PLANTING
Buying grapevines
The first step to planting is to but the right grapevine. There are various factors that must affect these decisions. If you are planning to have better quality, pest and disease-free vines its extremely important to only work with those nurseries that have a good reputation. Some practices in certain nurseries lead to vines which are of better quality. You will find complete callus development and also a strong graft union in a good match. Healthy plant stocks are able to withstand drought and pests as well as diseases and live for a long time. They also establish very quickly. A lot of unhealthy vines often fail in the first season, and even if they are eventually established, they are shortlived and do not produce a good yield of fruit, which also results in higher management costs.
1. Stock grades in a nursery: these are grapevines often sold by nurseries and are labeled and graded according to quality. These growing standards are applied according to the root system, the branching and the sizes. They can be labeled as #1, #2 for example.
2. Certified vines: establishing a pathogen-free healthy vineyard is the most important step. Some countries around the world as well as u.s states have a program that issues certificates and establishes a foundation of disease tested grapevines.
How to germinate the grape seed
Grape seeds are basically used to make an extract,there are a wide variety of grapes and grape seed types. There are some studies that say that grape seeds have the same properties as a mature fruit. Many also believe that many health benefits can be found in the seed as well. Even for the most experienced, skilled gardener, germinating a grape seed is not a very simple task. Because of long-dormant periods, many grapeseeds fail to germinate. Germination of seed often is a challenge to nay green thumb as there are many types of seeds and plenty of opportunities for the contamination of seed as well. Careful preparation of seed can increase the probability of germination. Temperature and moisture need to be monitored to ensure that the seeds are ready for planting.
1. Choosing viable seeds: usually, you can find out if a seed is viable or not by the way it feels or looks. Firm seeds, with a pale white or gray endosperm inside are usually signs of healthy seed. Seeds that are squishy when gently squeezed between your fingers are not the viable seeds. You can also drop the seeds in water, the ones that float to the top are unhealthy seeds and you can discard the. The healthy seeds tend to sink at the bottom of the vessel.
2. Preparation: to remove the pulp, viable seeds need a thorough washing. You need to soak the seeds in distilled water for about 24 hours to increase the odds of germination. Seeds need to remain semi-moist during the process of stratification, hence a bed has to be prepared. Wet paper towels, damp sand filled in an airtight bag or capsule are some good options. One of the best beds for grape seeds can also be damp peat moss, it can reduce the risk of mold that destroys seeds and also has anti-fungal properties.
3. Stratification: once the bed has been prepared, you need tot uck the seeds inside it, and it has to be refrigerated at 40 degrees Fahrenheit for a time span of about 3 months. It is safe to store the seed for more than a year as well, as they will not sprout in these temperatures.
4. Germination: once you remove the seeds from the process of stratification, in early spring, you can plant them in pots. The seed can be either planted in small pots, or larger pots with a minimum space of 1 ½ inch between them. During the period of germination, seeds need temperatures to reach a minimum of 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime and a minimum of 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the night. It can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months for the seeds to germinate, if you want to encourage the seeds to germinate sooner than later, they will need to receive at least 15 hours of sunlight. If some seeds fail to germinate you can always stratify them again by popping them in the freezer, and try again next season.
How to transplant grapevines
This process is most successful when the grapevines are young and its also very easy at this time. Grapevines have roots that spread wide and have persistent growth. They do not produce a lot of roots, but the ones that grow extend very deep into the ground. If you want to transplant a very old root, you will have to dig very deep, deep enough to capture the entire root system. It’s very difficult to transplant an old grapevine, it’s not an easy undertaking. If you need to preserve an old vine variety, you propagate grapevines from cuttings as well. Therefore, it’s preferable to transplant smaller vines if the need arises.
There usually seems to be a grape variety that will prosper in every kind of region. It’s best to transplant grapevines when the ground is not frozen. Late fall and early spring can be ideal to transplant a vine, mostly warmer climates, be sure to check for storms or cold snaps, and especially high winds.
Steps:
1. When the vine is dormant, dig up as much of the root system as possible.
2. At a new location, where you need to transplant the vine, dig a hole.
3. Put the dug-up vine in the new hole.
4. Water the soil around the vine to remove all the air pockets
5. To relieve stress on the root system, the vine should be cut back.
6. The vine must be watered well the first year until it establishes itself, enough to withstand the stress of drought and heat.
You will need to prep your vines for several months if you are moving grapes from one part of your property to another, it is important to prepare the root system before transplant. Look for younger vines which will bounce back more quickly when you move it. From the base of each vine, about 1 foot in diameter, drive a sharp spade in a circular pattern to prune the root ball. This step will help encourage the callus tissue to form and eventually develop new roots after transplantation.
The most labor-intensive part of the whole process id to dig the vines form their first location. Once the roots are dug up, set them on a large sack of burlap fabric to help drag to your new location, or to lift it into a vehicle for transport, keep in mind, that you need to lessen the amount of time the roots are exposed to the open air.
