How to transplant grapes to another place?
Growing grapes has always been considered a difficult and expensive pleasure, but thanks to modern knowledge and technology, it can be grown even at home. The need to transplant grapes arises quite suddenly and is not an easy process, but it is quite feasible. This practice has been carried out for centuries and over this period has become well established. As in any similar tasks, the main thing is to follow the basic rules and the result will meet all your expectations.
Features depending on age
Let's start with young sprouts of grapes. One of the most common ways to propagate grapes is cuttings. They are placed in one bed, called a shkolka, and left until they reach the age of one year. At this age, grapes look like a small bush with several shoots and have such a property as the highest level of survival.
It is relatively easy to transfer a transplant to a new place and a two-year-old seedling. As a rule, at this age the plant already has a well-formed root system, albeit not as strong as that of old grapes, but already a solid above-ground part. After transplanting, it is best to leave a couple of eyes, from which new shoots can then form. Such a small number of shoots is needed for easier formation of the subsequent shape and direction of growth of grapes.
An adult bush, unlike young grapes, is quite difficult to transplant. Its well-formed and overgrown root system will require a long period of adaptation. This is a three year old grape. In this case, the minimum distance that the plant needs to be dug in to avoid damage to the root system is half a meter. A three-year-old seedling needs to leave about 5 eyes so that in a new place it can better absorb moisture and nutrients from the soil.
Transplantation of four-year-old grapes must be carried out with great care. In this case, there is a need to dig a large hole for a massive root system. The same applies to grapes about 5 years old.
Replanting bushes older than 5 years is not recommended. At this age, the plant has a high probability that the grapes will not take root, and the main reason for this is that the overgrown root system cannot avoid damage during digging and transfer to a new place. In addition, you need to know that bushes younger than this age begin to bear fruit only after several years of adaptation in a new place.
Despite these recommendations, there are known cases of successful transplantation of grapes both 7 years old and 10 years old.
One of the most important features that concerns any old grape is that they are sensitive to the earth's magnetic fields. It is best to plant the old bush in a new place in the same location in relation to the cardinal points that he had in the same place.
Timing
Spring transplantation is the most favorable, since in the subsequent warm season the chances of grapes to take root on new soil increase significantly, and by winter the plant will be completely ready for the cold period.
It is necessary to carry out a transplant within two weeks in the interval from the swelling of the cuttings and until the buds open, as well as the appearance of the first leaves. The starting point of the process can be considered the beginning of sap flow. When transplanting several bushes, some of them are transplanted in the fall to visually determine the survival rate of the first batch.
Autumn transplantation is acceptable for hot southern regions. Too much heat, like cold, can be detrimental to newly transplanted grapes. With a high probability of a hot summer, which is fraught with frequent droughts, a transplant carried out in the fall will help the seedling to get used to a new place more easily.
It is best to start transplanting after the first buds appear on the vine.
As an alternative, another more visual way is used to check whether the grapes “woke up” after the winter - for this it is enough to cut the stem of the plant 1 or 2 cm deep, if the juice comes out, then the plant has successfully overwintered, and you can start transplanting. On average, such a period in grapes occurs in the spring in April, less often in May. Ideally, transplanting should be done as soon as the soil temperature reaches +8 degrees. It is important to take into account that air temperature and soil temperature in spring vary greatly, and in this case it is necessary to measure only the temperature of the soil on which the grapes are planned to be transplanted.
It is not recommended to transplant in the summer, the likelihood that the vine will take root in the hot season during its flowering or fruiting is significantly reduced. At this time of the year, grapes can be transplanted only when absolutely necessary, and after that it is necessary to cover it from the sun for a while.
Autumn transplantation of grapes is also practiced. It is best to carry it out after the leaves have completely fallen, but before the first hard frosts. The roots can only take root in warm soil due to the fact that the upper part of the plant has already ceased its activity. This practice takes place only in regions with a warm autumn. The most suitable time for an autumn transplant in warm regions is mid-November.
In Moscow and the Moscow region, grapes are best replanted in late April - early May.
Where to plant?
The need for transplantation is most often due to the fact that grapes grow poorly in the old place. Grapes do not grow well in windy places, which can also cause a transplant. Sometimes a new, more sunny location in the same area has a beneficial effect not only on the plant itself, but also on the future crop.
It is well known that grapes love warmth and light, which most often distinguish the southern and southwestern slopes.
In addition to needing plenty of light, grapes need a vertical surface around which they can grow. As such a support, the same southern or southwestern slopes and fences are best suited.
When transplanting grapes, it is recommended to place them along the magnetic line of the Earth, from north to south. Except when the grapes are older than 5 years.As mentioned above, old grapes should be located in relation to the cardinal points in the same way as they were located in the old place.
Considering the composition of the soil in a new place for transplanting grapes, it should be remembered that this culture will definitely not get used to the swampy areas and salt marshes.
The neighborhood with other plants is disastrous for grapes, both with other grapes and, for example, with a tree. In the first case, the shoots will interfere with each other due to the fact that they will be intertwined, and in the second, the grapes will braid the tree and climb to the very top, where it will be difficult to harvest.
Unfortunately, situations arise when grapes are planted in an old hole from under an uprooted stump or other plant. This is strictly prohibited, since the soil in this place is no longer a nutrient medium, the soil simply begins to suffer from “fatigue”. The second strong reason not to do this is the presence of inhibitors from another plant. These substances inhibit the root system of other seedlings. The seedling, at best, will grow poorly and often get sick in such an environment, or it may simply die.
