Even the most unpretentious grape varieties require regular seasonal care. Today I will talk about the basic rules for caring for vines in the summer.
cultural care activities
In summer, as in other seasons, grapes need to be watered, fertilized and protected from harmful insects and diseases. Also in the summer, vines are required to be tied up, fragments of extra branches, pinching, etc.
Watering
Throughout the summer, grapes require abundant moisture. It is especially important to observe the watering regime during bud break, the formation of ovaries and the ripening of berries. During this period, I pour 4-6 buckets of water under each plant once a week. If your site has sandy or sandy soil, the volume of liquid needs to be increased.
Just before flowering should not be watered abundantly. Excess water can cause flowers to drop. It is also recommended to stop watering 2-3 weeks before the grapes reach full ripeness.
Removing weak shoots
The bush every year must be freed from excess branches by breaking off. To be removed:
- lower barren branches without buds;
- weak shoots;
- superfluous, thickening the bush;
- one of two branches growing from one eye.
I do this procedure during bud break. You can break off only those branches whose length is less than 15 cm. Otherwise, you can harm the entire vine.
Rationing of inflorescences
In the central and northern regions, all formed clusters will not have time to fully ripen. Therefore, I remove the weak and small brushes so that they do not take power from the larger ones. On each branch I leave 1-3 brushes, most often the lower ones. Thanks to this, the quality of the crop is significantly improved.
In the southern regions, rationing is not necessary. The weather allows the entire crop to ripen.
Garter
Dry tying consists in the fact that old shoots that have already survived the winter are tied to the bottom of the support. This procedure I perform in late April or early May.
Green garter - manipulation, which is the tying of growing branches to the upper levels of the support.
Fertilization
I fertilize grapes in a foliar way. To do this, I use one of the following tools:
- potassium sulfate;
- potassium magnesia;
- Kemer;
- novofert;
- plantafol;
- infusion of wood ash.
You can use any phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. The frequency of top dressing is 1 time in 2-3 weeks.
Preventive treatment
Any infections have an extremely negative impact on the condition of the grapes, so it is important to prevent diseases. In the early stages of vine development, I use fungicides. During the ripening of fruits, I will replace chemical preparations with folk remedies. For the prevention of diseases, I use solutions of iodine, soda, soap or tobacco infusion. You can also use biological products.
Pinching and chasing the vine
Pinching allows you to stop the growth of the vine to stimulate the full development and filling of clusters. This is an absolutely simple procedure: on fruit-bearing branches, I pinch off the top so that after the second brush, 5 leaves remain on the branch. The procedure is carried out in June.
Chasing is a technique similar to pinching. During minting, you need to remove 15-20% of the length of the branches. They should have about 15 leaves left. This amount is enough to get a quality crop. This procedure allows you to accelerate the ripening of berries.
Removing leaves
20 days before harvest, I remove all extra leaves that:
- located near the brushes and shade them;
- grow at the bottom of the vine.
Thinning allows sunlight to reach the fruit. Broken leaves should not be left in the vineyard. After some time, it can become a source of pathogenic bacteria.
All activities for the care of culture in the summer season are very simple and understandable. But it is important to fulfill them on time if you want to get a large and high-quality harvest.
How do you take care of your grapes? And what result do you get? Tell us about it in the comments.
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