It’s very important to prepare the area a few weeks before planting time, the soil should be amended with compost or sand in order to improve the drainage system. Prepare the pH of the soil and also apply fertilizer correctly. When you dig a hole for the vine, space must be slightly deeper than the root ball’s height and about as wide.
Once the planting site is ready, you can bring the vine transplant and set it in the hole, if you think the whole is not wide enough and will not allow the roots to spread out, you can widen the hole. This is also a perfect opportunity to prune away roots that are longer than others or the ones that appear like they are broken. Once you set the vine in the hole, fill it back with the soil and water the area generously, also all the above-ground parts have to be trimmed to a single cane. This cane must is tied to either the lower part of the trellis or to a stake.
Types of grapevine planting stock
Growers have many various options to plant vineyards, like rooted cutting, dormant bench grafts, and green bench grafts. Traditional growers have been planting vineyards with dormant bench grafts.
1. Rooted cuttings: these are produced by rooting a cutting and growing it in the field for one season, they are bare-rooted, dormant vines. Rooted cuttings are less than half of any grafted vines. This approach is less desirable today as costs of field budding combined with greater management requirements increase risk.
2. Green bench graft: they are usually grafted using dormant scion cuttings and rootstock. A bench graft is made by attaching a one-bud scion, and a dormant disbudded rootstock cutting. Ideally, both should be the same diameter. Once the units are grafted, they are placed in a warm room with humid conditions to enable graft union healing and root initiation. The vines are then removed and planted in pots and are allowed to grow in controlled conditions, for example, a greenhouse.
3. Dormant potted vines: they are usually bench grafted using scion cutting, dormant rootstock and then grown in plastic pots or paper sleeves or even plastic containers for a season rather than out in the open field.
How to grow grapevines from cuttings
It’s easy to grow grapes from a cutting, with proper care and attention, a dormant cutting started in the spring will give a large enough vine to bear a cluster of fruit in the next season by fall. Two things to keep in mind are the care and proper preparation of the cuttings. Grapes can be grown basically from two types of cuttings: dormant or hardwood and green cuttings.
Its easier to handle dormant cuttings than green cuttings, but when it’s not possible to use hardwood cutting green cutting can also work.
1. Dormant cuttings:
Cuttings can be taken anytime after a vine has lost leaves or until the buds begin to blossom in the spring. New shoots that grew the growing season that just ended can be used to make these cuttings. Any healthy section of the cane can be used but the best wood is at the base of the shoot where the buds are the closest together, the first one or two feet up. ¾ inch thick diameter is the ideal thickness. Thinner wood may not be mature enough and thicker cuttings may be very difficult to handle. Avoid wood that is soft and spongy. The perfect length of the cutting is 12 to 18 inches long, the bottom must be cut off straight and top cut diagonally. Some growers cut their cuttings diagonally as well. There should be at least 3 bud nodes on the cutting.
If you take your own cutting, choose a cutting free of diseases and discolorations from a fungus.
2. Green cuttings:
Varieties of grapes like Muscadine grapes do not root from dormant cuttings, in these cases, green cuttings are used. Grapes that are started from green cuttings, like the muscadine grapes have a success rate of 70 to 80% if started with dormant cuttings they only have a 2% success rate. A variety can also be multiplied quickly using green cuttings. You can make a green cutting from any vigorously growing shoot. Avoid those shoots are starting to turn brown and harden off. The ideal length of cutting is 4 to 6 inches long or 10 to 15 cm long, with about two or three green leaves
Vines started using green cuttings are usually in need of more protection when planted in a vineyard, it should be surrounded by a device like a bottomless milk carton or any other device to shade it until it can withstand sunlight.
- Storing cuttings: you can store cuttings by wrapping them in a moist paper or packing in a damp material like damp peat in a plastic bag.cuttings can either be refrigerated or stored in an unheated building, do not store in a place where they will freeze. Properly stored, cuttings can be still used even after a year or more. If you want to store large quantities of cuttings, you can bury them in pits of sand, upside down with about 6 to 18 inches of sand over them covered with boards and tarp.
- Callusing: when the surface is cut for a cutting, a white tissue forms on the surfaces, this is called a callus. It can also form along the sides of the cuttings a callus must be there before the roots develop. A cutting put into the soil will just sit until the soil is warm enough and a callus forms. It usually grows very little, only a few inches in the first year.
Planting:
Cuttings can be planted in a pot, in a nursery or directly in the spot where you plan to grow the vine. Steps for planting a grapevine are as follows:
1. You need to take the cutting In early spring when the vine is still dormant and is the best time for planting it.
2. A node is a small bump on the stem. When you take the cutting make sure the stem has at least 3 leaf nodes, cut the stem about 1 inch above the top node and right below the bottom node.
3. Take a 6 to an 8-inch pot and fill it will sand or sterile potting soil.
4. Insert the stem in the pot, the stem should be inserted deep enough that the second node from the ground is at level with the soil.
5. Water and place in a humid, frost-free location.
6. If you want, you can dip the bottom end of the stem in rooting hormone to speed up new root growth after step 2.
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