Grape Seedling Planting Methods and Key Points for Seedling Stage Management

After grape seedlings are planted, although they do not bear fruit in the same year, the quality of management is directly linked to the yield and quality of subsequent years. Everyone surely understands the reasoning, but how do you plant grape seedlings? How do you manage the grape seedling stage?

1. How do you plant grape seedlings?

1. Preparatory work

As the saying goes: To do good work, one must first sharpen one's tools. Before planting grapes, plans must be made for such things as vineyard plot planning, trellis system, and varieties, and special attention must be paid to seedling selection. It is recommended to buy seedlings from proper channels to ensure seedling purity and survival rate.

Requirements for high-quality grape seedlings:

① A well-developed and intact root system, free of root nodules, root-knot nematodes, and trunk and branch diseases.

② Plump buds, with more than 3 plump buds.

③ For grafted seedlings, the base of the scion, or for cutting seedlings, the root crown diameter should be 0.5 cm or more: grade 1 or grade 2 high-quality cutting seedlings, or grafted seedlings with a well-healed graft union.

2. Seedling planting

(1) Digging planting trenches

Grapes have a long lifespan, and after planting they grow and bear fruit in a fixed position for many years, requiring a relatively large underground nutritional volume. The young tissues of grape roots are fleshy, and their growing points stop advancing when they meet resistance as they extend downward and outward, so it is best to plant in trenches; pit planting has poorer later growth than trench planting.

A layer of crop straw can be laid at the bottom of the planting trench, and organic fertilizer mixed with soil can be backfilled. Per mu, use 2 cubic meters of decomposed organic fertilizer + an appropriate amount of biological bacterial fertilizer + 50-100 kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer + 25-50 kg of balanced compound fertilizer + a small amount of micronutrient fertilizer, then water thoroughly to settle it, and then use topsoil to fill and level the planting trench. The topsoil layer should be about 30 cm thick, with no organic fertilizer applied, to avoid fertilizer burn damaging the roots.

The above work is best completed from December of the previous year to January of the planting year, so that the soil can weather and loosen in winter.

(2) Seedling preparation

Pruning: Cut seedlings back to leave 3-5 plump buds; remove damaged and disabled roots, shorten lateral roots to create fresh wounds, and retain a root length of about 15-20 cm.

Soaking: Place the pruned seedlings in clean water and soak for 12-24 hours so the seedlings fully absorb water.

Disinfection: Before planting, soak the seedlings in diluted pyrethroid insecticide for 15 minutes to eliminate hidden dangers such as phylloxera; then dip the branch and vine portions in lime sulfur mixture to kill overwintering pathogenic fungi, scale insects, and mites.

(3) Key planting points

Planting time: Generally planted in spring. For single-film mulching, start planting seedlings at the beginning of Lichun; for open-field and rain-shelter cultivation, Jingzhe to Chunfen is the best suitable period.

Specific operations: ① Determine the planting points according to the established plant spacing, and dig planting holes 40 cm deep and 40 cm in diameter; ② Take high-quality grape seedlings with excessively long branches and roots trimmed off, and dip the roots in a rooting product to increase the number of roots and the survival rate; ③ Let the seedling roots spread evenly in the planting hole, then cover with soil and lift the seedling so the grape roots spread out; ④ For grafted seedlings, the graft union must be more than 5 cm above the bed surface or ridge surface. After the planting hole is firmed, water according to soil moisture conditions.

Precautions: ① Do not plant grape seedlings too deep, as this can easily cause poor establishment or stiff seedlings, or even death. ② After planting, the first watering should be heavy flooding and must soak through. The planting row settles naturally, forming a small water channel. ③ When cracks appear in the soil, water a second time, with a smaller amount, to promote rooting.

(4) Mulching with plastic film

Use black plastic film or horticultural ground fabric to cover and retain moisture, preserve soil moisture, raise ground temperature, suppress weeds, and promote rapid grape growth.

