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More and more Russians are growing grapevines in their summer cottages. And not only in the southern regions, but far beyond its borders. Today, the central regions, the Urals and Siberia are becoming the viticulture zone.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to avoid mistakes. This also applies to planting grape seedlings in the fall. After all, it’s not just a matter of following agricultural practices, but also creating conditions for rooting and survival in the cold winter. We will try to tell you how to plant grape seedlings in central Russia in the fall and show an interesting video.
Why autumn plantings are better
Despite the fact that rooting seedlings in the fall is a risky undertaking, it is still better to work on planting grapevines during this period:
- Economic benefit. In autumn, planting material is much cheaper than in spring.
- There is no need to select a storage location for grape seedlings. Having purchased seedlings and knowing the planting rules, you can immediately plant the plants in a permanent place.
- Development of immunity. Autumn plantings, due to extreme conditions, are better hardened and therefore become frost-resistant.
- Grows faster.After the snow melts and the seedlings are open, they have enough nutrients laid down in the fall. Therefore, the development of the vineyard is in full swing.
The best varieties for autumn planting
Before talking about how to plant grapes in the fall, you first need to figure out which varieties are suitable for this in a particular region. After all, choosing the right seedlings is half the battle. A mistake can cause the death of a vineyard.
Exist:
- Early grape varieties with ripening periods of up to 100 days. They are suitable for the northern regions.
- Mid-ripening grapes are best grown in the middle zone.
- Varieties that mature late are planted in the south.
The photo shows the most popular grape varieties with different ripening periods.
New winegrowers have one more choice to make. The grapes are divided into table and technical varieties. Table varieties are consumed fresh. The berries are juicy with large berries. Technical grapes with a sour taste are intended for further processing.
From all of the above, we can conclude that for central Russia it is better to choose early-ripening grape varieties so that they have time to produce the harvest in a short summer.
Choosing a place
After you decide on the choice of variety, you need to think about where the grape seedlings will grow. The choice of location is another important factor influencing the yield.
What you need to pay attention to:
- Grapes cannot be called a whimsical plant. It bears fruit on any soil. However, saline soil is completely unsuitable for it. The more sun the vineyard receives, the juicier and brighter the ripening grapes will be.
- It is advisable to plant plants on the south or south-east side of the site, next to a fence or wall of the house. In this case, long-term lighting is provided during the day, and at night the fence or walls of the house will release the heat accumulated during the day to the vineyard.
- Plantings are positioned from north to south so that the vine receives enough heat and light.
- The root system of overgrown grapes needs a lot of space. Therefore, you need to follow the correct planting pattern: seedlings in a row are planted at a distance of 2 or 3 meters (depending on the variety), and row spacing is from 2.5 to 3 meters.
Planting seedlings
Preparing planting material
Two days before the planned work, we lower the grape seedling with buds and eyes into cooled boiled water. This procedure will nourish the plant with the necessary moisture.
The tips of the roots on the seedlings are trimmed. We immediately check whether the material is ready for planting. The cut should be white, and the grape shoots should be bright green.
This pruning stimulates the growth of the root system. Thin white roots form near the cut site.
Pit preparation
Experienced gardeners advise preparing a hole for autumn planting of grape seedlings in advance so that the soil settles well.Then the soil will not pull the root system down, and the neck will remain on the surface. As a rule, they dig a hole in the spring. But if conditions do not allow it, then the pit should be ready three weeks before planting the grapes.
When digging, the top layer is laid out separately, and then it is poured back into the hole. As a rule, the recess should be large and spacious, because the root system of grapes grows both in width and depth. According to the standard, the pit should be 80x80 cm.
The bottom is covered with drainage, humus and fertilizers are poured on top. All you need is:
- humus - 3 buckets;
- nitroammophoska - 0.5 kg;
- charcoal - 1 l.
Everything mixes well. This nutrient cushion will be enough for grape seedlings until next autumn. Then they pour in the earth taken out of the hole.
Spill with water, and watering should be plentiful. In total, you will have to fill a total of at least four buckets.
How to install a support
For a vineyard, no matter what region the seedlings are planted, including in the middle zone, it is necessary to install a support under each vine already during the planting period. When you have decided on the place to plant the grapes, you need to drive wooden stakes (at least three meters high) into each row at a distance of 2.5 meters. The supports are reliably deepened by 60 centimeters. Then the wire is pulled. The first row is 40 cm from the ground, all the rest are 30 cm apart from each other. This is the future trellis for securing the grapevine.
Landing principle
The question of how to properly plant young grape plants is not idle. It determines whether the plant survives or dies. Let's do it all in order:
- In the middle of the hole, fertile soil is poured into a mound. It should be 10 centimeters below the sides of the pit. A seedling is “seated” on it. Its roots are first dipped into a clay mash.
- Place the seedling with its eye to the south and in the direction of the future trellis. The roots are straightened around the mound and lightly covered with earth. It is more convenient to do the work together in order to hold the seedling in the chosen position. The entire root system should be directed strictly downward.
- Gently sprinkle with soil, which is compacted to improve the adhesion of the roots to the ground. In addition, there will be no air cushion between the roots. It can damage the root system and slow down its proper development. This, in turn, will negatively affect the preparation of grape seedlings for wintering.
- And again fill the hole with water. When it is absorbed, fill the hole with soil and sprinkle mulch on top.
- After the bush is planted, it is covered with a cut plastic bottle until it is completely rooted. She is pressed tightly to the ground. The plant needs free access of air, so a slot is made in the bottle.
In the future, the seedling must be watered. Although nature itself most often “takes care” of autumn plantings: there is enough precipitation.
Video made by a gardener about proper planting of grapes in the fall:
Novice gardeners are also interested in the question of when to plant grape seedlings in the fall in central Russia. As a rule, work is carried out 3-4 weeks before the first frost, so that the young plant has time to take root and prepare for wintering. But caring for seedlings is not limited to planting. After all, the main task is to obtain healthy fruit-bearing grapes. Therefore, you will have to take care of covering the seedlings for the winter.
Shelter from winter frosts
In central Russia, frosts begin in mid-October. By this time, the grapes had already been planted and began to take root. Winter frosts can ruin all your work if you don’t take care of the vineyard’s reliable shelter. First-year plants and newly planted grape bushes especially need shelter.
Grape seedlings immediately after autumn planting need to be prepared for wintering. The plastic bottle, which we have already talked about, cannot be removed from the grape seedling. A layer of soil of at least 25 cm is poured on top.
There are other methods of shelter. For example, covering plants with spruce branches, installing a mini-greenhouse and boxes over newly planted plants. If there is a large amount of snow, the vineyard receives natural insulation.
Conclusion
When to plant grape seedlings (in autumn or spring) is decided by each gardener individually, depending on the availability of seedlings, place of residence and climatic conditions. Although I would like to note that autumn planting of grapes, subject to all the rules, will ensure vegetative growth and development of the bush with the first spring rays of the sun.
