How to germinate grape cuttings, time and subtleties of their harvesting
One of the most popular ways to propagate grapes is by cuttings. The vine is very tenacious, it easily tolerates pruning and forms roots. It is not difficult to grow a strong young bush from cuttings, if they are prepared in time and correctly. In warm southern regions, the vine is often cut in the spring and immediately planted in the open ground in the summer. However, this method will not work in temperate climates with cold summers. Therefore, it is better to start harvesting planting material in the fall and plant already rooted cuttings. How to germinate grape cuttings, how and when to harvest them - this will be discussed today. Read the article:preparing grapes for winter!
When to start harvesting cuttings for germination?
The grapes will tell you that it's time to start pruning: its foliage will fall off. And two weeks after the leaves fall, you can cut and harvest vines for planting.
Harvesting and storage of cuttings
To cut the shanks, you should choose an even young vine from the top of the shrub. It is better to cut out those shoots that grow on the sunny side - they are the strongest. The vine should be fairly thick (at least 8 mm), with green-brown bark.
The selected vine is cut into shanks. Too short or too long should not be done. The former are poorly rooted, while the latter are poorly stored. The optimal cutting length is 40 cm. Each should have at least 4-5 buds.
It remains to prepare the cuttings for storage, because until spring they should be in a dormant state. To do this, they:
- soaked in water for a day;
- stand for 30 minutes in potassium permanganate;
- dry well;
- wrapped in foil.
Cuttings packed in cellophane are stored in a cellar or a closed loggia at a temperature of 5 ° C. You can also put them in the refrigerator.
How to germinate grape cuttings: ways
At the end of winter, you can begin to awaken the grapes. The cuttings should be soaked again in water for a day so that they absorb moisture. Before that, update the slices, and make a couple of vertical cuts in the form of grooves on the lower one. This will help the grapes develop a more developed root system.
A growth stimulant can be added to the water.
Directly for germination of cuttings, you will need the following components (at the choice of the grower):
- Water. In a glass jar with a capacity of 1 liter, a thin layer of cotton wool is placed on the bottom. Melt water is poured in a layer of not more than 5 cm. For the prevention of decay, activated carbon or potassium permanganate is added to the water. Cuttings are installed in a quantity of no more than 10 pieces in each jar. From above they are covered with a bag.
- Sawdust. Steamed and cooled hardwood sawdust is poured into a deep container. Cuttings are inserted into the sawdust while standing.
- The soil. A light soil mixture is made from sod land, peat and sand. Cuttings are planted obliquely.They can be in the ground until they are transplanted to a permanent place.
- Sand. They act in the same way as with sawdust.
In the first and second methods, you need to grow cuttings in a container with soil. They are planted when the roots appear. It is better to break off young shoots, leaving one, so that they do not take away strength.
Sprouted cuttings are planted in open ground in late spring - early summer. By this time, they have time to grow young shoots and good roots.