How to plant and grow grapes on the balcony
Residents of city apartments often lack greenery and beauty of living plants. You don't have to go out of town to enjoy the harmony of nature. How to do it? With the help of a vat system for growing grapes, which braids the entire space on the balcony.
Grapes are an unpretentious plant, many of its varieties are cold-resistant and undemanding to care. It is possible to grow wild "girlish" grapes or a culture that gives tasty and juicy fruits in a pot on the balcony. However, caring for a vine at home is different from growing it outdoors.
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Is it possible to grow grapes on the balcony and what varieties are suitable for this
The grapes can be grown on the balcony. The plant does not require a large area - a pot or box is enough - and at the same time grows long vines.
Often decorative grapes are grown on the balcony, which are called maiden... It is the most unpretentious to care for, is able to grow in shaded areas and is distinguished by its rapid development. The main feature of such a vine is red leaves, shaped like ivy. The fruits of the plant are small and tasteless, they are not used for food.
Balcony cultivated and cultivated grapes... It looks less aesthetically pleasing, but is also able to completely braid the balcony. Its main advantage is its tasty edible fruit, which is harvested in summer and early autumn.
Not all cultivars are suitable for the balcony: female varieties are not suitable, as they require artificial pollination. It is worth planting bisexual varieties that are considered self-pollinating.:
- Laura;
- Delight;
- Russian Concorde;
- Victoria.
When choosing a variety, attention is paid to cold resistance... Heat-loving grapes are not suitable for the middle lane.
Planting grapes
Growing grapes on the balcony in a box is not a difficult task. So that the plant does not die and develop correctly, it is important to pay attention to the planting process... This stage is no less important than the subsequent care of the vine.
Balcony preparation
Usually, a balcony is chosen for growing, since it is in this part of the apartment that it is easiest to create the necessary conditions and show your neighbors the beauty of a climbing plant.
Grapes are a light-loving culture... Most of all, balconies are suitable for him, which are located on the south, south-west or south-east side. Lianas planted in the northern part of the house will need additional lighting. The exception is wild grapes, which thrive even in the shade.
It is interesting! Red (brown) leaves indicate that the plant easily tolerates a lack of sunlight.
To provide better lighting, the walls on the balcony are sheathed with reflective material. (foil). The larger the windows on the balcony, the better the plant feels.
To keep the grapes from freezing in winter, the balcony is insulated. Insulation is placed under the reflective material.
Selection of capacity and soil preparation
The soil for planting must be loose and nutritious.... A generic primer that is sold in a store is suitable. However, it will take a lot of land, so most growers prefer to prepare the soil on their own. To do this, mix:
- garden soil (preferably black soil) - 5 parts;
- humus or rotted manure - 3 parts;
- clean river sand - 2 parts.
All ingredients are mixed. Both in the purchased and in the home-made soil mixture, 30 g of urea, 25 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium salts are added for every 10 kg.
The soil is disinfected by one of the methods:
- calcined in the oven;
- watered with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate;
- watered with a solution prepared from 1 tbsp. l. copper sulfate and a bucket of water.
No less attention is paid to the choice of containers... Plants are first planted in regular flower pots or boxes. As the grapes grow, the size of the containers increases. The volume of containers for adult grapes is from 60 to 350 liters. The larger the pot, the more the grapes will grow.
There should be drain holes at the bottom of the containers... They prevent fluid retention, which is the cause of many diseases. To disinfect the pots for grapes, they are soaked in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate or poured with boiling water.
Important! When planting grapes, drainage is used: shell rock, small crushed stone, expanded clay, broken ceramics or bricks, special glass balls.
Grape growing methods
Grapes are grown generatively and vegetatively... In the first case, seeds harvested from fruits are used. This method is the longest and only allows growing wild plants.
Before sowing seeds, they are soaked in salted water.... The specimens that have sunk to the bottom are suitable for sowing, and those that have surfaced are dummies. Then the seeds are disinfected in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate and soaked for 6-12 hours in a growth stimulator ("Solution").
The prepared seeds are sown in the ground, covered with foil and wait for the emergence of shootswatering and airing regularly. When 2 true leaves appear on the seedlings, the plants dive into individual pots. Then they are transplanted into large containers as they grow, and after a year they are put on the balcony.
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The vegetative reproduction method is used much more often.... It is suitable for all varieties and allows you to quickly get an adult fruiting plant.
When propagating by layering, a one-year-old vine is pressed to the soil and covered with soil at the base. All summer it is watered and fed, and in the fall it is cut off from the mother plant along with the formed roots. Until next spring, the grapes are kept in a pot at home, and then transplanted to a permanent place.
The most common method is propagation by cuttings., which are obtained during the formation of grapes. The main thing is that 2-3 buds remain on the grape pruning.
The stalk is placed in a glass of water and the roots appear.... It takes 2-3 weeks. It is then transplanted into a small rooting pot. Yearly plants are planted on the balcony.
Note! The easiest way to grow grapes on the balcony is by purchasing a ready-made seedling. It should have a developed, not dry root system, a firm but elastic bark and developed buds.
Step-by-step instructions for planting grapes
A purchased or self-grown seedling is planted in late February or early March... If the planting material is of high quality and the procedure for planting it was performed correctly, it will quickly take root and begin to sprout.
