How to preserve grape cuttings throughout the winter?

Grapes are propagated by cuttings, planting them in open ground in the spring or by grafting. And here the question arises of how to store grape cuttings in winter. Seedlings, also called chibouks, are a piece of vine as thick as a pencil or pen and at least half a meter long. It is important that the seedling has at least 3-4 buds so that it will grow well later. Why does propagation occur by cuttings? Because when using seeds, many properties of varieties are not preserved, so you have to use the vegetative method.

Preparation of pipes

Cuttings are cut in the fall, so as not to injure the mother vine, which has come to life and started to grow in the spring. It will use its forces to prolong the damage, and the fruit harvest will be smaller. And in September-October, when all processes in the plant have already slowed down somewhat, pruning will not be so traumatic. Since the plant loses a lot of moisture in this case, it is necessary to somewhat replenish its amount in the cuttings - make a fresh cut at one of the ends and dip it in clean water. Subsequently, to prevent loss of liquid during storage, both ends are often dipped in molten paraffin. The optimal time for such gardening work is after the first light frost, but before the temperature drops below -10°.

In order for the chibouk to be stored well and to be successfully harvested in the spring, it must be cut correctly. The lower or middle part of a young fruit-bearing vine is selected.Both too thin and very thick shoots will not work. When you try to bend or break the shoot, it should crack slightly. The core should have a dense consistency, and the bark should be an even brown color without too light or dark spots. The vine is cut, retreating a few centimeters from the internode. Naturally, cutting tools must be clean and sharp.

Leaves and tendrils that have not fallen by themselves must be removed. The vine should not have mechanical damage or injury; it is desirable that it be straight, since many gardeners claim that crooked cuttings take root much worse and are accepted in open ground.

Storage conditions

If we talk about the storage of grape cuttings itself, it is important to create the correct temperature and humidity conditions. Comfortable conditions for chibouks are 0-4°C. At sub-zero temperatures they will freeze, and in excessive heat they can produce roots and buds or become moldy and rot. Optimal humidity is about 60%. Excessive dampness is a favorable environment for fungus, and in dry conditions the chibouks will lose too much water.

To protect against possible pests and diseases, the cuttings are sprayed or dipped in a weak solution of copper or iron sulfate. It can also be used to wipe chibouks that have been slightly damaged by mold during storage. It is equally important to protect grapes from being eaten by rodents - frequent guests in any basement or barn.

Where to keep chibouks in winter?

You can store cuttings wherever all conditions for storage are provided. If there are only a few of them, you can put them on the refrigerator shelf, wrap the root part with a damp cloth, and almost forget until spring, only occasionally checking their condition and moistening the fabric.They won't interfere much and take up little space. Some people make a simple and convenient container from two plastic bottles inserted into each other with cut off bottoms and holes for ventilation in the lids.

How can you preserve grape cuttings in winter if there are a lot of them and you can no longer limit yourself to the refrigerator? This will require a whole room. A basement, cellar, large storage room - all this will do.

You can store grapes there as follows.

Fill a container of suitable size (bucket, box, basin, even an old bathtub) with a layer of clean and slightly moistened sand of 10-15 cm. Next, the cuttings must be stuck into the sand so that they do not touch each other. Since the top of the seedling will remain visible, its condition and health can be assessed throughout its storage period. Sand moisture must be maintained constantly. This is easier to do if the container is covered with polyethylene.
Instead of sand, sawdust is used, often coniferous, because it contains substances that prevent the development of fungus, or moss. This substrate must also be kept moist.
If there is no basement, but you need to store a lot of grapes at once, then to do this, dig a trench one meter deep and 60–70 cm wide. Its walls are impregnated with lime for disinfection, then a small layer of sand is poured, on which seedlings are laid horizontally or vertically, individually or in small bunches. The gaps between them are also filled with sand. It is necessary to sprinkle a small amount of soil on top to create a mound that will protect the buried grapes from excess moisture, especially in spring. For the same purpose, the soil can be additionally covered with polyethylene.However, the trench is still not immune from flooding, and the appearance of rodents there cannot be particularly monitored or prevented. In addition, the chibouks are completely in the ground, and it is not possible to check their safety.

Advice

If several varieties of grapes are stored simultaneously, they should be located separately from each other.

Caring for seedlings in spring

How do you know that the grapes have successfully overwintered and are ready to start growing? Small leaf embryos should appear in the eyes, and there will be a green layer under the bark. And the buds of a chibouk placed in water for several days will clearly swell.

Cuttings should be prepared for planting at the end of winter - beginning of spring. To do this, they first need to be rooted. The easiest way to do this is to stick the root part into damp foam rubber and put the seedlings in a dark place for 1-2 weeks. During this time, at least small roots will definitely hatch. Next, they are usually planted in the cut-off bottom part of plastic bottles in soil with a rich humus content, covered with the top part of the bottles (but without a lid) and placed in a lighted place. When there are a lot of roots and 4-5 leaves, the top part can be removed.

Grown grape bushes are planted in open ground in early to mid-summer. Naturally, the vine must be provided with all the conditions required for its variety, and the soil must be regularly loosened, providing air access to the root system, fed with mineral fertilizers and watered. It is important not to damage the roots when planting, because in this case the chibouk will have little chance of successfully taking root and producing a good harvest.And if circumstances are favorable and all requirements are met, by autumn the plant will delight you with powerful roots and healthy, strong shoots.