Grapes on the balcony
Content:
Despite the fact that grapes are traditionally referred to as horticultural crops, it is quite possible to grow it at home. It is enough to let him curl around his balcony. Of course, in order to grow grapes on the balcony, you need to comply with the necessary requirements regarding its planting and care.
Taking care of the grapes in this case will require a little more effort than growing this crop in the garden. Meanwhile, all efforts will pay off when green vines decorate the balcony railings, and harvesting can be done without leaving your own apartment.
This article will discuss how to successfully grow grapes on the balcony and indoors.
Grapes on the balcony. Lighting mode
Grapes on the balcony: photo
Grapes are light-loving crops, so it will feel best on a balcony located on the south or southwest side of the house.
Lack of light is detrimental to the grapes on the balcony. Being in the shade, its shoots elongate and form many thin and weak lashes that cannot form clusters. The best solution would be a special finishing of the balcony space in order to make it as illuminated as possible.
To do this, you can use reflective film, or the most ordinary foil: you need to glue the side balcony walls with it, as well as the glass on the window leading into the room. Of course, this will interfere with the natural light of the apartment, but the grapes will receive the necessary sunlight in full.
The optimal conditions for growing grapes are quite simple to create on the balcony, which is glazed along the entire perimeter of the outer wall, from floor to ceiling.
Another way to direct the sun's rays to the grapes is to give the surface of the side walls of the balcony a slightly concave shape and cover them with the same foil or film with a reflective effect. This will allow the light to reflect onto the plant rather than towards the outside area.
In spring and autumn, grapes on the balcony need an artificial source of additional lighting - so you should take care of the lighting in advance. This is especially true for balconies located on the north side.
Fluorescent lamps can be a source of daylight. They will have to be used during the first autumn month and the first half of spring.
By the middle of autumn, as a rule, the harvest has already been harvested, and the grapes do not feel the need for intense lighting, since all the processes that require the production of substances necessary for fruiting have been completed.
Starting in October, you can do without additional lighting. With the arrival of spring, the lamps should be turned on only after the buds open and the first leaves and antennae appear, when the vegetation process of the plant begins.
What grapes can be grown on the balcony?
Grapes on the balcony: photo
Most grape varieties are frost-resistant and can withstand temperatures as low as -20, or even as low as -30 degrees. The most vulnerable to the cold is the root of the grape bush.
In nature or in the garden, the root system goes deep into the ground, which protects it from freezing. And the snow cover gives additional protection.
At home, it is almost impossible to ensure sufficient root depth. Therefore, there is a risk that in containers with soil, the underground parts of the grapes will freeze to the bottom.
This can lead to the death of the grape bush and a long process of its revival from cuttings cut from intact lashes. This problem practically does not concern owners of fully glazed balconies equipped with modern double-glazed windows.
However, it is important to take care of an acceptable wall and floor temperature. This issue can be solved with the help of thermal insulation.
A layer of insulation should be placed under the reflective film, which can be easily purchased at hardware stores. Floor insulation should not be neglected. This will allow you to create a real compact vineyard on your balcony with favorable conditions for growing vines.
Even with a strong drop in air temperature outside the window, the balcony space will retain enough heat to prevent the soil from freezing in containers with vines.
The optimum temperature in winter ranges from 0 to +10 degrees, i.e. the conditions on the balcony are close to the main refrigerator compartment. In this case, the grapes will not die due to freezing of the root system, but they will not come out of winter sleep ahead of time due to increased heat.
Of course, when it comes to heat-loving Mediterranean varieties, higher winter temperatures are preferable. At the slightest sign of air cooling, you should not bring containers with grape bushes into the apartment.
Repeated temperature changes are akin to a radical change in climatic zones. When the humid and cold air of the street is abruptly replaced by the dry and warm air of the room.
Such jumps in temperature with an amplitude of about 20 degrees, as well as fluctuations in the level of humidity, are fraught with weakening of the plant and subsequent anomalies in its development.
In winter, one should also not forget about the irrigation regime. Despite the fact that all vegetative processes in the plant are greatly slowed down and do not require a large amount of water and nutrition, the soil should not be allowed to dry out in containers with grape bushes.
In open ground conditions, moisture is retained in the soil due to the snow cover. When growing grapes on a balcony or in a room, mulch plays the role of snow.
Periodically irrigate the soil in tubs from a spray bottle, but not too abundantly, otherwise it will sour. It is also not recommended to wrap plants with plastic wrap.
Growing grapes on the balcony. Soil and fertilizers
The choice of soil is very important for the successful cultivation of grapes on the balcony. It should be fairly light and loose, and nutritious. Before pouring it into a container for growing a grape bush, you should take care of the drainage layer. To prevent stagnant water.
The tubs or pots themselves should be deep enough. For the successful growth and development of grapes, it must be fed from time to time mineral complexes... The fertilization procedure requires caution and adherence to instructions.
First of all, you should know that fertilizers are never applied to dry soil. Otherwise, there will be an overabundance of any component of the mixture in the roots of the plant, or non-assimilation of fertilizers will occur. Before applying mineral fertilizers, the soil in the tub must be properly moistened.
Another important principle of working with mineral dressings is that each element is introduced at a certain period of plant development. First of all, this concerns potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus.
Fertilizers containing trace elements (the so-called micronutrient fertilizers) can be applied in a complex manner in three stages.
In the spring, the beginning of the growing season begins. Fertilizers can be applied already at the beginning of March - by this time, the buds have already opened. The moment of the formation of flower ovaries is approaching. The role of the applied dressings is very great, since their purpose is to restore the grapes after wintering.
