How to propagate grapes by cuttings?

To get a good, rich grape harvest on your own plot, it is not enough just to plant and care for one plant. You need to propagate an existing variety using cuttings yourself. Of course, you can always buy grown seedlings in the nursery, but this is expensive, and you can not guess with the variety. And it's much easier to prepare and germinate cuttings on your own.

Propagation of grapes by cuttings is the most common method among gardeners. Cutting is based on the rare ability of wild grapes to fully recover from a single shoot. For novice gardeners, propagating grapes with cuttings may seem like a complicated method, but with the right approach, the process is quite simple. If you try hard and study the advice of experienced gardeners, you can get a good result the first time. And after 2-3 years, collect a rich harvest from young bushes. The main condition is the correct preparation and storage of the shanks. It is possible to cut grapes in spring and autumn, but in autumn it is preferable. With proper storage in winter, cuttings (shanks) will be ready for planting by spring, and over the summer they will gain strength and will well endure the first winter.

Autumn cuttings are more suitable for the middle lane, where in winter the temperature drops below -20, and the grapes need to be covered for the winter. In the south, you can also plant grapes in the spring, using young cut green shoots.

The timing of the preparation of cuttings varies depending on climatic conditions - the main thing is to be in time before frost. It is better to start after the foliage has fallen, when the vine is ripe and has accumulated nutrients for the whole winter. In the middle lane, you can start pruning grapes in August-September, and even later in the south. Cuttings harvested in the fall and properly prepared for planting in the ground can yield a crop the next year.

In spring and summer (June-July), you can cut cuttings from the vine of a well-bearing bush and plant it in the ground at an acute angle. This must be done before the flowering period begins. Green cuttings about 30 cm long are placed in water for several hours. Before planting, the lower leaves are removed, and planted in the ground in a permanent place. The planting site needs to be watered daily. And for the winter, be sure to cover well. With this method of cuttings, the first harvest will be 4-5 years.

At home, preparing cuttings for storage and spring planting in the ground is very simple. To do this, when pruning grapes in the fall, choose cuttings from good bushes that have a rich harvest. The correct choice of cuttings is the key to breeding success and abundant fruiting.

The shanks are cut from a vine whose diameter does not exceed 6 mm. It is believed that thicker cuttings will not take root.

For cuttings, only a ripe vine is used; the shank should crack when bent. The bark should be of an even color, light to dark brown, without spots.

The vine should be healthy and green when cut. Chubuki should be obtained without damage and signs of various diseases and fungal infections. It is recommended to take the vine from fruiting branches, so the rooting results will be higher.Cut the cuttings from the middle section of the branch.

Cut the cuttings at least 70 cm long, with 3-8 live eyes on each. Some gardeners prefer to cut cuttings a little over a meter long; after storage, you will have to cut off the rotten parts. Make the cut obliquely, removing the remnants of foliage, unformed shoots and stepsons. Choose parts of the vines for the shanks more even, it is more convenient to store and root such.

If you are not going to root the shanks right away, then the prepared cuttings should be tied with a soft rope, collected in a bunch of 10-12 pieces and left for storage. It is necessary to store the shanks in a cool place (temperature not higher than +5). Most often, blanks are stored in a cellar or basement. A bunch of cuttings is placed in a container with damp earth or sand and left for storage. In the southern regions, chubuki are sometimes stored right on the site. Dig a trench or just a hole, about half a meter deep. The bottom is sprinkled with sand, the workpieces are carefully laid and sprinkled with earth. The top is additionally insulated with sawdust or leaves, be sure to cover it with a film. You can also store cuttings in the refrigerator door. Chubuki is pre-soaked in water for about a day, then tightly wrapped in polyethylene and left for storage. So it is convenient to store the shanks with a small amount of them.

Some gardeners recommend disinfecting the cuttings before storing. This can be done by holding the blanks in a solution of copper sulfate or potassium permanganate. Only then can they be collected in bundles and sent for storage.

When storing cuttings in a cellar or refrigerator, be sure to check their condition. It is necessary to regulate humidity and temperature. The buds may freeze or dry out, then the cuttings will not be able to root. And if it is too warm, the buds will begin to bloom, such cuttings cannot be planted in the spring, they will not take root and die.

Cuttings begin to root in late January - early February, depending on climatic conditions. The process should be started about 2 months before planting, when the soil warms up to +10. Before starting rooting, the cuttings need to be woken up and checked. The cuttings are left for a while at room temperature. Then each shank is cut from both ends at a distance of 2-3 cm. If the cut is green and drops of juice appear on it, then the stalk is alive and suitable for rooting. When the cut is brown and there are no signs of juicing, the cutting is dead and unusable. If the length of the cutting allows, you can cut another 5-7 cm. Perhaps in the middle, the shoot is still alive. There are times when the cuttings begin to rot, then even without an incision, drops of water are visible on the cuts. These cuttings are not suitable for rooting.

