Complete Guide to Grape Fertilization Techniques: 5 Key Fertilization Periods You Must Not Miss
Grapes are a fertilizer-loving fruit tree. In a single growing season, the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium requirements differ at different growth stages. Vineyards affected by climate, improper fertilizer and water management practices often suffer from fruit cracking, brown spot disease and yellow leaf disease. How can reasonable fertilization improve the soil conditions for grape growth and lay a solid foundation for sustained high yields and quality? Mastering the five most important fertilizations in grape growing is the most important lesson for every grape grower!
1. Sprouting fertilizer
Generally applied before grape buds break. This time, nitrogen fertilizer (water-soluble fertilizer with macroelements is preferable) is the main type, aimed at promoting uniform sprouting, thick and large leaves, and large and strong flower clusters. If the tree vigor is excessively strong and spring is not particularly dry, this fertilizer and water application can be omitted to avoid excessive growth of new shoots.
It is recommended to use Fuyousu balanced water-soluble fertilizer, which effectively improves nutrient imbalance in farmland, especially has the best effect on soil nutrient depletion, can meet the nutritional needs of grapes throughout the entire growth period, and has a wide range of applications. The fast-acting nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are easily absorbed and utilized by crops, quickly strengthening seedlings and promoting growth, enhancing photosynthesis, promoting grape branching and sprouting, rapid growth, and correcting symptoms of weak crop growth. Rich in various trace elements such as boron, iron, manganese, zinc, copper and molybdenum, it can quickly correct nutrient deficiency symptoms in grapevines, improve crop stress resistance and enhance quality, and increase yield. Low salt accumulation means long-term use is unlikely to cause soil salinization, does not place an environmental burden on the soil, and ensures the recyclable use of the soil.
Application recommendations: It can be applied at any time during the vegetative growth period of grapes.
Foliar spray: dilute 800-1200 times, 20-30g per mu per application, once every 7-10 days.
Drip irrigation: 1-3kg per mu per application, 15-45kg per hectare per application, once every 7-10 days.
Flush application: 3-6kg per mu per application, 45-90kg per hectare per application, once every 10-15 days.
2. Enlargement fertilizer
Applied after grapes set fruit, when the berries are about the size of mung beans, or at the latest when they are the size of soybeans. This fertilizer is mainly nitrogen, with phosphorus and potassium also applied. High-nitrogen compound fertilizer can be applied, or ordinary three-element compound fertilizer, with urea and other nitrogen fertilizers added as appropriate. This period is exactly when fertilizer demand is high, and it can account for about 50% of the annual chemical fertilizer application. It is recommended to combine it with Fuyousu high-potassium water-soluble fertilizer and Banglilong Chongshuo high-potassium humic acid water-soluble fertilizer, thereby providing sufficient nutrients for grape growth, promoting fruit enlargement, and increasing nutrient accumulation.
During this period, special attention should also be paid to supplementing calcium fertilizer. Calcium is a medium element essential for crop growth. Calcium deficiency often causes reduced crop yield, declined quality and aggravated diseases. For example, although grape fruit cracking is related to excessive watering during the ripening period, insufficient calcium, thin fruit skin and poor elasticity and toughness are also among the causes. After calcium deficiency, nutrient imbalance can also affect the accumulation of sugars in the fruit, resulting in less bloom on the fruit and a bland aroma; the fruit is prone to softening and dropping, and uneven in size, and is susceptible to fruit drop and cracking, shortening the storage period and shelf life.
It is recommended to use Bosheng plasma calcium fertilizer. Because it specially adopts internationally cutting-edge low-temperature plasma technology, it opens the calcium ion channels of crops, greatly improving the absorption and utilization rate of calcium. While supplementing calcium, it enhances crop stress resistance and effectively strengthens crops' ability to resist drought, salt damage, freezing damage, sunscald, pests and diseases, and more.
Application recommendations: It is recommended to dilute with water 1500-2000 times and spray evenly on the leaves, once every 7-10 days, for 3-4 consecutive applications. During the young fruit stage and fruit enlargement stage, when calcium deficiency is obvious, the concentration used can be appropriately increased. For drip irrigation, dilute 2000-2500 times, or apply with water at 2000-3000 times; adjust the amount appropriately according to the crop.
3. Ripening fertilizer
Applied in two rounds. 20-30 days before ripening, apply high-potassium water-soluble fertilizer; then apply fertilizer once more when the grape berries begin to soften and have not yet colored.
