Japanese grapes reward good care with a bountiful harvest. That may be enough to boldly tackle their cultivation. There is work waiting! But you know how this loses its horror. Once a support has been built and the cutting technique is familiar, all that remains is to lift the heavy watering can regularly.
Good care rewards the Japanese grape with plenty of fruit
Support long shoots
The care of a Japanese grape is made much easier with the right form of cultivation. The long, flexible rods cannot stand upright under their own power, so they bend to the ground in an arc. Pull the Japanese grape berry as a trellis or tie its shoots to a stake or similar.
Cut worn
Pruning is an important maintenance measure that must be carried out every year. Because all rods that have once borne fruit will no longer bear fruit in the following years. Rather, they will die off after harvest.
You have to cut these worn canes down to the ground in autumn after the harvest. In rough locations, however, you should wait until spring to do so.
In autumn, remove the weakest specimens from the young shoots, leaving a maximum of 10 shoots per meter. In spring, shorten the remaining canes to 2-3 m and the side shoots to 10 cm.
quench your thirst
The Japanese grape berry is said to be thirsty. She demands more than nature can give her in the form of rain and soil moisture. Therefore, additional watering is required.
- pour depending on the weather
- twice a day on hot days
- each morning and evening
- never in the blazing midday heat
- Reduce watering in winter
tips
Mulch the root area with foliage to reduce evaporation of soil moisture on hot days.
Fertilize for a good harvest
Encourage the growth of the grape berry with the nutrients it craves. These are in particular phosphate and potassium. Nitrogen ensures stronger shoot growth. But he does not bring any more flowers. The ideal fertilization looks like this:
- first fertilization takes place in spring
- with a fertilizer containing potassium and phosphate
- the second fertilization follows in autumn
- this time with some garden compost
hibernate
Young plants that are bought fresh or propagated from runners or sinkers need winter protection. Likewise specimens that grow in tubs. Before the first frost, cover them with brushwood. You can also wrap a bucket with warming fleece.