How to tie grapes?

Grapes are a rather capricious plant, but with timely and proper care, they can grow and bear good fruit almost anywhere in Russia. An integral part of the growing procedure is precisely the garter, the main stages and nuances of which each novice gardener who is planning to start breeding the fruitful culture in question should study.

The grape is a fast-growing liana, which has no definite form in its natural habitat and weaves everything in its path with the antennae. That is why the garter procedure is extremely important when growing this plant. In addition to the fact that properly recorded shoots will decorate the garden or cottage beginner gardener, there are such reasons for the use of garters, such as:

• providing the bush with good ventilation and, as a result, reducing the risk of fungal pathologies or rotting;
• open access to the sun's rays, whose action has a positive effect on the sugar content, richness of taste, speed of ripening and size of fruits;
• equal distribution of nutrients to avoid loss of part of the crop;
• facilitating the process of caring for the cultivated crop;
• creation of optimal conditions for high-grade pollination and subsequent ripening of berries.

Initially, tying up the vine occurs in early spring. At the preparation stage, it is required to remove the winter shelter, to cut off all frozen and injured processes. Further, it is very important to catch that moment when the plant has not yet fully awakened after the winter, and the sap flow in it is just brewing. If you do not take into account this fact, you can cause significant harm to the kidneys, which are already very fragile.

The spring garter also has a second name - dry. There is also another type of tying (called green), which is carried out already in the summer, when the processes of the cultivated crop reach a certain size. It must be held several times a season as it grows.

Dry garter is carried out by carefully fixing the grapes in a horizontal way or at a small angle to the special structure, which is required for the even supply of nutrients and the consumption of sunlight. Otherwise, the kidneys will be revealed only in the upper zones to the detriment of the rest.

The name is due to the fact that the gardener has to deal with still dry, frozen out last year's shoots. This type implies alternate and uniform tying of branches to the lowest part of the trellis - a peculiar structure or support consisting of vertically installed metal, reinforced concrete or wooden poles, and a wire horizontally stretched between them in several rows. It is very important to first completely place the vine on the mount, and then carefully fix in several places. Stalks, on which young shoots will later be formed, also need to be tied to the trellis grid in a timely manner. As a result, large clusters of the correct form with beautiful, tasty and juicy berries are formed.

The second method is used at the moment when the grapes are 30 centimeters or more. This usually happens at the very beginning of the summer period. At this point, you should be especially careful and try not to harm the already formed kidneys. The grapes are fixed by the gardener already at a right angle in order to avoid adverse weather conditions, such as strong gusts of wind or heavy rain. When the branch of the vine grows, it is re-tied to the wire stretched close above.

In the first, and sometimes in the second year of planting, it is enough to tie the seedlings to the peg.In the third year, shoots begin to grow much more intensively, therefore, there is no longer a way to do without a universal device, referred to as trellis. You can build it yourself at home, even a novice gardener can easily cope with this. The basis of this design is often taken wooden, metal or reinforced concrete pillars with a height not exceeding 3 m, and a diameter equal to at least 30 mm. The columns are reinforced in the ground at a distance of 3 m from each other so that the support on the surface has a height of about 2 m.

Then a galvanized metal wire with a diameter of 1.8 to 2.4 mm is pulled between them. If the pillars are made of wood, then the wire at the ends is fixed with the help of special iron brackets, and small holes are drilled in the metal and reinforced concrete pillars. The bottom row of the wire is drawn and fixed at a distance of 40 cm from the ground level. Indented from 30 to 40 cm tension the next level. Similarly, do with the higher ranks. Usually their number reaches 4-5 pieces.

The peculiarities of a two-plane structure should be attributed to the fact that in its construction it is necessary to use columns, the height of which corresponds to the distance between the rows. It is then that the trellis can be considered the most stable. It is used to increase the number of fruits as a result of growing.

When choosing wooden poles it is recommended to use the following types of trees:

• poplar;
• acacia;
• oak;
• alder;
• mulberry.

The above groups are practically not subject to rotting. To protect the selected wood from the action of harmful insects, initially you need to soak it in a five percent solution of blue vitriol. The lower part of the support is additionally coated with hot resin before bury it in the ground. Of course, the service life of metal pillars is much longer, and the preparation procedure is not too complicated. In this case, you must also take into account the weather conditions and the weight of the fruit, the fragility of the wooden posts. Accordingly, it is more profitable to apply in practice precisely the basis of metal or concrete.

As materials for the plant's garter itself, the best option would be a bast, thoroughly soaked in water. There are other options, among which the most preferred and common are the following:

• soft tissue scraps and patches;
• polyethylene strips;
• bulky threads;
• young, elastic shoots of willow;
• thin twine;
• old nylon stockings or pantyhose;
• fibrous materials such as sida and kenaf;
• corn wrappers;
• special plastic clips.

