Many gardeners are engaged in growing grapes in the garden. To get a large amount of harvest, you will have to create favorable conditions for growing the plant. Grape bushes need space that does not interfere with their growth. Therefore, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the features of making trellises for grapes.
Why do we need trellises for grapes?
Before you start gartering, you should understand what a trellis is and what it is used for. A trellis is a special structure that is used to support grape branches. With its help, they will be able to grow freely and not become deformed during growth. There are a number of advantages to using this design:
- grape stems are evenly distributed and freely stretch towards the sun;
- the quality of the harvest increases due to improved photosynthesis of leaves on tied branches;
- the number of grape clusters on each branch increases;
- the stems are not deformed and do not contact the ground;
- tied grapes are easier to care for and easier to harvest when ripe.
Winegrowers also engage in tying grapes to trellisesto protect it from pests and diseases. It has been repeatedly proven that tied plants are several times less likely to become infected with fungal and viral diseases.
What types of trellises are there?
It's no secret that there are different types of trellises that are used for gartering. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with each of them in advance to make it easier to choose the right variety in the future.
Single-plane
The single-plane design is most often used by gardeners who want to save space for growing other vegetables or fruits.
Bushes that are tied to such supports are attached only in one plane.
The main advantages of a single-plane design include:
- ease of making trellises yourself;
- low cost of creating a support;
- ease of care for tied plants.
Two-plane
Two-plane products are not very compact and therefore should not be installed in small gardens. The minimum length of their row spacing should be about three meters.Experienced winegrowers recommend choosing such a trellis for tying the most fertile varieties of grapes grown in the garden.
Trellis letter G
Fastenings made in the shape of the letter L are a type of single-plane products. They are used to make a garden screen from grown grape vines. For such trellises, varieties that are characterized by a high growth rate of stems are suitable.
Arched trellises
The arched option is the most expensive of all, since its manufacture requires a lot of materials. Arches are used to create garden screens, gazebos, garden rooms or alleys. Arched structures are installed when growing tall varieties that can grow up to 4-5 meters in height. These products are not suitable for low-growing grape varieties.
How to make trellises for grapes with your own hands?
You can make the support with your own hands, but before that it is better to familiarize yourself with how to make it correctly.
Single-plane
A single-plane support is made of columns that are lined up in one row at a distance of about five meters from each other. Using this design, you can make a grape hedge or fence. At the beginning and end of the row, the strongest racks are installed, since it is in this part that the maximum load is placed. For additional reliability, the pillars can be reinforced with slopes or guy wires.
All metal supports are dug into the ground to a depth of at least 50-60 cm. The base of each column can be reinforced with bricks or crushed stone. Once the supports are in place, wire is stretched along the rows to create a trellis to support the vines.
Biplanar
A special diagram and drawings for its manufacture will help you understand how to make a two-plane trellis. The height of such a structure should be two and a half meters. It is not worth making the trellis higher, so that the large dimensions do not complicate the care of the tied grapes. This type of structure can be created using wooden pillars. They are dug into the ground or into specially created concrete foundations.
After digging in the columns, a garter rope is pulled on both sides of the row.
Methods for shaping grapes on a trellis
Forming a bush is a difficult process, the features of which should be familiarized in advance. There are two main methods that are used in the formation of bushes.
Fan
When using the fan method, plants are formed into four stems. To do this, after planting, the weakest shoots are removed and only the four main ones are left. When the bushes grow to 80 cm in height, they are tied to a trellis and the side shoots are removed. A year later, with the onset of spring, additional shoots are cut out again, and 5-6 buds are left on the main ones, which will be responsible for fruiting.
Sleeve
The peculiarity of this method is that the remaining shoots must be distributed in different directions. Therefore, gardeners advise using this formation method when tying them to two-plane trellises. The number of main shoots on the bushes depends entirely on the characteristics of the variety being grown. If the grapes grow quickly and bear fruit well, you can leave more than five main shoots.
Conclusion
Grape growers who have been growing grape bushes for many years often tie them to supports.To properly tie plants to trellises, you should familiarize yourself with the types of support structures and the peculiarities of the formation of bushes.