This fertilization is very important. Many fruit growers, after applying enlargement fertilizer, no longer apply ripening fertilizer, which may cause fruit discoloration (commonly known as water pot disease) or, due to fertilizer deficiency, poor grape resistance, susceptibility to disease, and high yield without a good harvest. Or poor coloring, low sugar content, inability to sell at a good price, and so on. Functional fertilizer can be applied directly, and macroelement water-soluble fertilizer for coloring (high-phosphorus high-potassium type is recommended, also containing the trace elements boron and zinc). During this period, it is recommended to apply Fuyousu high-potassium water-soluble fertilizer together with Banglilong Chongshuo high-potassium humic acid water-soluble fertilizer.
Fuyousu high-potassium water-soluble fertilizer has a high-potassium formula and is suitable for use after grapes set fruit. It can reduce fruit drop, reduce deformed fruit, make the fruit uniform in size, enlarge quickly, color quickly, with a smooth, glossy and shiny skin, and increased sweetness, improving quality while increasing yield. Dosage: dilute 1000-1500 times. Spray evenly on both the front and back of the crop, once every 7-10 days, for 3-4 consecutive applications; use 15-20 grams of fertilizer per bucket of water (15 liters). For drip irrigation, 1-3kg per mu per application, once every 7-10 days; for flush application, 3-6kg per mu per application, once every 10-15 days.
And Banglilong Chongshuo high-potassium humic acid water-soluble fertilizer can strengthen the synthesis and transport of sugars, starch, protein, fat and various vitamins by enzymes, can stimulate the activity of polysaccharidases, and convert polysaccharides into soluble monosaccharides, thereby improving the sweetness and quality of grape fruit. Dosage: 5kg per mu for flush application.
4. “Postpartum fertilizer”
This refers to promptly applying fertilizer once after the grapes are harvested, usually 15 kilograms of macroelement water-soluble fertilizer (high-nitrogen type), combined with compound microbial fertilizer. The role of this fertilizer is not only to restore tree vigor, but also to promote flower bud differentiation, laying the foundation for a bumper harvest the following year.
Banglilong compound microbial fertilizer is rich in various nutrient elements needed for plant growth, and contains organic matter and a large number of beneficial microorganisms. At the same time, it utilizes plasma strain activation technology, which can effectively improve the activity of beneficial bacteria, increase the number of bacterial colonies, and regulate the tree's resistance. At the same time, it increases chlorophyll content, making leaves dark green, thick and plump, and stems and vines robust, significantly increasing yield. Usage: flush application and drip irrigation are both acceptable. For flush application, 20 kilograms per mu; at the seedling stage, 10-15 kilograms per mu for flush application.
5. Wintering fertilizer
The traditional method is to apply it during the grape dormancy period. In recent years, application in August and September has been advocated, after the grapes are harvested and while they are still growing with green branches and leaves. This is the second peak of grape root growth, which can promote the grape to produce a large number of fibrous roots, strengthening tree vigor and better facilitating overwintering. This fertilizer is mainly organic fertilizer (if using farmyard manure, please note it must be thoroughly decomposed!), while also applying calcium fertilizer, or adding a small amount of three-element fertilizer.
In view of the peak of grape root growth, root-nourishing and root-strengthening products can be applied, such as agricultural plasma preparation root application type or Bogen root care expert, which can effectively promote grape root growth and improve the absorption and utilization rate of root nutrients. Its core component, low-temperature plasma technology, can significantly enhance tree vigor and resistance, reduce disease occurrence, and create a good root growth environment for grape growth. Root application type dosage: 1-2 bags (20kg) per mu; root care expert dosage: 1 bucket (5kg) per mu.
For the use of organic fertilizer, it is recommended to choose plasma organic fertilizer. Compared with ordinary organic fertilizer, low-temperature plasma technology can activate organic fertilizer, converting hard-to-use organic matter into an active state, thereby better improving soil permeability, increasing the organic matter content in the soil, significantly improving the absorption and utilization rate of fertilizer, fundamentally providing nutrient guarantees for improving crop quality and efficiency, and meeting the production needs of organic high-quality agriculture. Dosage: 5-8 bags (40kg) per mu.
Note: After each fertilization, water thoroughly once. The amount of water is not the more the better; too much causes fertilizer and water loss. After applying enlargement fertilizer, water twice consecutively, generally with an interval of 5-7 days between them.
In addition, before grapes overwinter, they should be watered thoroughly once, and after the soil becomes loose, cultivate it once, which is extremely beneficial for preventing freezing.
Understand these 5 most important fertilization periods in grape growing, master this fertilization plan well, and combine it with fine management, and you will be like a tiger with wings, certainly achieving abundant results. I believe you can definitely become a grape growing expert!