The maiden grape is a fast-growing perennial vine with beautiful leaves. Under favorable conditions, the growth per year is 1 m. Lignified whips tolerate winters well. It is not surprising that such a plant is used by many for landscaping unsightly fences and walls, creating arches and arbors. Moreover, it is very easy to get planting material, it is enough to buy seeds or take the shoots left after pruning from neighbors. Maiden grapes even propagate by shoots.
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Features of the reproduction of girlish grapes
Maiden grapes are a great living aid for beginners who are learning to propagate garden crops. Success is guaranteed in almost any type of vegetative propagation. Cuttings can be measured in centimeters, cut shoots "by eye", without thinking about the number of buds.
The scourge of the maiden grape is distinguished by its beauty, exuberant growth and high rooting ability.
But there are difficulties in growing from seeds. Fresh, freshly taken out of berries sprout well, and shoots from the store can be waited for months to no avail. It is especially offensive if the seeds were prepared for spring sowing, long-term stratification was carried out.
Maiden grapes are named for their ability to set berries without pollination. Its Latin name, Parthenocissus, consists of two words, parthenos (virgin) and cissus (ivy).
Vegetative propagation of maiden grapes
This vine gives a lot of growth. Moreover, it can appear far from the mother bush. Owners of adult maiden grapes dig up these root suckers every spring and are happy to share this planting material with you.
Girlish grapes, like raspberries, give root suckers, that is, ready-made seedlings
Other options for vegetative propagation are rooting by cuttings and whole vines. Last year's increments are well suited for this method. They should be lignified, but still thin, no thicker than a pencil.
Lignified cuttings with a diameter of no more than 1 cm take root well
Older vines of larger diameter do not take root well. On the contrary, the green growths of the current year are too thin, therefore, they are also not suitable for breeding. But fortunately for lovers of girlish grapes, the lashes grow very quickly, reaching a length of 25 m, so even the owner of 1-3 vines always has enough shoots for rooting. Another plus is that you can propagate the culture by cuttings all year round, in winter they do it at home.
Video: Maiden grapes on an arch, cuttings in summer
Whole lash reproduction
The easiest way to root a girl's grape:
- In the spring, before bud break or in autumn, in September, cut a long whip from the vine.
- Dig a 5–7 cm deep groove in the ground, the same length as the whip.
- Place whole in groove and bury.
- Water the earth.
- In the next season in this place you will grow several seedlings: shoots with roots. Dig and divide, that is, cut the whip that connects them.
If the lash is not cut off from the bush, then the green growth of the current year can also be rooted.
Varieties of this type of breeding:
- The lash is laid in the groove without cutting it off from the bush.
- The scourge is buried in the ground in a wave: sections above the ground alternate with sections below the ground.
Cutting cuttings in winter and rooting at home
The method is relevant for gardeners who are bored in winter. In January-February, cut the cuttings 20-30 cm long. Put them in water and wait for the roots to appear. On the first day, you can add root formation stimulants: Kornevin, Epin, Heteroauxin, etc. Change the water every 2-3 days.
Wild grape cuttings root perfectly in a simple jar of water
When the roots appear, plant the cuttings in pots, deepening by 1-2 buds, maximum - up to half the length. Any soil is suitable: from a store for flowers and seedlings or from your own plot. Water, care like a houseplant. It is possible to plant such girlish grapes in open ground only with the arrival of stable heat.
Maiden grapes have no particular preference for soil; liana grows on any soil, even clayey. Only strongly acidic ones are not suitable.
Video: homemade cuttings of maiden grapes, currants and lemongrass
Rooting cuttings in the open field
The best periods for this method:
- spring, before bud break;
- summer, June-July, when the leaves have completely blossomed, young buds have appeared in their axils;
- autumn, September, the buds are already ripe, the leaves are no longer needed, they can be completely removed during cuttings.
In spring and autumn, cuttings without leaves can be buried horizontally into the ground entirely to a depth of 5 cm. The principle is the same as when rooting a whole lash, only in this case a long shoot is cut into pieces of 20-30 cm and buried in grooves at any distance from each friend. You can immediately place the cuttings in a permanent place, for example, along the fence. If there are a lot of them, place them more often, there will be a dense green hedge right away.
In summer, cut parts of the shoots with 2-3 leaves from the vine. Cut the lower ones. Deepen the cutting 1–2 buds into the ground so that a part with 1–2 leaves remains on top.
Summer stalk of wild grapes: two leaves were removed at the bottom, this place will be underground after planting
To be sure that the roots will appear, hold the cuttings in a jar of water for a week. Such wisdom as an oblique cut under the lower bud, planting cuttings at an angle, the greenhouse effect, can be ignored when propagating girlish grapes. They are needed when working with hard-to-root crops. But an oblique bottom cut and a blunt top, nevertheless, can be useful, for example, when cutting a large number of cuttings in winter, so as not to get confused: where are the shoots up and where are the bottom.
