How to Grow Grapes in a Flower Pot? Mastering These Key Planting Method Points Is Crucial
Potted grapes are crystal clear and exquisite and lovely, with lush green grape leaves and curving, graceful branches that make them highly ornamental. The experience of looking forward to the grapevine sprouting, blooming, and bearing fruit is also very interesting. Grapes are very popular among home potted plants.How to Grow Grapes in a Flower Pot? Mastering These Key Planting Method Points Is Crucial!
I. Methods for Growing Grapes in Flower Pots
1. Choosing the pot
The container for potted grapes is usually a clay pot, which has good drainage and air permeability and is relatively cheap. Ceramic pots, porcelain pots, plastic pots (buckets), wooden boxes, wooden barrels, cement troughs and other containers can also be used. The shapes of containers include round, polygonal, rectangular and so on. The depth also varies. For home potting, generally a diameter of 25~30cm and a depth of 15~30cm is sufficient.
2. Prepare the potting soil well
It should have good air permeability and drainage performance, good physical and chemical properties, be rich in organic matter and nutrients, have suitable pH, and be free of pests and diseases. The mixing ratio is 30%~50% garden soil, 20%~30% humus or organic fertilizer, and 20%~30% river sand. The prepared growing soil should follow the principle of being loose, fertile, and having excellent physical and chemical characteristics. The prepared potting soil can be disinfected by spraying with 0.1% formalin solution, using 500ml of the solution per cubic meter of potting soil; if conditions permit, high-temperature steam sterilization can be used.
3. Planting time
One- or two-year-old rooted grafted seedlings or rooted cuttings can both be used. Planting can be done every year from February to March (rooted seedlings in nutrient pots can be planted from February to April and from May to early June every year).
4. Seedlings and planting
The seedlings used for potted grapes can be propagated by cuttings, grafting, layering, and other methods; 1- to 3-year-old grape plants can also be transplanted with a soil ball before sprouting. When planting, place a tile over the central hole at the bottom of the pot, put in a layer of small stones about 3cm thick, then add part of the potting soil and shape it into a mound. Spread the trimmed seedling roots in all directions on top, then fill with soil and press lightly. When 3~5cm from the pot rim remains, water so the soil settles, then continue filling with soil and watering until water flows out of the bottom hole. After planting, place it in a warm spot and cover with plastic film to preserve moisture.
5. Potted grapes must be placed on a balcony with ample sunlight
They can sprout and grow when the room temperature is above 10°C. The temperature should not be lower than 5°C. During the flowering period, 25~28°C is required. During the berry enlargement period, maintain 28~32°C, and keep the potting soil humidity at about 70%.
6. Water and fertilizer management
In the early spring sprouting period, water thoroughly once every 3~4 days; from June to July, water thoroughly once every 2~3 days; during the December dormant period, water thoroughly 1~2 times. During the sprouting, flowering, and fruit-setting periods, apply sheep manure water once each along with watering, and spray nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer on the leaves once each time. Spraying zinc fertilizer on the leaves once before and after flowering is especially necessary. Apply base fertilizer in combination with changing the soil. Topdressing during the growing period should be applied in liquid form to prevent excessive concentration from burning the roots. For potted seedlings that have not yet fruited, starting from a seedling height of 20cm (6~7 leaves), apply cake fertilizer water once every 7~10 days until the end of September; for those that have already fruited, it is best to apply once every 5 days. Foliar spraying of fertilizer is effective and economical. The method is to spray 0.1%~0.3% urea 2~3 times in the early growth stage. Starting from the fruit enlargement period, spray a 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution once every 7~10 days, for 3~4 consecutive sprays. When watering, the water temperature should preferably be close to the potting soil temperature. Watering before 10:00 in the morning and after 4:00 in the afternoon is preferable. Generally, in early spring, water once every 2~3 days. As the temperature rises and evaporation increases, water once every 1~2 days. The number of waterings should be just enough to keep the potting soil moist.
7. Keeping vines and setting branches
Grapes planted in the current year can keep 1~2 extended vines. For grapes grown for many years, 3~4 extended vines can be kept. On each vine, keep 1 fruiting branch every 3~4 years at a bud eye. For those with fruit clusters, pinch the growing tip 3~4 leaves above the fruit cluster; for those without fruit clusters, pinch the growing tip after growing to 3~4 leaves (keep them as fruiting branches for the next year). When the extended vine grows to about 1m, pinch the growing tip. For secondary shoots, except those kept as extended vines, pinch the growing tip after 1~2 leaves grow. If forcing a second crop, no leaves need to be kept, forcing the winter buds to sprout early.
8. Trellising and tying
In spring, when grapes leaf out and extend their vines, insert 3 bamboo poles or wooden sticks about 1.3m long into the pot in a triangle, and tie the tops together with rope to secure them firmly. As the main and side vines of the grape grow, tie them spirally along the tripod or upward (called the golden dragon coiling around the jade pillar trellis style). Be careful to keep a certain distance between vines so that each fruit cluster is exposed on the outside. On a balcony, ropes can be used to guide them to the roof or outdoors.
9. Changing soil and pruning roots
The soil can be changed in late autumn or before spring sprouting. First water thoroughly, then invert the pot and tap the rim lightly, pour out the entire root system and potting soil, then use a bamboo strip to loosen and remove part of the soil ball covered with roots, cut away part of the roots around the perimeter, and for long roots cut off about half their length, then replant in new growing soil.
10. Adjusting fruit clusters and yield
Adjust the fruit clusters in time before flowering. Keep 1 fruit cluster on each fruiting branch and remove the rest. A pot with a diameter of 33~40cm can bear 1.5~2kg of fruit for 2- to 3-year-old plants; after 4 years, one pot can bear 5~10kg of fruit. If the pot is larger, the yield will be somewhat higher.
11. Dormancy and overwintering
After harvesting in autumn, carry out winter pruning. For plants 1~2 years after planting, keep 1 vine and cut it back at 70~80cm, keep 1 fruiting branch about every 20cm, and cut back leaving 2~3 bud eyes. For plants over 3~4 years old, keep 3~4 extended vines and cut them back at the 8th~9th node (about 1m or so). From December each year to January of the following year, potted grapes can be placed in an empty room or vegetable cellar above 0°C and below 10°C for dormant overwintering. Generally, normal physiological dormancy can be completed in 30~45 days. Water once before or during overwintering dormancy to keep the potting soil moist. This dormancy stage of potted grapes must not be neglected; doing it poorly is one of the important reasons why they fail to bloom and bear fruit.
12. Pest and disease control
Potted grapes have relatively few insect pests. Common diseases include downy mildew, white rot, anthracnose, black pox, and so on. During the dormant period of grapes, spray 3~5 degrees Baume lime sulfur mixture. After sprouting, spray 1:0.5:200 Bordeaux mixture or 500-fold compound carbendazim solution once every 15 days.
II. How large a pot should be used for potted grapes? When should the pot be changed?
Potted grapes should use relatively large flower pots, and try to choose clay pots or purple clay pots and the like, as these flower pots have better air permeability. In addition, gardening enthusiasts should also choose fertile and loose soil as the substrate. Before potting, what gardening enthusiasts must do is disinfect the soil at high temperature, so that it will not carry insect eggs and bacteria, and the grapes will not be contaminated after planting.
When grapes have already grown in a flower pot for about two years, the original soil fertility will be used up. If the soil is not changed in time, it will be difficult for the grapes to bear fruit again. Therefore, gardening enthusiasts should change the soil for the grapes. If the container is relatively small, gardening enthusiasts should also change to a somewhat larger container. Generally, this is done before the growing period begins, so it will not affect the plant's growth.