Training
It should be noted right away that the preparation of especially valuable varieties and ordinary varieties occurs in different ways. Ordinary varieties do not require special preparatory processes, while the opposite is true for valuable varieties. Ordinary varieties can simply be dug up and planted in a new place, after completing the process, watering them with water. For valuable varieties, things are a little different. We will talk about this below.
The preparatory phase begins a year or even two before the intended transplant. From about this time, dew roots cease to be removed, which we will discuss in more detail in the chapter below.As a rule, this is done so that the grapes get used to the new place better with the help of their superficial and deep roots.
The next step is preliminary digging, the purpose of which is to adapt the plant to a new place. This stage is carried out after harvesting and at the same time the grape trunk is dug in with a narrow groove, the size of which should not exceed half a meter. These are medium sizes, for an old plant, a deeper groove is required - about 60-80 cm.
Then it is necessary to fill a fresh trench with fertile and loose soil, and then shed it abundantly to the full depth. As a rule, after a properly carried out process, many young roots will appear around the trunk.
Among other things, it must be borne in mind that the colder the transplant is carried out, the more intensively it is necessary to trim the roots. As a rule, it is recommended to leave a couple of eyes on the sleeve and the same number on the shoots.
As for the size of the landing pit, it should be spacious for the rhizome. And you also need to know that the dimensions of the pit may also depend on the place where the grapes grow: in the southern regions it should be deeper, since the roots will grow down more intensively than in other directions due to their desire for groundwater, and in the northern regions the root the plant system is located on the surface layers of the soil, tending to heat, which suggests a wider hole.
It is important to know that after such changes, the grape harvest will be at least halved.
At home, the simplest method of transplantation is used - using cuttings. One of the obvious advantages of this method is simplicity. Cuttings are easy to plant and grow at home.Pots for them are most often plastic cups. Cuttings are considered ready for transplanting only when the first leaves appear on them. During the whole process, two factors are important.
- The correct time to start planting cuttings is the end of February or the beginning of March.
- It is necessary to choose those grape varieties that are easily mastered in a new place. The category of such varieties includes "Delight", "Anyuta", "Veles", "Lora" and others.
Preparation for a transplant can take place in different ways and almost always with a positive result, but it is only important in both methods to adhere to the correct timing for all stages.
How to transplant?
It is impossible to say in advance how correctly this or that stage will be passed when transplanting grapes, a good result is still not always guaranteed. Below is a simple step by step guide.
- To transplant grapes to another place, a cool, overcast day or twilight time is chosen. A few hours before the start of the transplanting process, the grapes are abundantly watered with water, and it is important to choose the right temperature - it should be warm.
- The next step is to dig a hole for the seedlings. After a hole of suitable size has been dug, it should be filled with two or three buckets of water. It is important to form a small hill at the bottom of the pit so that air does not linger there later. Sometimes a hole dug for grapes is filled with hot water, after transplantation, the upper part of the plant is buried in the ground. Together, this helps the roots settle in faster and slows down the growth of the above-ground part of the grapes. But this is only a recommendation, and such a process must be carried out with great care in order to avoid an unpredictable result.
- The main stage is the transplantation of the plant itself to a new place. This step can be divided into several stages - first you need to dig up the plant. As mentioned earlier, you need to dig a groove around the plant. Most often, an iron sheet is used for this, which is placed around the perimeter of the coma and fastened with wire. After the "border" is outlined, digging begins. After the root system becomes visible, large or intolerant roots are chopped off. With the help of two shovels, the plant is pulled out of the pit, placed on a tarpaulin or stand.
In addition to all of the above, there are some specific ways to transplant:
- transplant with a large clod of earth;
- transplant with a small (shortened) clod of earth;
- transplant as a seedling.
A transplant with a large clod of earth is the best transplant option. With this method, there is the least damage to the root system.
Important in this process is the knowledge of the types of roots: root trunk, calcaneal roots, median roots and dew roots. The main absorption of nutrients occurs at a depth of 30 to 60 cm and is carried out by the calcaneal roots. But absorption occurs in other roots too. You need to know this in order not to inadvertently damage the heel roots. If damage to the roots did occur, then roots a couple of centimeters in diameter will easily recover within a few months, but the likelihood of restoration of roots thicker than 4 cm in diameter is practically excluded.
The older the grapes, the more lumps it should have when transplanting.
Is it possible to do without a transplant?
As mentioned earlier, seedlings older than 5 years are not recommended to be transplanted.Unfortunately, this is the case when it is not only impossible to do without a transplant, but rather it cannot be done at all.
The need to transplant grapes arises only when redevelopment of the site is required or when the plant lacks sunlight. In all other cases, it is better to refuse to transplant grapes. The very process of growing grapes is laborious, as this crop is a rather capricious plant that requires regular care. Therefore, an additional complication of the process of growing grapes by transplanting can lead to a not entirely successful result.
A good alternative to transplanting regular grapes is the so-called wild grape. It is unpretentious and can grow quite rapidly in a short time, and sometimes even behaves aggressively.
It does not require special care, but, unfortunately, it does not differ in fertility and is seated as a decorative "living" wall. Most often it is planted near arbors, walls or other vertical surfaces. This grape requires care only in the sense that some shoots will need to be cut regularly, as they are able to destroy brick and stone walls.
Transplanting grapes is not exactly a complicated, but multi-stage process. A good outcome is more likely than a negative one. We hope that this article will help you replant grapes and enjoy their fruits soon.
For more information on how to transplant grapes, see the following video.