A Detailed Guide to Grape Planting Methods and Cultivation Techniques
SummaryTime: Spring planting is suitable for both open-field and greenhouse cultivation. Land preparation: Rows should run north-south with a row spacing of 1.8-2 m, and ridges should be formed along the rows. Deep plowing: Spread fermented manure over the ground, then plow deeply to a depth of about 40 cm. Seedlings: If grafted seedlings are used, carve out all the rootstock buds, leaving only the grafted buds, and remove the binding film. Planting: Plant at a spacing of 0.7 m along one side of the ridge. Fertilizer: Apply basal fertilizer after fruit harvest in autumn, and topdress before flowering and during the fruit swelling stage. Pests and diseases: Prevention first, integrated management.
Grapes are a fruit that is deeply loved by everyone, with particularly rich nutritional value. Not only is the flesh rich in nutrients, but even the grape skin and grape seeds have excellent benefits. More and more people are growing grapes, so how should grapes be planted? Let's learn about grape cultivation techniques together below!
Grape Planting Methods and Techniques
1. Planting time: Grapes planted in autumn in the open field are prone to freezing to death, and autumn planting in greenhouses is not conducive to dormancy, so spring planting is best for both open-field and greenhouse cultivation. The time is from January to May, after the soil thaws until after sprouting, but the later it is, the weaker the growth. In addition, greenhouses can also be planted with vines first and then built.
2. Land preparation and ridging: Both open-field and greenhouse cultivation use north-south rows with a row spacing of 1.8-2 m, and ridges are formed along the rows. In areas where soil is mounded in winter for cold protection, large ridges are formed; in areas where soil is not mounded in winter for cold protection, small ridges are formed. There are two methods of land preparation before ridging.
3. Deep plowing of the whole orchard: Spread fermented manure over the ground, usually about 5 cubic meters per mu, and more than 10 cubic meters per mu for new greenhouses. Old greenhouses have higher organic matter content, so manure may be omitted. Then plow deeply over the entire area to a depth of about 40 cm.
4. Digging trenches along the rows: Dig to a depth of 60-80 cm and a width of 80-100 cm. Fill the lower half with about 500 kg of weeds mixed with mature soil, and fill the upper half with about 5 cubic meters per mu of organic fertilizer mixed with mature soil until full. If there is not enough mature soil, it can be dug from between the rows, and the subsoil can be spread between the rows, then settle it with a heavy watering.
5. Seedling treatment: If grafted seedlings are used, carve out all the rootstock buds, leaving only the grafted buds, and remove the binding film.
6. Pollinator trees: Grapes are cleistogamous, so pollinator trees are not needed. Different varieties should be planted in blocks to facilitate management.
7. Planting method: Plant along the rows at a spacing of 0.7 m on one side of the ridge. The planting method is as follows.
(1) In areas where soil is mounded in winter for cold protection, plant on one side of the large ridge: 1. Grafted seedlings are planted slanting northward, with the graft union about 10 cm above the ground. In the future, the part above the graft union will neither root nor hinder soil mounding for cold protection. After planting, water heavily, and when the soil surface dries, continue mounding soil more than 10 cm above the graft union. After sprouting, remove the soil mound. 2. Cutting seedlings are planted slanting northward, with the original yin-yang line about 10 cm below ground level, so that even if the aboveground part freezes to death in the future, the underground part can still sprout. After planting, water heavily, and when the soil surface dries, continue mounding soil more than 10 cm. After sprouting, remove the soil mound. 3. Green seedlings in nutrient cups are planted upright, but the green vine must not be buried, otherwise the seedlings will rot. After planting, water heavily.
(2) In areas where soil is not mounded in winter for cold protection, plant on one side of the small ridge: 1. Grafted seedlings are planted slanting northward, with the graft union about 25 cm above the ground. After planting, water heavily, and when the soil surface dries, continue mounding soil up to 10 cm above the graft union, so that the seedlings are on the large ridge. After sprouting, remove the soil to expose the graft union. 2. Cutting seedlings are planted slanting northward, with the original yin-yang line slightly above ground level. After planting, water heavily, and when the soil surface dries, continue mounding soil about 25 cm, so that the seedlings are on the large ridge. 3. Green seedlings in nutrient cups are planted upright, but the green vine must not be buried, otherwise the seedlings will rot. Gradually mound soil during the growing season, and the seedlings will also be on the large ridge.
