Maiden Grapes

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Video: Maiden Grapes

Video: Maiden Grapes
Video: Сажаю Девичий виноград/I plant maiden grapes 2024, May
Maiden Grapes
Maiden Grapes
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Maiden grape (lat. Parthenocissus) Is a genus of deciduous and evergreen lianas of the Grape family. the genus has about 12 species distributed in North America, the Himalayas and Asia. Some types are used to decorate the walls of houses, outbuildings and fences, their berries are inedible. The most common of them is considered to be the five-leafed maiden grape, or the Virginian grape (lat. Parthenocissus quinquefolia). A distinctive feature of the maiden grape is its ability to form berries without pollination.

Characteristics of culture

Maiden grape is a large climbing liana up to 20 m long. The shoots are covered with dense bark over the entire surface. Leaves are compound, palmate, less often three-lobed, set on long petioles. In autumn, the leaves acquire a bright and beautiful color, which depends solely on the species. Antennae are highly branched, entwined around the support, can be thickened and expanded into oval-shaped suckers, which firmly adhere to the support. The flowers are small, collected in corymbose inflorescences, do not have antennae, are formed in the axils of the leaves or opposite to the leaves. The fruit is a dark blue or bluish-black berry with a bluish bloom, little edible or inedible.

Growing conditions

Maiden grape is a highly decorative plant, undemanding to soil conditions, resistant to adverse weather conditions, winter-hardy and shade-tolerant. Despite its unpretentiousness, more decorative vines can be obtained only in intensely lit areas with fertile, loose, moderately moist and neutral soil. Maiden grapes are relatively frost-hardy, however, in severe winters, the shoots can freeze slightly, but with the onset of warmth they quickly recover. The plant is durable, practically not affected by pests and diseases.

Reproduction and planting

Maiden grapes are propagated by seeds, branches and cuttings, the last two methods are the most effective. Cuttings can be carried out from spring to mid-autumn. I cut cuttings from last year's wilted shoots. The optimal length of the cutting is 10-15 cm. And each cutting should have small outgrowths, if they are absent, the rooting will be greatly delayed.

Reproduction by green cuttings is also not prohibited. Cuttings are planted in pots or any other containers filled with peat-clay substrate. Until a good root system appears, the soil in the potting substrate is regularly moistened. The transplant of the rooted material into open ground is carried out next spring.

When breeding girlish grapes, choose a healthy shoot with a length of 1, 5 to 3 m, and lay it in a groove 3-5 cm deep. It is advisable to add a small amount of peat into the groove. The layering is covered and pinned with wooden staples. Layering leaves should not be covered, they should remain on the soil surface. For successful rooting, it is important to water systematically. After 1-2 years, the rooted layers are separated from the mother plant and planted in a new place.

The seed method is no less effective, but rather laborious. Caring for seedlings takes much longer than for cuttings or layering. It is preferable to sow freshly harvested seeds. The planting depth is 1-2 cm. Before planting, the seeds are soaked in water for 24 hours. When sowing in spring, the seeds require stratification.

Care

Caring for maiden grapes is simple, it consists in rare watering, weeding and loosening the stem zone. Top dressing has a positive effect on the development of culture. Two dressings are enough per season: the first is carried out in early spring, and the second in the middle of summer. Due to the fact that girlish grapes are characterized by rapid growth, the pruner will become the main assistant to the gardener.

Formative pruning must be carried out from the first year, otherwise, instead of a beautiful decorative liana, you can get a shapeless green mass, which does not have much attractiveness. Sanitary pruning is carried out in early spring, it consists in removing frozen, diseased and dry shoots. The cut is made over a healthy kidney. Girlish grapes need a stable support. Young shoots, as they grow, are manually thrown onto a support, directing them in the right direction. Curved and thickening shoots are removed.

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