia and the Urals, it is better to plant seedlings in the first two September weeks.
Site selection and preparation
The place where the grape seedlings will be located must meet the requirements of culture, that is, be well lit and protected from the cold wind. It is best to plan the beds on the south, west or southwest side of any buildings on the site. A house, garage, barn or covered veranda will be able to warm up from the sun during the day, and provide additional heating at night. As a result, the process of fruit ripening will be significantly accelerated, and they themselves will reach the required level of sweetness. Where possible, the blank wall of a south-facing building is painted white for better light and heat reflection. Culture seedlings are planted at a distance of 1-1,5 meters from it.
The vineyard will feel great on the slopes of the southern, southwestern or western sides. On the contrary, it will be a very bad decision to plant a crop in the lowlands, where minimum temperatures are observed during cold snaps, and there is also a possibility of flooding. Culture does not favor groundwater, rising higher than 1,5 meters.
Another important rule is to arrange vines, maintaining a distance of 3 to 6 meters from nearby large trees that have the ability to draw nutrients from the soil. Forming a full-fledged vineyard, it should be oriented from north to south. Row spacing in this case should be from 2,5 to 3 meters, and the step between individual seedlings should be from 2 to 3 meters.
As for the soil, grapes love the most chernozem, loam and light earth, and reacts worst of all to salt marshes. Acidic soil is normalized by adding lime or dolomite flour, and peat soils are enriched with river sand in the amount of 2 buckets per square meter. A pit for grapes is dug out in advance – 2-4 weeks in advance, so that the earth has time to settle, and the applied fertilizers to be distributed over the soil and not provoke a burn of the root shoots in the future. The dimensions of the recess, on average, have a depth, width and length equal to 60-80 centimeters, although, of course, one should be guided by the dimensions of the root system.
If it is suspected that groundwater is close to the bottom of the hole, it is necessary to form a drainage layer of crushed stone 5-7 centimeters thick. Next, it is best to form two layers of soil suitable for culture.
The first is a mixture of a couple of buckets of humus or compost, 250 grams of superphosphate, the same amount of potassium sulfate, 3-4 buckets of fertile soil mixture and a kilogram of wood ash. Thoroughly mixed components fill the pit by 20-25 centimeters. Next, a fertile layer 10 centimeters thick is formed in the hole, the main purpose of which will be to prevent the root system from burning with an abundance of fertilizers. Having sealed the contents of the recess, it should be irrigated with a bucket of water. Another option for organizing a pit for grapes suggests starting with a layer of black soil with a thickness of 10 to 15 centimeters. Next, a bucket of rotted manure follows into the hole, and then a layer of suitable fertilizer is formed. The latter can be 150-200 grams of a potassium preparation, 400 grams of regular superphosphate or 200 grams of double superphosphate. Optionally, at this stage, a couple of cans of wood ash are used. Completes the “composition” another layer of black soil.
The above scheme is suitable for planting grapes on clay soil or black soil. However, in the case of sandy soils, the situation is somewhat different. Initially, the hole is dug 10 centimeters deeper and wider. The bottom of the recess is formed by a clay “castle” 15 centimeters thick, as well as a fragment of roofing material. The next layer, as in the previous scheme, is obtained from nutrient soil and black soil.
The only exception is the mandatory use of potash fertilizers containing magnesium. The finished pit is irrigated abundantly using several buckets of liquid. Such watering should be repeated three times with an interval equal to a week.
Preparation of planting material
The first stage in the preparation of planting material should be the correct choice of the seedling to be used. You will have to use a healthy annual, which has at least three developed root processes, and the growth is from 15 centimeters. The thickness of the base of the specimen should start from 5 millimeters, and mature buds should be present on the shoot. Too short a seedling for autumn planting is not suitable. Planting material should be free of any wounds, damage or incomprehensible spots. Before starting work, the seedling should be checked: for this, the top of one of the shoots is shortened by 1 centimeter – a bright green tint should appear on the cut.
A couple of days before the procedure, the roots of the seedling are soaked in water in order to be nourished. Grape growth stimulants are not particularly required, but a “talker” of clay, mullein and water will be useful. In principle, it is not forbidden to additionally use a heteroauxin solution in which the seedling will have to stand. Sometimes a mixture of 1 tablespoon of honey and a liter of water is prepared as a stimulant for grapes. On the day of moving to open ground, the roots of the plant are cut with secateurs. For the most part, no more than 1-2 centimeters will have to be removed so as not to harm the root system, but the upper and lateral processes should be cut off completely. Also, the seedling reduces the number of eyes to 1-2 pieces.