To germinate the shanks at home on your own, you first need to soak the live workpieces in warm water for 2 days, periodically changing the water. Sometimes honey or sugar is added to the water. If there are signs of mold on the shanks, then potassium permanganate can be added to the water. The cuttings must be completely immersed in water, if this is not possible, then at least 2/3. After that, the cuttings can be placed in a solution with root stimulants ("Kornevin"). In this case, 2-3 small vertical cuts need to be made on the vine. The prepared cuttings should have 2-3 live eyes, the upper cut is made even at a distance of 4-5 cm from the upper bud. The lower cut, if desired, can be made oblique or double-sided, which will increase the area of ​​root formation. The lower cut is made immediately under the kidney, at a distance of no more than 1 cm.

There are several ways to root grape cuttings: in filler, water and even foam. The process of rooting and germination takes a long time (about 6 days), do not wait for the rapid appearance of roots and greenery.The main danger of rooting at home is the awakening of the buds and the appearance of leaves before the formation of the root system. To avoid this, experienced gardeners advise heating the seedlings from below and keeping the buds cool.

It is believed to be the easiest rooting method. For this, it is better to use glass containers, so it will be more convenient to follow the process of forming the root system. The water should be warm, about 22-24 degrees. The shanks are immersed in water and periodically washed from the mucus formed due to juicing. If the room is warm, then you can open the window so that the upper buds of the shanks are cool.

Monitor the water level, refilling as needed. In a few weeks, the root system will form. When the length of the roots reaches 5-6 cm, the seedlings can be transplanted into the ground. If the weather conditions allow, then you can land immediately at a permanent place. When transplanting cuttings, be careful with young roots, do not break or damage them.

Sawdust is most often used for rooting grape cuttings. And you can also use peat, sand, enriched soil, sometimes even an ordinary damp cloth. The main condition for any filler is to maintain the necessary moisture and heat for root formation. Prepared cuttings are dipped into a moistened substrate to a depth of 5-7 cm, and left for several weeks in a warm and bright place. Remember to moisturize the filler without letting the cuttings dry out. After the roots appear, the shanks can be transplanted into containers with soil. When planting, it is not necessary to remove the remains of the filler (of course, if it is not polyethylene or fabric).

This method has a significant drawback. The formed leaves and shoots will take a lot of moisture from the filler, and there is a real risk of drying out the cuttings. You need to constantly monitor this. Some gardeners advise putting seedlings in the shade, but this may lead to poor formation of young shoots. You can cover the cuttings with plastic, creating a greenhouse effect and a high percentage of moisture.

This method requires natural fabric, water and polyethylene. First you need to prepare the cuttings, as for the previous methods. Then dampen the cloth and wrap each handle. Only the lower part of the shank is wrapped, where the roots will form. Next, wrap the cuttings with polyethylene over the damp cloth. The top of the cuttings remains open.

We put all the cuttings prepared in this way on a closet or any other tall furniture. We place the blanks in such a way that sunlight falls on the open part, and the ends in the fabric remain in the shade. After 2-3 weeks, the roots should appear, and the shanks are ready for planting in the ground.

This is one of the most unusual ways of sprouting shanks. For it, you need foam squares about 3x3 cm in size and a container for water. A hole is cut in the center for cuttings. Cuttings should not fall out of the foam blanks.

After germination, when the root system has formed, the roots reach 1-2 cm in length, and the first shoots and several leaves have appeared from the buds, it is time to transplant the seedlings into the seedling box (the so-called "school" for seedlings). Instead of a box, you can use any suitable containers: disposable cups, cut plastic bottles, as long as they are large enough for the free growth of the root system. Each stalk should have at least 10 cm of space in diameter, about 25 cm deep.

Drainage must be poured at the bottom of the seedling container. Then fill with a mixture of fertile soil and sand. The soil should be loose. Cuttings are planted 7-10 cm deep. The main condition for growing seedlings is the formation of a strong root system. To do this, do not allow the soil to become waterlogged; watering can be compensated by spraying the leaves. The first watering after planting should be abundant, and then infrequent, so that the young roots do not start to rot.

The growing and rooting process will take 2-3 weeks. During this time, the roots should grow up to 10 cm. At this time, you can feed the seedlings with a potassium solution once. When the open ground warms up to 10-15 degrees Celsius, they are planted in a permanent place.

Around May - early June, when the soil warmed up and the night frosts ended, ready-made seedlings are planted in open ground. Before that, it is better to temper the seedlings in the fresh air for several days, and pinch the top. Young shoots with several leaves and a developed root system should already appear on the shanks.

Seedlings are planted in open ground at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other. The seedlings must be planted in such a way that the upper bud is at a height of 7-10 cm from the ground. It is not necessary to free the root system from the earth clod in order to avoid damage to the root system. The cuttings are covered with fertile soil and compacted. After planting, the grapes require abundant watering.

The first two weeks of seedlings require more careful maintenance. It is necessary to create a shadow without direct sunlight. If spring frosts are coming, young seedlings must be covered with plastic.

When 10-12 leaves appear on the seedling, the top must be pinched to form a strong root system and ripen the vine. When growing young shoots, they must be tied to a vertical support. The stepsons, except for the lower ones, are removed.

Growing grapes by cuttings may seem like a time consuming and costly process, but it's worth it. For the first summer, the seedlings grow up to 1.5-2 m and gain strength for the first winter in the open field. Grapes are a fast growing crop and even develop from a single shoot. And the harvest will be for 2-3 years.