Grape seedling summer and autumn management techniques: master them well and you will have a good harvest every year

    Every year there are fruit growers who fail to cultivate strong grape seedlings and virus-free grape seedlings. The reasons are either lack of experience or neglect of management. The quality of grape seedlings depends on summer and autumn management. The methods are:

Vine management

    Shoot removal: when the new shoots of grape seedlings grown from cuttings reach 40 cm to 50 cm in mid-July, some seedlings have several new shoots or one new shoot with several secondary shoots. Excess shoots must be removed in time, leaving one strong new shoot.

    Pinching: when the new shoots of grape seedlings reach about 59 cm, pinch off the growing tip. Of the secondary shoots that emerge after pinching, all are removed except the one at the top. When the top secondary shoot grows to 6 leaves, pinch it back to 3 leaves. All shoots that grow again on the secondary shoots are removed.

    Trellising: new shoots on high-grade grape variety seedlings can be allowed to grow to 1 m to 1.5 m, and such seedlings must be trellised. Between two rows of seedlings, insert a bamboo pole every 3 to 4 m, and run 2 to 3 lines of thin iron wire or nylon cord. Run one line at each end pole. Tie all the seedlings in the two rows to the iron wire or nylon cord between the bamboo poles. If the seedlings are sparse, tie the new shoot of each seedling to one bamboo pole.

Water, fertilizer and soil management

    When the grape seedlings have grown to 8 leaves, broadcast 15 kg to 20 kg of urea per mu, and apply it once more after 15 days; generally 3 applications are enough. Foliar topdressing is done in 2 rounds: in summer, spray 0.5% urea together with pesticide application; in autumn, spray 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate; spray each twice.

    Before the grape cuttings sprout, water generally once every 7 days. After the new shoots grow to 10 cm to 20 cm, water once every half month. After the new shoots grow to 30 to 40 cm, water once every 20 days. If soil moisture is good, do not water. If the seedlings are not to leave the nursery before winter, water well for overwintering. Water immediately after each topdressing.

    The nursery beds are mostly covered with plastic film, so generally no cultivation is needed; just pull out the weeds. After each watering, remove weeds on the bed ridges and on both sides.

    The main grape seedling diseases to control are downy mildew and black pox, and the insect pests are cotton bollworm, beet armyworm and grape hornworm. When the seedlings grow to 8 leaves, spray once with 500-fold 50% carbendazim solution, and half a month later spray once with 600- to 800-fold 80% mancozeb. After the seedlings are pinched, spray once with 200-fold Bordeaux mixture. If downy mildew is found, spray once with 600-fold 78% copper oxychloride plus mancozeb, or 300- to 500-fold 80% fosetyl-aluminium; in autumn, give priority to 180-fold Bordeaux mixture.

    When the new shoots have grown 7 to 8 leaves, off-type seedlings can be recognized and pulled out with their roots. Different grape varieties should be marked with bamboo slips inserted between the different varieties.

Timely removal from the nursery

    After the grape seedlings drop their leaves, they should not be removed from the nursery immediately, as this is the process by which nutrients continue to be stored in the roots. Removal from the nursery around "Minor Snow" is relatively timely.