Girlish grapes in Siberia: planting and care

Maiden grapes - this is the name of the Asian liana from the Vinogradov family. This species is decorative and its fruits are inedible. The plant is widespread in North America, but some of its frost-resistant varieties are successfully grown even in the climatic conditions of Siberia. Liana is used as an ornamental plant that adorns the facades of buildings or as a hedge. Girlish grapes are not picky about care and are not susceptible to disease.

The decorative liana has more than a dozen varieties, but only a few of them are frost-resistant. Maiden grapes growing in Siberia are winter-hardy, such properties are inherent in 3 types:

This species is native to Japan, it can withstand light frosts and can die during severe winters. It got its name from the shape of the leaves, consisting of 3 parts in the form of lobes. Forms inedible fruits of dark blue color in autumn.

There are 3 varietal varieties of triangular maiden grapes:

• purple - the leaf plate has a rich purple color;
• golden - green leaf has golden streaks;
• Vicha - has a strong branching, due to which the shoots form a dense continuous cover of leaves.

The homeland of this species is America, a fast-growing plant, leaves are complex, serrate, oval, have from 3 to 5 segments. In early spring, the color of the bark of the shoots is green, and by autumn it changes to a yellowish-gray color.

Liana, reaching 10-12 m, has serrate pinnate leaves, consisting of 5 segments. The size of the leaves is 25-28 cm. The stems are reddish or dark yellow in spring, the berries are inedible and blue in color. There are 3 types of five-leaf Maiden grapes suitable for cultivation in Siberia:

• Engelman - a feature of the variety is its small leaves;
• Star Showers - the color of the emerald foliage also contains whitish spots, at the end of summer they acquire a pink tint, and in the fall the leaf plate becomes red with pinkish spots;
• Wall grade - has well-developed antennae and suckers for grasping vertical surfaces.

Liana can be planted in the fall or mid-spring. Before planting the cuttings, the soil must be loosened. Most often, the plant is planted in a planting hole 50 cm deep, at the bottom of which rubble is laid in a layer of 15 cm, and then a substrate of fertile soil is poured from humus, turf, sand. For planting, seedlings are taken up to 2 years of age, the length of which by this time is 1.5-2 m. If the antennae of the plant have already braided the support, they cannot be torn off, since they will not be fixed again.

Ornamental grapes can be grown from seeds, do it in spring or summer. A feature of this planting is that the seeds are preliminarily placed in cold water and infused until they swell, and then transferred to a container with moistened sand. The container is left in the basement for 50-60 days at a temperature of + 5ºC. Only after such stratification can the seeds be planted in the soil in a permanent place.

Such preparation is carried out at the end of winter so that the planting material is ready for planting in the spring. If planting is planned for the fall, then stratification consists only in soaking the seeds with cold water and keeping them until they swell, which will take 3-4 days on average.

The cultivation of maiden grapes does not require much effort, since this vine is viable and unpretentious. It grows best in drained soils, but regular soil will do as well. The plant thrives on the sunny side as well as in the shade. Frost-resistant varieties are not required to prepare for the winter, but it is very important to ensure that the roots of the vine are not uncovered with an earth cover.

Ornamental grapes need regular pruning and crown shaping. Watering is suitable for him in a moderate mode, fertilizers to stimulate growth can be applied in spring and autumn. In dry periods, the liana will need water irrigation, but at the same time, water should not be allowed to stagnate in the roots - this can lead to their decay.

Decorative liana is capable of propagating by seeds, cuttings or layering.

• Growing maiden grapes from seeds is a laborious and long process. At the beginning of autumn, ripe berries should be picked and dried in the open air. Then the dried grapes are cut and the seeds are taken out of them, washed in water and dried. The seeds are stored in paper bags, and stratified before planting.
• Liana is often propagated by cuttings. - a cutting with several leaves is taken from an adult plant and the cut of the cutting is placed in water at a depth of 3-4 cm below the level of the first leaf. From time to time, the stalk must be sprayed with water, and then, when the roots appear, the planting material is transferred to the ground to a permanent place. Reproduction by cuttings is carried out in late summer or early autumn.
• You can thicken the planting of girlish grapes with the help of layering of the stems, without tearing it off the mother plant. In the spring, the layers are pressed against the soil, fixed and sprinkled with earth. All summer, the shoot is irrigated with water and left to winter, and next spring the mother plant can be cut off, since a new plant with a root system has formed in place of the cut. The shoot can be transplanted or left to grow in its place.

A disease-resistant ornamental plant can become infected with a fungus when the soil is waterlogged. When it is detected, watering is stopped, the affected areas are cut out, and the bush itself is treated with a fungicide solution. Liana is genetically not susceptible to disease and is resistant to pest infestation, and if insect infestation occurs, the plant is sprayed with an insecticide.

An ornamental plant is grown in gardens and parks, in personal plots, in the courtyards of residential buildings. With the help of this liana, they decorate the walls of buildings, decorate it with verandas, balconies, gazebos, make hedges, arches, and build picturesque shelters from the sun.