One of the most beloved plants, both professionals and amateur gardeners, for many hundreds of years remains a grape. It is interesting to people not only for its amazing taste, the ability to create the best varieties of wines, but also for its healing properties.
Mankind has come up with many ways to use the vine: weaving baskets, furniture, vases, fences, figurines for the garden and much more.
Symbolism of the vine
Each nation, which has its own faith and traditions, fills the vines with different semantic meanings. For some it is a sign of fertility, passion, consciousness, life, for others it is a sign of greed, deceit and treachery, in others it is dedicated to dying gods.
The vine was reflected in Christianity. According to this belief, Christ symbolizes the main vine, and all his followers are similar to the branches of grapes. The same parallel in faith is drawn between the church and its believers.
In Catholicism, grapevine symbolizes the blood of Christ; this is connected with the sacrament of communion, which signifies a spiritual merger with God.
But there have been cases in history when drinking wine was forbidden. For example, Muslims consider this drink a symbol of human sins.
The vine also found its place on the arms of many countries that are actively engaged in winemaking: Turkmenistan, Georgia, and Moldova.
Vine structure
However, in no case should one neglect the fact that without knowledge of the structure of the vine bush it is impossible to grow healthy sweet clusters.
To get a good harvest, it should be borne in mind that grapes must necessarily have support, since it belongs to lianian plants with unevenly growing branches.
The grape bush can be divided into two parts:
- Underground part. Consists of 2 types of roots. When propagating by seeds, primordial root embryos are formed, while vegetative dilution - subordinate roots. Young roots are very sensitive to lack of moisture, and only after growth they are covered with cork tissue for protection.
- Elevated part. It grows rapidly and requires mandatory cropping. It consists of fruit vines and knots of substitution, which provide fruiting. The branches in the second year of life are covered with wood, in the first they carry green leaves and antennae. Inflorescence and flower are formed on the plant in spring.
In the axils of the sheets there are three types of kidneys:
- Wintering.
- Stepson.
- Sleeping buds, which are located at the root of the vine.
Propagation of grapes
When propagating grape varieties, several methods are used depending on the climate, variety and purpose of breeding.
- Propagation by seed. With it, the qualities of the mother grapes are not duplicated, which leads to a change in the external and taste qualities. Fruiting occurs only after a few years. Often this method of propagation is used by breeders to develop new varieties or to give the plant a number of necessary qualities and characteristics.
- Vaccination method. It is more convenient for gardeners, allows you to propagate grapes in conditions of low temperatures and freezing of the soil. The second name of the method is budding. For its implementation, a graft, part of a cultivated plant, and stock, grapes with a good root system are needed. Before vaccination, the graft is immersed in water for 4-5 hours for soaking.
- Propagation by cuttings. The most common way. There are two main types, depending on the growing season:
- growing in winter cuttings cut from the top of the vine in the fall;
- prepared vines are planted in the open ground in spring.
Preparation of cuttings in glasses
Amateur gardeners often use the method of preparing seedlings in glasses. This growing scheme is very easy and does not cause difficulties even for those who do this for the first time.
In order to germinate the vines in glasses, you will need: 2 glasses of different sizes, earth, river sand and leaf humus.
In a larger glass with holes previously made at the bottom, 2 cm of humus leaf is poured for fertilizer. River glass sand is poured into a smaller glass (with a cut bottom), placed inside a large one, and around it is earth. After that, the small glass is removed, in the middle of the river sand, a 4 cm deep is made into which a fragment of the vine is placed. The entire space to the top of a large glass is covered with sand and watered abundantly. Sprouted vine in the spring.
Growing seedlings in bottles
To grow vines in a bottle, cut the neck off the vessel and make holes at the bottom. First, a drainage layer is created, 6-7 tablespoons of the soil mixture are poured on it, then a stalk is placed at an angle, and then the bottle is filled with steamed sawdust to the top. So that young leaves do not lose moisture, cover the plant from above with a plastic cup.
It is advisable to water through the pan.
The cuttings are ready for planting when the young roots of the vine will be visible on the walls of the bottle.
Landing rules
After successfully growing seedlings, you need to figure out how to plant a vine. This process requires a long period of preparation, which includes the choice of place, soil and the planting process itself.
Land in the fall should be carefully dug up and fertilized. The soil on it should not be excessively moistened and salted. The best option is chernozem or loam. You should also pay attention to the illumination of the site, since a lack of light will lead to a deterioration in the taste of grapes.
The most successful will be the planting of the vine in the spring, when frost has passed. Young seedlings are placed in pits, while taking them out of containers, you need to try not to damage the delicate roots. Mulch with peat and water with regularity every 2-3 days.
Stages of vine formation
Before starting the formation of the bush, a trellis should be prepared. It should be oriented from south to north and consist of a support and wire up to 3 mm thick. Supports of any type, metal, wooden or concrete, it is desirable to place at a distance of 3-4 meters from each other, and their height should not be less than 2.5 m. The wire is stretched every 50 cm.
Due to the fact that the grape begins to yield only in the third year after planting, the formation of the vine goes through the following steps:
- The first vegetation. During its period, two well-developed shoots should be grown. Extra branches should be removed when their length reaches 2-5 cm, otherwise the bush will be unproductive and depleted. In early autumn, the shoots are tied to a wire, and closer to the middle they are pruned, leaving 3 eyes on each branch. For the period of winter, the plant is covered with henna, sawdust or peat to prevent freezing, and then with a film to rid the bush of excess moisture.
- The second vegetation. The main objective of this stage is the formation of 4 shoots, the thickness of which by autumn at the level of the first wire should be 7-8 mm. From these shoots, bush sleeves will subsequently be formed.
- The third vegetation. Two vines are formed on each of the 4 arms. It is important at this stage to control the first fruiting, leaving only 1 bunch for 1-2 shoots.
- The fourth vegetation. During its period, the bush takes on a shaped appearance. It is necessary to remove excess and garter green shoots, as well as to regulate fruiting. The number of clusters per 1 shoot should be no more than during the first harvest.
Failure to comply with the rules of cultivation will lead to further weakening of the bush and poor fruiting.
The healing properties of the vine
The reasons why vines are grown are due not only to the taste of the fruits themselves.
Man began to cultivate grapes in the Stone Age, since each part of this plant can boast of its unique components:
- The peel of the berries is full of waxes, essential oils and many dyes.
- Berries contain proteins, fiber, hemicellulose, citric, tartaric and malic acids.
- The fruits are rich in folic acid and vitamins of groups B, C, R.
- Grape seeds have fatty oils, lecithin, vanillin and even acetic acid.
Grape treatment got its name - ampelotherapy. It has been proven that it has a positive effect on headaches, migraines, helps in the elimination of diarrhea and the fight against malignant tumors.
But, unfortunately, not everyone is shown not only such therapy, but also the intake of these berries.
Grapevine weave
People with sufficient patience, the vine can bring considerable profit or just become an interesting hobby.
The first material that mankind began to use for weaving was the vine itself. In the manufacture of various objects from it, due to the good flexibility and elasticity of the branches, it is possible not to pre-process the material.
The most popular vine products are baskets. The branches of grapes can vary in color from brown to gray, and wild grapes, in addition, also have an interesting structure that gives the products uniqueness and originality.