A detailed guide to growing potted grapes: you can grow grapes well at home too
How to grow potted grapes. Potted grapes is actually a general term for growing grapes in containers; any grape grown in pots, boxes, barrels, planting troughs and other containers can be called potted grapes. Potted grapes bear fruit early; with proper cultivation and management, they can bear fruit in two years, with each pot producing 1-3 kg of fruit, and up to 4-5 kg. Below, the editor will introduce the method for growing potted grapes!
Preparation of potting soil
1. Container selection: usable containers include clay pots, ceramic pots, purple clay pots, wooden pots, plastic flower pots, etc., which can be chosen according to conditions. For potted grapes in the first year, a container with a mouth diameter of about 20-25 cm can be used; after 2-3 years, a container with a mouth diameter of 30-40 cm can be used. This can be determined according to production volume and site space.
2. Potting soil requirements: loamy soil that is loose, fertile, and rich in organic matter and calcium is required. You can also use local materials according to local conditions, choosing cultivation materials that are widely available, low-cost, free of pests and diseases, and pollution-free. Commonly used materials include leaf mold, peat soil, garden soil, sand and gravel, bone meal, puffed chicken manure, etc.
3. Potting soil preparation: commonly used formulas include ① 4 parts leaf mold, 3 parts garden soil, 3 parts coarse sand, 0.5 part bone meal. ② 7 parts garden soil, 2 parts coarse sand (or furnace slag), 1 part puffed chicken manure, 0.5 part bone meal.
4. Potting soil disinfection: after the potting soil is mixed evenly, evenly spray it with a 0.1% formalin solution (500 ml of the agent per cubic meter of potting soil). Then seal it with plastic film, fumigate for a full day and night, remove the film, and after drying in the sun for 3-4 days, it can be put into pots for use.
Variety selection
Grape varieties available for potting include Kyoho, Jingya, Jingchao, Izu, Black Olympia, Jingyu, Phoenix No. 51, Delaware, 8611, 8612, Zizhenxiang, American Black Tip, etc.
Potting and soil replacement
After the flower pot is selected, it is best to soak it in 1% bleaching powder water for 5 minutes, take it out to dry, and then fill it with disinfected cultivation soil. For the seedlings used in potted grapes, cuttings can be directly inserted into the flower pot to cultivate into seedlings.
When cutting, it is best to insert 2 cuttings per pot so as to select and retain them, and keep the potting soil moist regularly. Grape plants 1-3 years old can also be used, transplanted into the pot with a soil ball before budding.
When transplanting, the plant's branches and vines should be heavily pruned, generally retaining 1-3 strong branches and vines. In the year of transplanting, the focus should be on restoring tree vigor, cultivating tree shape, and laying a good foundation, and not letting it bear fruit first.
After the plant grows in the pot for 1-2 years, the original container space can no longer meet the requirements of root growth and development, and the nutrients in the potting soil gradually decrease. Therefore, the container needs to be changed from small to large, or the potting soil needs to be replaced. This work is generally carried out at the end of the dormant period and before growth begins. When changing pots or soil, part of the dead roots should be cut off, and water should be given immediately after changing to help the plant recover growth.
Shaping and pruning
1. Single-stem form
Suitable for small and medium-sized potted plants. In the year of planting, set up a bamboo pole or No. 8 iron wire in the center of the pot, about 1 m high. After the new shoots sprout, select and retain one robust shoot as the main vine, tie it to the bamboo pole, and pinch the tip when it grows to 80-90 cm. Of the lateral shoots that later emerge, except for the top one which is allowed to grow, the rest are repeatedly pinched after retaining 1-2 leaves.
During winter pruning, well-matured branches and vines can be cut and retained at 50 cm. After sprouting in the second year, retain 3-5 robust new shoots on the main vine, and the remaining buds should be removed in time. During winter pruning, each new shoot is pruned retaining 2-3 buds as a fruiting mother branch. After budding in the third year, each fruiting mother branch retains 1-2 new shoots, and short pruning is carried out every year thereafter.
2. Fan shape
In the winter of the year of planting, new shoots above 60 cm are cut short and retained as the trunk. In the second year, a new shoot is retained every 10-15 cm and tied at an angle. During winter pruning, they are cut short into fruiting mother branches with 1-3 buds. In the third year, each fruiting mother branch retains 1-2 fruiting branches to bear fruit. New shoots and fruit clusters are evenly distributed on one plane, and as the tree body grows larger, the flower pot is enlarged and the fan surface is expanded.
Fertilizer and water management
1. Fertilization
The principle of fertilizing potted grapes is to apply less but frequently. For potted seedlings that have not yet borne fruit, generally start when the seedling height is about 20 cm (that is, 6-7 leaves), applying cake fertilizer water once every 7-10 days, until the end of September.
For potted grapes that have already borne fruit, in order to ensure the requirements of fruit development, it is best to apply once every 5 days. After the fruit is harvested, apply according to the potted seedling method. Note that after each application of liquid fertilizer, water immediately.
Potted grapes can also be given foliar feeding. The method is: in the early growth stage of potted grapes, spray 0.1%-0.3% urea solution 2-3 times; starting from the fruit enlargement stage, spray 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution 3-4 times every 7-10 days.
2. Watering
When watering, the water temperature is best close to the potting soil temperature. It is advisable to water before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. The water quality should be good, and the number of waterings should depend on the season. Generally, in early spring when the temperature is low, water once every 2-3 days. As the temperature rises and evaporation increases, water once every 1-2 days. After the temperature gradually decreases in autumn, the number of waterings gradually decreases again, and it is advisable to keep the potting soil moist.