The cuttings are rooted in a bucket, but then they will have to be watered often
Water the planted cuttings. Cover the ground around them with mulch. Those in the shade will take root faster, but the most beautiful vines grow in sunny areas. In low light, the leaves do not acquire the bright purple color for which they are so prized. Cuttings can be rooted in the shade of trees, and then transplanted to a permanent place. But do not leave wild grapes under trees or near other crops for more than two seasons. Lianas very quickly seize territories, braiding everything around with shoots, and under the ground - with roots.
Video: girlish grapes have become the worst weed
Girlish grapes, without regular pruning, turn into a weed. Many people complain that they cannot get rid of it.However, herbicides have long been invented, and for different types of weeds, even the most vicious ones. If you don't want to use chemistry, then regularly prune the entire aerial part of the plant you don't need. Without leaves, there will be no photosynthesis, which means there will be no nutrition, the root will die.
Propagation of maiden grapes by seeds
It's good if you think about this method in late summer - autumn. It is even better if you have the opportunity to collect your own seeds or ask for berries from friends. Then this method will seem even simpler to you than all the previous ones. The berries of wild grapes ripen by autumn, but continue to hang on the vines until winter. In September - October, pick the berries, remove the seeds from them and sow them in rows in rows according to the scheme: 10x3 cm. The seeding depth is 1 cm. Cover with spruce branches or straw for the winter. Remove the shelter in the spring. Seedlings will appear closer to the beginning of summer. This vine reproduces well and self-seeding.
The berries of maiden grapes are tart, they are not eaten, but inside there are seeds with good germination
It is quite another matter if you bought the seeds, and it is winter or early spring. Waiting for autumn means losing a whole season, and the already unknown germination capacity of seeds purchased in spring will decrease by autumn. In this case, sowing at home with preliminary stratification. Remaining optimistic, be prepared for the fact that you will receive only 1-2 shoots. But this will also be an excellent result. Store seeds are not only unreliable, but also small in bags, usually 4–5 pcs. Buy 2-3 bags at once.
There are 4 seeds inside the bag, they may be empty, mechanically damaged and even rotten
Seed stratification
Stratification is an activity that helps the seeds to wake up by artificially creating the appearance of a change of seasons. First, it is placed in the cold (winter), then - in the warm (spring). After which the seeds wake up and sprout. The most difficult thing is to find a place where the temperature is constantly kept at the level of + 4… + 5 ⁰С for a long time. Do not assume that this is exactly how much in your refrigerator, check first with a thermometer.
The temperature in an ordinary refrigerator ranges from + 3 to +10 ⁰С. Moreover, it can be lower on the upper shelves, and the highest in the vegetable compartment. It can be noticeably colder or warmer in the middle of the shelf than at the walls.
If you live in Siberia or the northern region, in your house, there is a vegetable garden nearby, then do not act as advised by the gardeners of the south - do not place the seeds on stratification under the snow. It's not much warmer there than above. The required temperature can be found on a cold windowsill, under the front door, on the veranda, balcony, in the cellar, underground. It's easier, of course, to adjust the refrigerator, but keep in mind that maiden grape seeds need this temperature for two months.
Maiden grape seeds are similar to ordinary grape seeds, have a thick shell, so they germinate for a long time
Otherwise, stratification is straightforward. Place the seeds in a humid environment (peat, sawdust, sand, cotton pads, etc.), wrap in a plastic bag, you can use a plastic container. In a bag or container, use a needle to pierce a few holes for the seeds to breathe and take such a package in the cold. Remove, ventilate and moisturize twice a week.
Video: stratification of pome and stone fruits in the refrigerator
Sowing seeds after stratification
But even after stratification, the seeds of maiden grapes wake up long and reluctantly. For reliability, germinate them before sowing, that is, after a two-month cold period, transfer them to a damp cloth and keep warm (+ 18… + 24 ⁰С). Also every 2-3 days unfold, check, moisturize. If you sow those that have not hatched into the ground, you will be in constant anxiety: can you still wait, or the seeds have already rotted.After all, you will see the first signs of life of your future maiden grapes at least 2-3 weeks after stratification.
One seed of a girl's grape threw out an already quite noticeable root
Sow the nashed seeds in boxes to a depth of 1 cm according to a 3x3 cm scheme or in separate pots. Cover with glass or plastic. Keep seedlings in a light window. Care as for ordinary seedlings:
- water as the earth dries up;
- when the seedlings begin to press against each other, they will entwine the whole clod of earth with roots, plant in pots or in a more spacious container;
- if small vines grow slowly, the leaves turn yellow, feed them.
Seedlings of girlish grapes, like any plants, need warmth, light, nutrition and watering
As a top dressing, you can use the universal complex fertilizer Fertika Lux (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water). The shoots of maiden grapes are still tender, they are not capable, like their lignified relatives, to endure frosts. Therefore, plant the seedlings of maiden grapes in the ground when the night temperature no longer drops below zero. It is better to first plant on a growing bed at a distance of 10 cm from each other. In the next season, it can already be transferred to a permanent place.
Video: growing maiden grapes from your own seeds without stratification
Maiden grapes propagate by all known methods: cuttings, layering, root shoots, seeds, etc. Moreover, even twigs simply put in water give roots. Difficulties arise only when growing from seed through stratification.
Marina Bokanova
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