It should be clarified that seedlings for autumn planting can be purchased at the nursery, but they can also be grown on their own. In the second case, the preparation of planting material begins in the spring – it is then that the petioles are cut off, which should subsequently acquire roots. “Home” petioles are carefully removed from their containers so as not to damage the root system, after which they are soaked for 12-24 hours in water. Such a procedure will allow you to clean the root processes from excess earth to the maximum. Immediately before planting, the processes of the root system that stick out in different directions and are too long are cut off, and the rest are dipped into a mixture of mullein and liquid clay.
Landing technology
Beginning gardeners should step by step follow the instructions for autumn planting in open ground – this is the only way to ensure that the culture can be preserved in the winter, and next spring it will begin to develop actively. After the pit “sits down”, and the air fills all the voids, you can get to work. The one-year-old seedling is neatly placed in the hole, and its roots are straightened around the entire perimeter. It is better that the upper eye of the plant goes 10-15 centimeters into the soil. In principle, it would be nice to bend it in the direction from north to south. The plant is half-filled with fertilized soil, which is then compacted and irrigated with a bucket of water. After absorbing moisture, the hole is completely filled.
It is necessary to be able to plant grapes correctly in wells. Dug out with a drill or crowbar, they usually have a depth of 60 to 65 centimeters. In this case, the seedling is carefully placed on the bottom of the hole, and then slightly raised, which allows the roots to straighten and take the desired position. Ideally, underground processes should be at a 45-degree angle to prevent them from curling up. The well is backfilled and compacted, and a small mound is formed at the top.
To easily detect grapes next spring, it is worth sticking a peg next to it.
In the nursery, it is most often possible to purchase a one-year-old or even a two-year-old vegetative seedling. The plant, being grown in a container or pot, has a closed root system, and therefore a limited length of roots. Pmoving it into the hole, you should act with caution, preventing the earth from shedding from the root system. It should be mentioned that a vegetative seedling requires a depth of 25 centimeters on black soil and 30 centimeters on sand. The pre-planting hole is compacted and watered 2-3 times, maintaining an interval of about a week. 7 days after the last watering, a recess under the container is dug right in it, equal to 55 centimeters on black earth and 65 centimeters on sand.
A pre-hardened seedling is carefully removed from the container along with a clod of earth and moved into a recess. The pit is immediately filled with nutrient mixture, compacted and irrigated. A peg is buried nearby, on which a vegetative sprout is subsequently fixed. If the grapes have not previously undergone the acclimatization procedure, then in the first 7-10 days of planting it will be necessary to protect with a plywood screen or branches installed on the south side.
Another way to plant grapes requires digging a square hole with sides of 80 centimeters. During its formation, two earthen heaps are immediately prepared: the first from the upper third of the earth extracted from the hole, and the second from the rest of the soil. The first pile is mixed with humus, a kilogram of ash and 500 grams of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. It is laid out back into the pit so that about 50 centimeters remain from the earth layer to the surface. The soil is plentifully watered and, if necessary, reported to the same level. In this form, the pit is left for a couple of weeks.
On the day of planting, a wooden peg is driven into the recess. The planted seedling is immediately tied to the auxiliary structure, and the hole is filled with the remaining earth from the first pile. The contents of the second pile are supplemented with coarse sand or fine gravel, after which it is also used to fill the recess. The seedling is covered with earth by 30 centimeters, covered with polyethylene and irrigated with 3 buckets of water.
It should be mentioned that in all cases it is important to maintain the required distance between individual seedlings.. In principle, for those varieties that grow weakly, it will be sufficient to withstand 1,3-1,5 meters, and for strong ones, 2 to 2,5 meters of free space will be required. A seedling planted in the fall is extremely important to store properly in the winter. A young plant, a few weeks after planting, will need to be protected with agrofibre, straw, fallen leaves, or improvised materials such as tarpaulin or plastic bottles. The easiest way is to take a soda bottle with a cut off neck and cover the seedling with it.
If the beds are covered with tarpaulin or leaves, then an earthen layer can also be formed on top. However, the combination of several methods demonstrates the greatest efficiency: straw mulch up to 5 centimeters thick, covered with polyethylene and dry peat, forming a layer of 15 centimeters.
In the next video, you will be planting annual grape seedlings with an open root system.