A complex consisting of such microelements as zinc, selenium, magnesium, manganese, etc. is introduced into the abundantly moistened soil. Also, one should not forget about nitrogen, which contributes to the growth of green mass by the plant.
With the arrival of autumn and the approaching harvest time, you should abandon the introduction of fertilizing containing nitrogen, since this element contributes to the formation of a powerful green mass to the detriment of the fruiting process.
Instead of nitrogen, phosphorus should be used, as well as potassium supplements - it is these macronutrients that are responsible for the successful ripening of fruits. In the ripening phase of grape bunches, one should completely abandon mineral fertilizers and confine oneself to spraying the bushes with special mixtures composed of microelements.
Watering during this period should not be abundant, as this can lead to cracking of the grapes.
Having harvested the crop, it is necessary to carry out the last fertilization procedure aimed at saturating the grape bushes with phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. This is done in order to prepare for the winter period. And also for their safe exit from the state of seasonal hibernation in the spring.
Nitrogen cannot be included in the last dressing, since the complex of minerals must strengthen the wood of the plant for successful wintering and overcoming the spring deficiency of nutrients. The last fall fertilization is usually less voluminous than the previous ones.
The basis of all processes occurring in the soil is a group of humic acids called humic acids. Thanks to them, minerals are processed and absorbed by the root system of grapes.
These acids play an important role throughout the growing season, so they should be applied several times during the season, simultaneously with mineral fertilizers in order to quickly assimilate them.
The fruiting process is largely helped by spraying the bushes with hormonal growth stimulants. This procedure will allow the fruit to set successfully and ripen quickly, as well as prevent the ovaries from shedding.
When growing grapes on the balcony, you should not neglect the creation of useful microflora in a container with soil. This can be done by introducing microorganisms into it. The procedure requires strict adherence to the instructions and some efforts, which are compensated for by an excellent result.
From time to time, the process of caring for microflora will become easier: the most laborious is the first application. In the future, it is enough only to maintain the bacterial background of the soil in a stable state.
It is important not to carry out the procedure for introducing microorganisms into the soil simultaneously with the incorporation of mineral fertilizers.
Bush formation
Grapes on the balcony: photo
Like garden plants, the grapes on the balcony need shaping and cosmetic and sanitary pruning. The shortening of the grape lashes should take place so that the fruit link remains on the shoot.
The optimal time for shaping pruning is autumn. It is during this period that the lignification of one-year-old vines occurs, which can always be distinguished by their brown shade, brilliance and flexibility. And also by the presence of green shoots that serve to form brushes.
During the same period, green shoots that appeared at the beginning of the season from the buds gradually turn into vines. You should pay attention to these vines when starting the autumn formation of the bush.
Each vine needs to be halved, and then both new vines should be shortened so that 2-3 buds remain on one, and the length of the other is reduced by 2/3. Thus, the fruit link is formed.In the next season, the long vine will produce whips, which will form clusters, and new shoots will develop from the shortened one.
Moreover, they will be much stronger than their fruit counterparts, since there are fewer of them, and the amount of nutrition is distributed among them more evenly.
At the end of the harvest, the long vines should be completely cut. And on a short vine, choose two green shoots and repeat the same procedure - cut one of them 2/3, and the second to the level of 2-3 buds.
Thus, a new fruit link is formed. This procedure should be carried out annually, dividing the vines into fruiting and giving shoots.
How to grow grapes on the balcony: growing in boxes and pots
- A young grape bush is planted in a container with soil in the spring. In the process of planting, the seedling should be slightly deepened so that its lower leaves do not come into contact with the ground. Otherwise, the plant will rot.
- Fertilizers are applied several times during the season: in the process of rapid growth, the plant needs nitrogen, then phosphorus, and at the end of the season potassium.
- Ripening grapes on the balcony is no different from forming fruit in the garden. From the middle of summer, it is worth making the watering less abundant.
- As the vines lengthen, they must be tied to supports, walls, and ceiling. Otherwise, they will creep along the floor and may become entangled with each other.
- At the end of the season, the grapes grow strongly, you can form fruit links. For this purpose, green shoots are selected, divided into pairs as described above. Thus, each shoot produces a pair of vines. And all the rest should be pruned, since in the next season they will take away nutrients from other parts of the plant.
- For the winter period, it is better to lay the vines, and cover the soil with a layer of mulch from needles, peat, humus.
- The bush itself can be covered with a non-woven cloth and occasionally sprayed with a spray to prevent the plant from drying out.
- With the arrival of spring, best of all in the last days of March, you can remove the shelter from the bush, untangle the vines and raise them on supports. At this point, you should turn on the fluorescent lamps - until the beginning of May, the plants will need additional lighting. The bushes need to be properly watered and fertilized, while abandoning nitrogen, since the formation of fruits is ahead.
- It is recommended to keep the windows open during the flowering period so as not to interfere with the pollination process. If flowers did not appear in the second year, this means poor development of the roots of the bush. You should not change the procedures for caring for it, next year it will bloom. In the fall, pruning should be carried out and the fruit links should be formed.
- With the beginning of the formation of ovaries, it is recommended to exclude nitrogen from their composition of dressings, when the first berries appear, to reduce watering. At this moment, wasps can cause concern, flocking to the sweet fruits of grapes and capable of damaging the harvest.
- After the harvest is over, it is time for the autumn formation of the bush. It is necessary not only to create new fruit links, but also to remove old branches. Also in the second year, it is usually recommended to change the soil in the container for growing grapes. It is enough to remove the top layer of the earth and replace it with fresh soil. This should be done with great care to avoid damage to the root system of the grape bush. Soil replacement is an integral part of a set of measures to prepare grapes for wintering.
