Detailed Explanation of Amur Grape Planting Methods and Cultivation Techniques

The Amur grape is a specialty of Northeast China and is also known as the wild grape. The Amur grape and the grape look almost identical, being deep purple, though smaller than the grape. Once ripe, the Amur grape can be eaten fresh directly or processed for consumption, and its nutritional value is very high. Now let's learn about the cultivation techniques for the Amur grape together with the editor!

Amur Grape Planting Methods and Cultivation Techniques

Land preparation

Deep ploughing and soil ripening: Carry out deep ploughing of the entire orchard in the autumn of the year before planting, to a depth of 50 cm. If deep ploughing of the entire orchard cannot be carried out, planting trenches or planting pits should be dug, with a depth of 50-80 cm and a width of 60-80 cm.

Planting

Time: Carry out in the autumn of the year before planting.

Method: This can be done at the same time as the deep ploughing and soil ripening of the orchard. Planting trenches generally need to be 50-80 cm deep and 60-80 cm wide. In orchards with fertile soil and deep soil layers, planting pits can also be dug, requiring a square or circular shape of 60×60 cm and 50 cm deep. The specific method is: pile the surface topsoil and the lower subsoil separately on two sides; when backfilling, backfill the topsoil first; if there is not enough topsoil, fill the topsoil from between the rows into the trench until it is two-thirds full, mix in fully decomposed organic fertilizer, and fill the subsoil into the upper layer or spread it between the rows. After backfilling, the planting trenches and pits should be higher than the area between the rows.

Fertilization

Fertilization is mainly based on organic fertilizer, and chemical fertilizer can be used together where conditions permit. The application rate of organic fertilizer is more than 5 tons per mu; the application rate of chemical fertilizer is 30-40 kg of ammonium nitrate, 50 kg of phosphate fertilizer, and 25 kg of potassium chloride per mu. The application depth is about below 30 cm.

Pruning

The shaping and pruning method is: in the year of planting, leave two new shoots growing upward; after leaf fall in autumn, the three mature new shoots form the future permanent main vines, generally cut at a point where the buds are fully mature, at a height of about 60-70 cm. After budding in the second year, pinch off the branch buds within 30 cm of the ground in good time; on each node of the mother branch, select and retain one sturdy new shoot; for twin shoots, remove the weaker one; for secondary shoots that appear, pinch them after leaving 1-3 leaves; pinch the growing tip of the new shoot at 8-10 leaves. In mid-August, pinch the growing tip of the extension shoot. After leaf fall in the second winter, prune the one-year-old branches of each main vine to short spurs by leaving 2-3 buds, and cut the extension branch leaving 8-10 buds, with a length of 60-70 cm. After budding in the third spring, treat the secondary shoots the same as in the second year; after leaf fall in autumn, during winter pruning, cut the extension branch leaving a length of about 0.6-0.8 m, and cut the fruiting mother branch leaving 2-3 nodes. In order to let young trees focus on growing, do not let them bear excessive fruit; on the side vines, still retain only the lowest-position fruiting mother branch (closest to the main vine), and cut it short leaving 2-3 buds; after entering the full fruiting period, then carry out the renewal pruning method for fruiting groups on the side vines. In the fourth year, besides continuing to extend and prune the extension branch, the rest is the same as in the third year. At this point, shaping and pruning are completed.

Selection of Amur Grape Planting Site

Site selection and planting specifications: There are no strict requirements for soil, but fields with deep soil layers, good tillage, loose soil, and convenient irrigation and drainage are more suitable for the growth of the Amur grape and are favorable conditions for high-yield cultivation. Both dry land and paddy fields are suitable for planting the Amur grape.

Planting specifications: Make ridges with a bed width of 1.5 m including the ditch, with a plant spacing and row spacing of 0.6 m * 1.5 m, planting about 750 plants per mu.

Trellis setup methods: There are two ways to build the trellis. One is the traditional flat canopy trellis type; the length and width of the trellis can be determined according to the size of the land area and the actual terrain, but the maximum growing space area for the Amur grape can only be equal to the land area. Harvesting the vines is relatively labor-intensive. The other trellis form is the upright fence type. That is, erect a concrete post 10×10 cm thick and more than 2 m high at each end of the bed, add several bamboo or wooden posts in between at intervals of 2-3 m, and stretch 3-4 parallel wires from top to bottom to fix it into an upright fence.

The upright fence trellis has two major advantages: first, harvesting and cutting the vines is more convenient, quick, and labor-saving than with the flat canopy type; second, the 2 m high fence type can increase the vine growing space area by more than 30% compared with the flat canopy type. This plays an important role in increasing yield per unit area. Another issue is the orientation of the fence-type trellis: whether an east-west orientation is good or a north-south orientation is better. Practice has proved that, according to local climatic conditions, the main growing season of the Amur grape is from March to December each year; the disastrous weather in summer and autumn is mainly typhoon rain; when typhoon rain occurs, easterly winds often blow locally, so east-west oriented fence cultivation has stronger resistance and suffers less loss. Therefore, an east-west oriented trellis is also an important measure for high-yield cultivation.

Amur Grape Planting Management

Field management after planting the Amur grape is very important. Fertilization is generally carried out after harvesting the vines. The first fertilization is applied around late February to early March each year, when the temperature begins to rise and new buds begin to grow, making it the best time for fertilization. The fertilizer type can be a mixture of farmyard manure and compound chemical fertilizer, with each chemical fertilizer application at about 15 kg per mu. The second fertilization is carried out from late May to early June, combined with clearing the ditches and earthing up after application. The third fertilization should be applied in August, when rainfall is relatively heavy, and attention should be paid to draining waterlogged fields.

How to prevent pests and diseases in Amur grape planting?

The Amur grape has poor resistance to downy mildew, so prevention should be the main approach in management. Before the rainy season arrives in late June, Bordeaux mixture can be sprayed for control, and thereafter sprayed once every 7-10 days, at a concentration of the equal-amount formula diluted 180-200 times. If the disease occurs, a 300-fold aqueous solution of 40% fosetyl-aluminum wettable powder can be sprayed, which has a very good therapeutic effect.

Through the above content, we have learned about the cultivation techniques of the Amur grape, and everyone should have gained a certain understanding. In fact, the Amur grape has very high utilization value, not only high edible value but also good medicinal value, and the wine made from the Amur grape sells especially well. From this perspective, the prospects for planting the Amur grape are very promising.