Detailed Explanation of Scientific Grape Cultivation Techniques and Key Planting Management Points

Although it is said that you reap what you sow and harvest what you plant, if you lack cultivation techniques, careful management and care, and if light, heat and water are all unsuitable, then whether you plant melons or beans, the final result is the same: nothing at all. Therefore, when we plant grapes, there is a great deal of attention to technique, and reasonable, scientific techniques can help us obtain higher returns.

Scientific Grape Cultivation Techniques

1. Before grape budbreak is the first critical period. At this time the grapes sprout, new shoots will grow rapidly, inflorescences develop, and the root system is also in a vigorous stage of activity, making this one of the critical periods for grape water demand.

2. Ten days before flowering is also a critical watering period. During this period new shoots and inflorescences grow rapidly, the root system also begins to produce a large number of new roots, assimilation is vigorous, transpiration gradually increases, and water demand is high.

3. During the flowering period, water is generally controlled, because watering lowers soil temperature, and at the same time new shoots grow too vigorously, which is unfavorable for grape fertilization and fruit set.

4. About 10 days after flower drop is the third critical period. During this period, the root system produces a large number of new lateral roots, water absorption by the root system in the soil reaches its most vigorous level, and at the same time the first growth peak of the berries arrives, making this a critical period for fertilizer and water demand.

5. The beginning of berry coloring is the second growth peak period of the berries. Supplying suitable fertilizer and water during this period can not only improve the yield and quality of the current year, but also have a good effect on increasing the yield of the next year.

6. When grapes are covered with soil for cold protection, if the soil is dry it is inconvenient to cover with soil, so a small amount of water needs to be given before covering. Regarding the indicators of water deficit or surplus in grape plants, the growth condition of young shoots is often used as the standard for irrigation, and it is considered that a young shoot tip that is hard and curved is a normal growth phenomenon; if the young shoot is upright and soft, it indicates water deficiency and irrigation should be carried out immediately.

Cultivation Environment Requirements

1. Grapes are thermophilic plants. In early spring, germination begins when the temperature reaches 10ºC, and the higher the temperature, the faster the germination. During the flowering period, 25-30ºC is suitable; when low temperatures (below 15ºC), rain and fog, or dry winds occur, pollination and fertilization are poor, causing a large amount of flower and fruit drop. July to September is the berry ripening period. If the temperature is insufficient, berry coloring is poor, sugar content decreases, and the berries may even fail to ripen fully. Whether a locality can satisfy the temperature needed for grape berries to ripen fully is usually referenced by accumulated temperature. For example, the ripening accumulated temperature of “Shifeng” (the total obtained by adding up the daily average temperature day by day from the flowering period to the ripening period) is 2564ºC, and its flowering period to ripening period is 102 days.

2. Grapes have a strong light requirement. Under conditions of sufficient light, the leaves are thick and dark green, photosynthesis is strong, the plant grows robustly, many flower buds are formed, the berries have high sugar content and are sweet, and the yield is high.

3. Humidity should not easily be too high. If there is a lot of rainfall before flowering, new shoots grow too vigorously and consume the plant's stored nutrients; if it rains much during the flowering period, fertilization is poor and flowers drop; if it rains much from the fruit enlargement period to the ripening period, light is insufficient, sugar content is low, coloring is poor, quality is inferior, and fruit cracking is likely. High temperature, abundant rain and humidity are also the main reasons for an increase in grape diseases.

Soil Conditions for Planting Grapes

Grapes can grow in a wide variety of soils, such as riverbanks, saline-alkali land, mountain and rocky slopes, and so on, but different soil conditions have different effects on the growth and fruiting of grapes.

Grapes have strong adaptability to soil. Apart from swamps and heavily saline-alkali land, which are unsuitable for growth, all other types of soil can be used for cultivation, and fertile sandy loam is the most suitable. Different soils have different effects on grape growth, development and quality.

In unsuitable areas, soil improvement and cultivation can be carried out through agricultural engineering and cultivation techniques. For example, in the saline-alkali area of Panjin, Liaoning, where the soil content is above 0.3%, directly cultivating grapes cannot succeed. However, after measures such as digging trenches and raised fields, irrigating to wash away salt, improving soil with green manure or partially replacing soil, and selecting salt-resistant rootstock varieties, the soil salt content can be reduced to below 0.2% after 2 to 3 years, and then grapes can be planted.

Grape Plant Management

1. Bud removal. In order to use nutrients most economically and effectively and to make new shoots evenly spaced, excessive and unnecessary young shoots should be removed as early as possible.

2. Shoot tying and tendril removal. When new shoots grow to 25-30 cm, they should be tied in time, and the figure-eight tying method can prevent new shoots from being rubbed and injured. While tying the shoots, remove tendrils as well to reduce nutrient consumption.

3. Pinching of new shoots and handling of secondary shoots. Pinching new shoots can inhibit excessive vine growth. The large number of secondary shoots produced after pinching should be suppressed. Secondary shoots below the fruit cluster can be removed from the base, secondary shoots above the fruit cluster should be pinched with 2 leaves retained, and secondary shoots at the top of the main shoot should retain a few leaves. Pinching fruit-bearing shoots can limit vegetative growth, promote nutrient accumulation in the inflorescence, and increase the fruit-setting rate. Generally, one week before flowering, it is suitable to pinch by retaining 5-9 leaves above the uppermost fruit cluster.

4. Trimming of inflorescences and fruit clusters. A fruit-bearing shoot often has 1-3 inflorescences, and it is suitable to retain one well-developed inflorescence. Then the inflorescence should be properly trimmed. For varieties with low fruit-setting rates and loose clusters, such as Muscat Hamburg and Kyoho, the secondary ears should be cut off and part of the ear tip pinched off 2-3 days before flowering to increase the fruit-setting rate; for varieties with high fruit-setting rates, such as White Malaga and Italia, the berries are often crowded, causing fruit cracking and uneven berry ripening. For these varieties, berry thinning should be carried out 10-20 days after flowering with small pointed scissors to enlarge the berries and improve quality. In Japan, Kyoho grapes are subjected to cluster thinning and berry thinning, and each fruit cluster generally retains about 35 berries, with berry weight reaching 15-18 grams.

The process of planting grapes is divided into several stages, and what deserves key attention at each stage is different, but the grapevine's requirements for the growing environment remain unchanged. As the saying goes, respond to all changes by remaining unchanged. If all variable factors are adjusted to the conditions required for grape growth and development, high yields can certainly be obtained.