Procedure:
- The seedling is disinfected: roots for 30-60 minutes. dipped in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate.
- To help the planting material take root, use a growth stimulator ("Kornevin").
- At the bottom of a pot with a volume of at least 3 liters, 1 cm of drainage is poured. The rest of the space is covered with soil. The soil is watered with warm, settled water.
- The plant is planted so that the bottom leaf does not touch the soil. The soil around is compacted and again watered with warm water.
- Until the seedling takes root, it is kept under a dark film, which is removed daily for 15-30 minutes. for airing. As it dries, the soil is moistened, and the vine is sprayed with a spray bottle.
- When shoots begin to form, the duration of airing is increased. After a week, the film is removed.
Grapes are brought out to the balcony no earlier than the second half of April or early May... The plant is gradually accustomed to new conditions: first, it is taken out for half an hour, then the time is gradually increased to a day. Only after that is the vine pot finally moved to the balcony.
Rules for caring for grapes on the balcony
Caring for grapes does not take much time, even a novice gardener can handle it.
Watering
The grapes are watered 1-2 times a week... The hotter it is outside, the more often the soil is moistened. Water at room temperature is used for irrigation. Cold liquid is one of the main causes of fungal infections, including root rot.
Water the grapes early in the morning or late in the evening when the sun is inactive. Otherwise, the plant will get burned. During the fruiting period, the number of watering is reduced, just preventing the soil from drying out.
Loosening
A day after watering, the soil is loosened to destroy the earth crust.that prevents air exchange.
Spraying
If the summer is dry, the leaves are sprayed three times per season.... For this procedure, use warm, settled water. Spraying is carried out when the sun is inactive.
Transshipment
The first 2-3 years the grapes are repeatedly transferred into a new potas soon as the root system fills the previous one. The plant is removed from the pot without destroying the earthen lump. With a blunt knife, remove the drainage and the top layer 2-3 cm thick. The root system is examined and all damaged processes are removed.
A layer of disinfected drainage is poured into a new pot, which is larger in volume than the previous one, then a liana is placed along with an earthen lump, the free space is covered with new fertile soil. The grapes are watered abundantly and placed in a shaded place for a week.
Transplants
After the first fruiting, the transshipments are stopped, but once every 2-3 years the plant is transplanted... The grapes are removed from the pot and a third of the earthy clod is removed. The roots and crown are also cut to a third, rotten and dry processes are removed.
Drainage and a layer of sand are poured into a new pot. The plant is installed without deepening the root collar. The free space in the container is filled with earth. After that, the grapes are watered and harvested in a dark place for a week. Before the first transplant, the unformed fruits are completely cut off.
Top dressing
The grapes grown on the balcony need feeding. Fertilizers are applied only to pre-watered soil according to the following scheme:
- At the beginning of March - the first feeding with a high nitrogen content necessary for the growth of green mass. The composition should include a complex of trace elements.
- The second and third time fertilizers are applied in the summer with a break of a month. A mixture of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements is introduced into the soil. Such funds will strengthen the ovaries and young shoots.
- When the berries reach their maximum size, the grapes are fed a fourth time. Fertilizer should contain large amounts of phosphorus and potassium. It is not recommended to use nitrogen, otherwise the plant will spend energy not on ripening berries, but on building up green mass.
- When the berries begin to ripen, no root dressing is done. Instead, the grapes are sprayed with a mixture of micronutrients that accelerate the ripening of the berries.
- After harvesting, fertilizers are applied for the last time in the season. These should include phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. They should not contain nitrogen.
Shaping and trimming
Grapes on the balcony form the same as outdoors... The procedure is carried out in the fall.
Every year, the most powerful and healthy ones are chosen from new vines. They are divided into pairs. In each pair, one vine is cut by two thirds, and 2-3 buds are left on the other.
The long vine will give the next year whips on which the harvest will form. A short vine will produce powerful shoots.
After the long vine yields the crop, it is cut under the base.... Shoots grown from short vines are formed according to the described principle.
Sanitary pruning performed annually - removal of old and diseased branches.
How to make grapes braid the balcony? For this he will need support. If the building has a lattice or columns, the vines are allowed to run over them... If they are not there, they attach ropes from the outside of the windows and use them as supports.
Preparation for wintering
Grapes are left overwintering on the balcony only if the temperature there does not drop below 0 ° C... In this case, the vines are removed from the supports and placed on the floor. From above they are covered with burlap, covered with peat or sawdust.
In the spring, the mulch is removed. The vines are again allowed to run on the supports.
If it is cold on the balcony, the plant is brought into the apartment.... At temperatures up to + 10 ° C, the grapes will be dormant. If there is no cool place, the plant's lashes cling to the support installed at home.
Liana is watered and fed, as in summer, and provide additional lighting. In such conditions, grapes often give a second harvest.
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Conclusion
The grapes will become a real decoration of the balcony. It will allow the owner of a city apartment to mentally move to a cozy gazebo of a country house. Windows, braided with its vines, will look attractive both from the street side and in the house.
Growing grapes on the balcony is no more difficult than growing outdoors. Subject to the basic rules of care, the plant will not cause problems and will delight with annual harvests.