Planting and replanting

Grapevines can be planted in autumn or spring. In the continent, planting is done in spring, from the end of March until the end of May. In Baranja, planting of the young seedlings is referred to as first planting, while the process of substituting the lost plants is called replanting.

Before the appearance of phylloxera (the grape louse) the grapevines were grown from their own roots. Before that, the planting in the 19th century was done by the so-called “pricking technique”. The hole for the seedling was first made by a hoe or a spade, and the specialised tools, the so-called augers appeared later on. The cuttings to be planted in the spring were cut off from vines in winter. The cuttings were 30 to 35 cm long and stored in sand in basements until the spring. Before planting, they were placed in water.

The unwritten rule when planting was that the rows have to be oriented perpendicular to the mountain so the rain does not wash away the vines or the fertile soil.

In order to plant the vineyard in spring, the soil is deeply ploughed in the process known as “rigolanje” late in the autumn, before winter frosts set in. “Rigolanje” has since been an important process in planting vineyards as it creates favourable conditions for a faster initial development of young vines.

The goal of the ameliorative fertilisation was to enrich the soil in the main root zone by adding a supply of nutrients in order to improve the growth and development of the vineyard and increase its yield. It was accomplished by digging a furrow two spades deep in the place where a row of grapevines was to be planted. The upper fertile layer of soil was thrown to one side of the furrow and the lower to the other side. Fertiliser (of bovine origin) was placed at the bottom of the furrow, then the cutting. While covering, a spade of soil from the upper layer (the fertile one) was placed at the bottom of the furrow and the surface was covered by the lower layer of soil. The cutting was then watered and covered with fine soil, creating a mound up to 5 cm high that protected it from the sun and wind, thus preventing it to dry out.

Following phylloxera outbreak and the mass destruction of vineyards, it was discovered that roots of some American grapevine varieties were resistant to the pest. Crossing of grape varieties resulted in a number of rootstocks that are still used today. In time, winemakers from Baranja also learned how to cross grape varieties.

Source:

Károly, Lábadi: Drávaszögi ábécé, Eszék-Budapest, 1996

Károly, Lábadi: Boranyja, Beli Manastir, 2007

Private collection of Mrs. Margita Sabo from Zmajevac.