Fertilizer Management
Basal fertilizer is applied after fruit harvest in autumn. Dig holes 40×40 cm deep outward along the edge of the original planting hole and apply organic fertilizer in multiple layers, with one layer of soil and one layer of fertilizer, mainly using human and livestock manure, barnyard manure, compost, etc. For grapes in full fruit stage, apply more than 2 kg of organic fertilizer for every 1 kg of fruit produced. Topdressing is mainly done in 2 periods: apply a quick-acting fertilizer such as decomposed human manure about ten days before flowering. During the fruit swelling stage, apply a fertilizer mainly based on potassium, such as plant ash or decomposed chicken manure.
Control Methods for Grape Fruit Rot
1. Choose high-quality varieties with strong disease resistance. For example, the “Kangtai” grape variety is not only cold-resistant but also relatively strong in resistance to downy mildew and powdery mildew. There are also Kyoho series varieties, which also have relatively strong resistance to black pox and anthracnose.
2. Pest and disease control should follow the principle of “prevention first, integrated management.”
Disease control: Chemical spraying for disease control should begin at the early stage of disease onset. The agents can be 50% anilazine wettable powder at 500 times dilution, 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder at 600 times dilution, or 50% carbendazim wettable powder at 800 times dilution. According to the condition, control once every 7-10 days, for a total of 2-5 applications. If it rains, appropriately increase the frequency, and promptly re-spray after rain.
Pest control: The main pests include thrips, two-spotted leafhoppers, grape tiger moths, etc. Thrips and two-spotted leafhoppers can be controlled with imidacloprid at 2000-3000 times dilution; grape tiger moths can be controlled by spraying cypermethrin at 2000 times dilution or abamectin at 4000-5000 times dilution.
3. Combine bagging to prevent fruit rot. Bagging grape fruits can reduce pest and disease damage and reduce fruit cracking and rotting. Bagging should be carried out immediately after cluster shaping. Before bagging, spray a fine application of fungicide and insecticide. Remove the bags 1-2 weeks before harvest to promote coloring.
4. Combine summer pruning to prevent fruit rot. Summer pruning should promptly thin out overly dense shoots and water sprouts, carefully prune fruiting branches and groups, and promptly pinch the tips to prevent an imbalance between vegetative growth and reproductive growth that affects the current year's yield. When pruning, note the following: keep only 1 plump bud at each node of the fruiting mother branch, and remove all other lateral buds or secondary buds; 5-7 days before flowering, pinch the tip of the fruiting branch, leaving 4-5 leaves before the uppermost flower cluster. In addition, reasonably retain the flower quantity and prevent the grapevine from bearing excessive fruit. From the flowering stage to the fruit swelling stage, promptly thin flowers and fruits, removing small fruits, deformed fruits, pest-damaged fruits, and rotten fruits, to improve fruit quality.
How to Manage Grapes Before Harvest
1. Prune fruit clusters: First cut off the berries at the lowest end of the cluster that have low sweetness, sour taste, are soft, and are prone to water loss and shrinkage. Next, thin out green berries and small berries that do not easily ripen and have poor quality. At the same time, promptly remove damaged berries and diseased berries.
2. Skillfully apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers: One month before harvest, spray the leaves with a 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution or a 0.4% potassium sulfate solution. It is generally best to spray 2 times in succession. This can increase berry sugar content and quality and enhance storability.
3. Strictly control water: To ensure grape quality and improve storability, strictly control irrigation within one month before harvest. Before heavy rain, special attention should be paid to drainage and waterlogging prevention.
4. Prevent fruit cracking: Measures such as spreading grass on the bed surface and covering with film to maintain balanced soil moisture supply can effectively reduce fruit cracking.
5. Prevent and control diseases: When the fruit is coloring, spray once every 10 days or so with 800 times dilution of dichlofluanid or 600 times dilution of carbendazim solution to promptly prevent disease occurrence.
6. Spray hormones: 15 days before harvest, spray 2000-4000x0.000001 daminozide or 60-100x0.000001 maleic hydrazide, which can effectively prevent berry drop and pedicel shriveling during storage.
As described above, mastering good methods and techniques for growing grapes and controlling pests and diseases well have particularly good effects on improving grape yield and variety. Grapes are treasures from head to toe. Improving grape quality and yield will certainly bring relatively considerable profits. From this perspective, the prospects for grape cultivation are relatively broad.