Grapes are the fruit of the vine, a whole genus of plants in the Vitaceae family with about 60 accepted species. The most important of these is Vitis vinifera, originally from Asia and currently spread over a large number of geographical areas, although it is especially successful in the Mediterranean. It is a fruit of great importance for man, and there is evidence that humans have been cultivating vineyards and producing wine with them since the Neolithic.
If you want to learn how to germinate grape seeds and care for them at home, join us in this Green Ecologist article.
How to germinate grape seeds step by step
To learn to germinate grape seeds, follow these steps carefully:
- Choose the grape variety you want to grow. Take into account whether you want to grow your vine to make jam, make wine or simply prepare a shady area, as well as the climate conditions of the area in which you live.
- Once you've chosen the variety, get the seeds. The safest thing tends to be to buy them from a nursery, but also to extract them from grapes that you can buy.
- Put the seeds in water before doing anything else. If any float, get rid of it, as it will not germinate. Check that the others are firm to the touch when you press them with your fingers a little.
- Get some distilled water and soak the seeds in it for up to 24 hours. It is important that before this, you have washed them thoroughly to remove any remaining organic matter from them.
- For stratify the seeds, prepare an airtight bag with damp kitchen towels or, if possible, peat moss. Put the seeds in the prepared bed, and keep the bag closed in the refrigerator, between 1 and 3 ºC. The best time to do this is in winter, so that after 2 months of stratification, it is a good time to plant them. Throughout this time, renew the humidity of the bed when it becomes too dry, and open the bag from time to time so that they breathe and you can check that the seeds are not attacked by fungi.
- After this time, you can remove the seeds in early spring and plant them in pots small ones prepared with suitable substrate rich in nutrients. Try to put the pots at a point where the temperature remains constant around 20 ºC, and water them when you notice that the top layer of the substrate dries, spraying water gently. In 2 to 8 weeks your seeds should germinate.
How to plant the grape plant
When you vine or vine seedling have about a few 8 cm highIt will be ready to be transplanted into a larger pot, but you still need to keep it indoors. Only when he reaches 30 cm in height and is at least 5 sheets you should remove it to its final location.
When you go to place the vine in its final locationMake sure the soil has good drainage and a suitable pH, which varies depending on the type of grape. Two weeks after planting, compost the soil around the plants.
Caring for the grape, vine or vine plant
These are the grape or vine plant care. So if you want to know how to care for a vine to obtain grapes, take note of these tips:
Light for the vine
The vine needs between 7 and 8 hours of sunlight a day, with direct incidence. Unless you live in an area with exceptionally strong sun, plant it where the incidence of light is highest.
Irrigation and drainage of the vine
It is vital that the soil has good drainage, since this plant does not handle excess humidity well. If you water it too much or it puddles due to excessive rain and poor drainage, it is very likely that you will have problems maintaining the health of your vine.
Pass
After the first fertilizer, this must be repeated once a year, in spring. We recommend organic fertilizers such as worm castings. In this other Green Ecologist article we show you everything about what is organic fertilizer, types, benefits and how to do it.
Base for climbing and pruning the vine
Most vines are climbing plants and therefore need a pergola, trellis, or other support to attach to. Prepare supports for it in the first years of the plant and then guide it through the parts where you prefer it to grow. Similarly, apply proper training pruning. In this other post we will explain to you when and how to prune a vine.
When to harvest grapes
You probably won't have your first grape harvest until 3 years after planting the vine. From the third year, you can already leave some flowers on your vine to see how they behave producing grapes. In the northern hemisphere, the harvest tends to occur at the end of the summer, while in the south, it occurs around March.
If you want to read more articles similar to Germinate grape seeds: how to do it and care, we recommend that you enter our category of Cultivation and care of plants.
