Want To Know Where To Set Your Grape Plants?
Starting up a vineyard takes a lot of resources. It’s not only the money you have to worry about, although for some that might be the most important part, but also investments of time and labor. No one wants their crop to fail because so much would have gone into trying to make it a success. However, no grape crop is going to be successful if you don’t have a good site to put down your grape plants.
Grape plants in general need a lot of things in order for them to thrive. When you factor in the number of different varieties which exist and the specific needs of each type, you’ll start to get an idea of difficult site selection can really be. There’s no need to get disheartened as long as you remember to ask yourself the following questions.
· What kind of soil does the area have and will it be prone to water logging?
· In tandem with that, how much rainfall does the area normally receive? Will it be enough, too much or so little that an extra irrigation system will be needed?
· Is the area windy and, if so, are there enough natural factors to act as a windbreak or will one need to be erected?
· What is the range of temperatures that can be expected?
· How harsh are the winters? Is there a large snowfall or just mild frost?
· What’s the altitude like and how steep is the slope? Will it be suitable for the use of machinery or will harvesting need to be done by hand?
· Is there enough surrounding vegetation to acts as competition or hosts to pests?
As you can see, soil is a big part of what you need to consider when setting your grape plants. This is not only what is going to anchor the grape plants but also the medium through which they get their nutrients. If the soil cannot meet the needs of the plants then it is no good for your purposes. Ideally you should set your grape plants in an area where the top soil is thin and the subsoil can not only allow for good drainage but also retain enough moisture to keep the plants healthy. Regardless of this, if the soil does not extend to an unobstructed depth of at least 2 ft. then it is not suitable for your grape plants.
You might wonder why so emphasis is put on soil drainage in any manual or article you’re likely to read. There’s a simple reason for this. Improper drainage can lead to water retention which can in turn lead to rotting of the roots of the grape plants. So how can you tell what is good soil? Well you can always pay to get it analyzed, and this is the more precise method. If you don’t want to do that you should note that good subsoil tends to have a uniformly brown color and a certain brightness about it.
This doesn’t mean that grape plants don’t need water. They most certainly do. The key is knowing how much they need. Sandy soil tends to let the water run through too quickly and it’s not made available to the grape plants. As such, if you have no choice but to set your plants in such an area, you’re going to need to have an additional irrigation system set up. This is especially so if you have a combination of sandy soil and high temperatures. The best soils to set your grape plants in are those which range from silty-clay loams to sandy loams. This will give you both the drainage and the water retention that you need.
Tags: frost, grape, grape plant, Grape Plants, irrigation, nutrients, plants, soil, vineyard
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