Generally, 15-20 days after planting, seedlings will root and sprout. At this time, inspection should be strengthened. For the few that have not sprouted, the covering soil can be pulled away to check, to prevent tender buds from being pressed under the plastic film, or the upper buds from failing to sprout while lower buds shoot out. After inspection, cover again promptly with fine soil. Replace dead seedlings promptly.

3. Branch and vine training

(1) Bud removal: After the seedlings sprout, perform bud removal and select and retain two plump buds. For grafted seedlings, be sure to select and retain buds above the graft union.

(2) Tying: When the new shoot grows to 20 cm, retain one strong new shoot. For grafted seedlings, when the new shoot grows to 30 cm, promptly remove the grafting film to avoid constricting the branch and vine and affecting growth. Tie the retained new shoot promptly to an upright bamboo pole or train it with a hanging string, cultivating an upright trunk through which water and nutrients flow smoothly.

According to the cultivation trellis system, build the trellis and train onto it in time, cultivate the main vine, and pinch the main vine multiple times to promote flower bud differentiation. If pinching and shoot release are not performed properly, new shoots can easily remain in a state of consuming nutrients for a long time, and flower buds will also be difficult to form.

Branch and vine training for a shaped trellis: ① When the new shoot grows to 30 cm from the bottom wire, pinch off 10 cm of the new shoot; ② Retain the 2 secondary shoots sent out from the top, and when they grow to 10 cm from the bottom wire, pinch off 10 cm from each and retain 2 secondary shoots respectively, tying them diagonally upward in a crossed manner; ③ Under ideal growth conditions, 4 main vines can be trained in the same year, and each main vine is pinched once every 6 leaves.

Branch and vine training for a horizontal trellis with “one”-character shaping: ① When the new shoot grows to 10 cm from the trellis surface wire, pinch off 10 cm of the new shoot, retain the 2 secondary shoots sent out from the top, and tie them in a crossed manner on the trellis surface wire; ② Pinch the main vine once every 6 leaves, and the secondary shoots sent out from it are trained into next year's fruiting canes using a “6 leaves + 5 leaves + 5 leaves” pinching pattern.

2. How do you manage the grape seedling stage?

1. Fertilization management

15-20 days after grape seedlings sprout, when the new grape shoots have grown to 6-8 leaves and tendrils have emerged and growth is normal, only then should topdressing be applied.

In order to promote vigorous plant growth and early formation, the early fertilizer supply should be mainly nitrogen fertilizer, adhering to the principle of “less first and more later, small meals but more often.”

In the later growth stage, in order to increase the plant's nutrient accumulation, enlarge the root system, plump the main vine, and achieve good lignification of the branches, growth should be controlled. At this stage, nitrogen fertilizer supply can be stopped, an appropriate amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer can be applied to the roots, and phosphorus-potassium foliar fertilizer can be sprayed on the leaves.

Precautions: ① The concentration and amount of fertilizer should be appropriate to avoid burning roots. ② After fertilizing, supply water promptly, or combine fertilizer with water.

2. Water management

For seedlings planted in the same year, water for promoting seedling growth is more important than fertilizer, and this point must be taken seriously. After the grape seedlings are planted and the first two waterings are completed, the seedlings can be appropriately hardened to force the root system to grow downward in search of water. After the new shoots grow to 10-20 cm, water once every half month. After the new shoots grow to 30-40 cm, water once every 20 days, always keeping the soil moist; do not water when soil moisture is good. In the later growth stage, reduce the frequency and amount of watering, or even stop watering.

3. Pest and disease control

In newly built vineyards, grape pests and diseases are relatively mild. In the early stage, attention should be paid to the harm from scarab beetles, green plant bugs, and black spot disease; in areas with more rain in the later stage, the main focus for prevention and control is downy mildew.

Precautions: ① When disease is found, combine therapeutic agents with protective agents; ② For downy mildew, focus on spraying the undersides of leaves; when spraying, phosphorus-potassium foliar fertilizer can be added to improve tree vigor and strengthen photosynthesis.