In addition to these materials, you will also need special garden shears and a conventional, but powerful or specialized stapler for the final fixation of the ends of the material.

In order to properly tie the grapes, you need to adhere to the following algorithm:

• the process itself begins before disclosure of young buds and the appearance of clusters, after cutting off the damaged and frozen parts;
• bring the branches of the grapes in one direction, but the shoots themselves must be divided for good ventilation;
• place the plant on the trellis and fix, after checking that the wire does not squeeze the branches and shoots anywhere;
• check that the vine does not slide on the grid;
• fix the liana with soft materials (tie up with kapron stockings, fabric patches, polyethylene tapes) or use a tapener.

It should be noted that tying can be carried out by a figure eight or loop, when the garter material is additionally placed between the wire and the stem in order to avoid injury to the plant. It should be tied with an interval of 50 cm. Tapener is used when working with a large number of bushes to facilitate and accelerate the entire process. This is a special tool, a functional set of which resembles the principle of operation of a conventional stapler. The device fixes shoots with a soft film.

The garter is recommended to be made at each stage very carefully, it is not worth rushing. Alternately fastened each escape taken. Only a careful approach to this procedure will be crowned with success and will meet all expectations of the gardener.

In order for the whole cultivation procedure to succeed and produce the desired results, The beginner should consider the following important points:

• It is strongly not recommended to use fishing line or coarse rope when tying, as these materials will inevitably damage the plant, which will lead to partial or complete loss of the crop;
• in the implementation of the process in question, it is not necessary to twist the shoots and the vine itself too much so as not to block and limit the channels of uniform distribution of nutrients;
• one should try to smooth the strong bends, make the lines smooth;
• young shoots should not be strengthened using the highest interstitial site; the best fixation option will be the mount for their middle part or approximately at a distance of 2/3 of the length from the base;
• in no case can not tie up the vine in a vertical position, since the kidneys will be formed only in its upper part; this method will inevitably lead to damage to the plant and significantly reduce the level of yield;
• fasten better horizontally or at a slight angle;
• old shoots on the lower level should be placed like a fan or half a fan, which optimizes the ventilation process and normalizes the pollination of the plant;
• in the zone of central Russia, crops should be harvested for the winter period, so the fan shape will be the most rational option.

A bush formed in this way looks like a group of sleeves originating from the base of a plant. When placed at different angles, but in the same plane, the shoots are very easily removed from the supporting structure, and then take cover during the winter cold. In the first year of planting after the initial stage of development, 2–4 vines remain on a young grape seedling.

In the second year, when the first pruning is done, 2 of the strongest sleeves should be left, which shorten to 2–4 buds. In the third year, the remaining vines after winter again leave 2 buds. The branches are tied up to the trellis horizontally, and the shoots emerging from the buds are attached vertically. The grape bush tied in this way schematically resembles a fan, therefore this name of the method is fan.

Fixation on the trellis should be done in such a way that there is no excessive squeezing or sliding of the branches, which will help to avoid uneven supply and distribution of nutrients and damage to the grapes. It is recommended to carefully separate the shoots and stems of one vine to prevent the formation of a dense crown and provide the necessary space for their growth, maximum ventilation and normal pollination.

Fastening to the supporting structure should be carried out quite firmly in order to avoid its breakage under the weight of the fruit or during adverse weather conditions, such as severe hurricanes and heavy rains.In order to avoid severe injury to the stems by direct contact with the support, it is necessary to tie the shoots with a figure eight or a loop, that is, additionally place the dressings between the wire and the rod.

There is also another, but less productive way of growing grapes, when you can do without installing a trellis. But even in this case, one cannot do without a certain structure in the form of a strong metal support, on which the branches of the plant will later be thrown. This method involves several significant drawbacks.

• Prior to the beginning of the winter period, the branches of the vine will have to be removed from the support in order to prevent their partial or full frosting. In the spring, the gardener will have to reinstall all the elements of the supporting structure. Much more effort is laid, while the vine is very easy to damage with constant mechanical stress.
• Stems should initially be formed correctly, they should be regularly pruned. Without the use of a trellis, the process of caring for a plant is very complicated, there is a high risk of the appearance of fungal pathologies and decay due to inadequate ventilation.

Thus, grape garter is an integral and most important part of the process of growing it. With a detailed study of all stages, any beginner grower can handle it. But it is extremely important to observe all the nuances in the procedure of tying, only in this case, you can achieve the best result with minimal effort and at times increase the level of yield.

For information on how and how to tie grapes, see the next video.