How to grow grapes from seed at home: planting and care

Among winegrowers, it is widely believed that this plant can only propagate by cuttings and layering. Beginning summer residents do not even know how to properly grow grapes from the seed so that it gives a rich and tasty harvest. But it is precisely this technique that is sometimes necessary, although it requires a lot of time and effort.

Can grapes be grown from seed?

As practice shows, it is possible to grow grapes from seeds. But in this case, there is no guarantee that the resulting seedling will retain the varietal characteristics of the mother plant. This technique is often used:

• breeders to develop new hybrids or varieties with improved performance;
• for growing seedlings;
• for the purpose of further use of the plant for decorative purposes;
• for growing rootstock.

Not every fruit-bearing grape variety can be propagated by seeds. Most of the early hybrids are best suited for such purposes. Since the grown seedlings do not always retain the species characteristics of the mother variety, experienced gardeners recommend sowing several seeds. After that, the properties of the grown grape bushes are compared and those of them that satisfy expectations and requests are left. It should be noted that plants grown from seeds at home lose in terms of yield and taste characteristics of berries to those that were obtained from layering or rooted cuttings.

Preparing for landing

For the collection of seed material, large and well-ripened berries are selected that do not have external defects or signs of any disease. The pulp from grape fruits is removed, and the extracted seeds are washed under running water. After that, those of them that have a brown or beige color and the largest sizes are selected.

To increase the germination of grape seeds, it is recommended to stratify them. You should start no later than December and act within a few months. In this case, by the beginning of the summer season, the grown seedling can be dived into open ground. Stratification means laying the grains in a damp cloth and cellophane and storing them in the refrigerator for 2 months.

Acceptable air temperature is from +3 to 0 °С. Once a week, grape seeds are taken out and they are carefully examined.Stratification ends in the period when the shell on the grains begins to crack. After that, the grains are placed in a warm place, spread out on a damp cloth. After a few days, small roots should appear, which signals that the time has come to plant the grapes in the ground.

Sowing grapes at home

Before you plant grape seeds, you need to prepare the soil. Use a ready-made substrate purchased at a store, or a mixture in equal proportions of the following components:

• river sand;
• any humus;
• garden soil.

It is preferable to grow each seedling separately in a pot. A drainage hole is made in the bottom, and then several expanded clay pebbles are poured.Only after that, a nutrient soil mixture is poured, a seed is planted in it to a depth of 1.5 cm and watered well. The pot is placed in a well-lit place, preferably on a windowsill on the south side of the house, and they wait for the shoots to emerge.

To prevent excess moisture from evaporating, the sowing is covered with cellophane until a sprout appears.

In order for the seeds to sprout, it is necessary to provide them with a comfortable temperature regime. The optimum temperature for growing grapes from seeds during the day is around +20 °C, and in the evening - at least +15 °C. Under these conditions, sprouts should appear within a week after sowing.

Ripening dates

Grapes grown from seed grow quite slowly and need special care. It will bear fruit only 4-5 years after germination, and the first harvest is usually poor. Berries in the first year of fruiting grow sour or with a mild taste and aroma.The ripening time depends entirely on the variety and the characteristics that the young plant has inherited from the mother. It will be possible to recognize them accurately only after several years of observing the planted bush.

Features of plant care

Grape seed is not enough just to sprout, young shoots require careful care. A strong and he althy plant can only be obtained by properly organizing watering and providing the necessary amount of light. Light day should be at least 8 hours. You will also need to regularly fertilize and loosen the soil. Every 1.5 weeks, the grapes are fed with phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers.

Immediately after germination, it is better to irrigate with a spray gun so that fragile roots are not damaged. The main enemy of young grapes at this stage is the spider mite, which can completely destroy plantings.It is required to conduct a daily inspection of the bushes, and if a pest is found, immediately take preventive measures.

If in the future it is planned to use grapes as an ornamental indoor plant, then after reaching a height of 10 cm, the plant is transferred to a pot of up to 4 liters. In open ground, the seedling dive approximately in early June. First you need to harden the young bush. To do this, it is exposed to the open air for a week.

The place should be protected from drafts and direct sunlight. Such activities will help prevent further sunburn.

Transplanting in open ground

The grown grape seedling is transplanted into open ground as soon as it reaches a height of 30 cm. At the same time, warm weather should already be established on the street and there should be no threat of night frosts.A landing site is selected well-lit, protected from the northern cold wind. It is preferable to plant grapes in light soil with good breathability and drainage. The location of the site in the lowlands, high humidity or the proximity of groundwater can provoke the freezing of bushes.

For planting young grapes dig holes at a distance of 1.5-2 meters from each other. Nutrient soil mixture prepared from equal parts of river sand, any kind of humus and earth is poured there. Before planting the plants, the hole is well moistened. If the site is dominated by clay soil, it is recommended to add compost, sand or other drainage material to it.

It is also recommended to slightly raise the vine bed.

At the same time, the soil is examined for acidity. Different varieties of grapes in this regard have different preferences.For example, plants of American origin feel best at a pH level of 5.5-6, European - 6.5-7, and hybrids - 6.0-6.5. If the parameters do not correspond to the recommended ones, then measures must be taken to normalize them.

A warm and sunny day is chosen for planting grapes. Each shoot is fixed on an installed support. In the first year, the main care is the organization of timely watering, loosening the soil and weeding emerging weeds. If everything is done correctly, then the plant will take root well, and its height will reach 1-2 meters.

Formative pruning is done only in the third year of the life of the grape bush. If the variety is chosen successfully, then it will bear fruit 3-4 years after planting, however, there have been cases when the plant gave the first harvest after 2 years.

When growing grapes for making wine, you need to know that the quality of the soil has a significant effect on the taste. The first dressing of the bushes is carried out a couple of weeks after landing on the site. In the future, fertilizers are applied once a year, usually in the spring. The backup is organized by any available and preferred methods:

• arbor option;
• wall method;
• trellis method.

If it was decided to grow grapes using the wall method, then it is worth stepping back from the wall at least 1 meter so that the bush can receive the dose of sunlight it needs and be well ventilated. While the grapes are still small, you can attach them to pegs driven into the ground. Their height is chosen in such a way that the vine would not be able to fall to the ground.

As the grape bush grows, the pegs are removed, and the branches are fixed on a trellis or arbor, forming a beautiful green frame from them in the future.Weak or damaged shoots must be removed in a timely manner so that the bush does not waste strength and nutrients on them. You also need to make sure that the grapes do not grow too thick, as this leads not only to their depletion, but also to the development of fungal diseases.

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