For the vines to please a plentiful harvest next season, it will take a lot of effort and time in the autumn months, preparing the plant for wintering. The subtleties and nuances of caring for a perennial shrub have long been known and are successfully applied in practice. You can familiarize yourself with them by reading this article.
Essential Care Activities
To obtain a stable and plentiful crop, careful preparation is required in the autumn period, increasing the protective properties of the plant.
Autumn watering
After the berries are picked from the grapes, there is no need to water the plants. Especially if there is no heat on the street. But in October, watering the grape bushes is a must.
Watering should be plentiful so that water can moisten the upper layers of the soil. Autumn watering is extremely important, as it helps the plant adapt to the approaching frosts.
In order for the root system of grapes to get the necessary amount of moisture, it is recommended to make small ditches near each of the bushes and place plastic tubes in them. This will direct water directly to the roots.
In the first days after moistening the soil, it is advisable to keep an eye on its density. If the soil has been taken in, it is necessary to slightly loosen it.
Grape processing and spraying
When harvesting, it is recommended to carefully look at the condition of the plant. Are there any signs of any disease or the presence of harmful insects?
It is much simpler to carry out preventive measures to eliminate pathogens in the autumn period. Since the berries are already harvested, you can safely use the most powerful drugs, without risking spoiling the crop. As a disease prevention, it is advisable to treat grape bushes with the following preparations: Amistar (for insects) and cumulus solution (for powdery mildew).
The processing process is carried out taking into account some nuances:
- Spraying is carried out exclusively on days when there is no strong gusty wind. It is permissible to carry out processing in the evening, when the sun sets.
- Spraying in no case should be carried out in the rain, or during the flowering period of grapes.
- When spraying, occasionally shake the product used. The leaves of the grapes should be covered with the thinnest film of the drug, the liquid should not drain onto the soil.
If you do not have time to process in the fall, you can spray the grapes in the spring.
Grape fertilizer
When the first autumn days begin, carefully dig up the soil around the grape bushes. Then mix bird droppings with the addition of compost or manure. The organic nature of the fertilizers used allows us to improve the quality of the earth, as well as saturate it with oxygen. After that you can additionally loosen the soil.
Few people know, but bird excrement used as fertilizer can be mixed into the soil in liquid form. Referring to the recommendations of experienced gardeners, this is even preferable. To obtain the necessary consistency, it is recommended to prepare the composition in advance.
For 9 days, bird droppings are diluted with warm water, in a ratio of 1: 3, respectively. Then the resulting mixture is placed in a dark but not cool place. Before use, the fertilizer is once again diluted with warm water, this time in a ratio of 1: 8, respectively. The processing of one grape bush will require approximately 0.4 liters of fluid.
Pruning
The formation of the crown of grape bushes through pruning is one of the most creative and responsible occupations in the cultivation of this fruit crop. The vine should be shaped so that it can adapt to the local climate and at the same time does not interfere with shelter in the winter.
Ways
There are several ways to prune a vine. Let's consider each of them in more detail.
Short
For this method of trimming leave no more than 4 eyes on the shoots. They are called knots. Short pruning is carried out exclusively on the young vine in order to strengthen the root system. Due to the fact that more than half of the annual shoots are removed, a dynamic development of the shoot from the kidney occurs.
Average
This method is one of the most common among vineyard holders. Average pruning involves leaving no more than 10 eyes on the shoots. Branches on which clusters of grapes grow can take the form of a horizontal arc, or strongly bend to the ground.
This method of forming a bush allows for high fruiting, while not reducing the quality of the berries.
Long
This method of pruning a grape bush involves the presence of no more than 20 eyes on the shoots. Long pruning is ideal for tall plants, often found in Central Asian grape varieties. With the correctly done procedure, the grapes begin to bear fruit better in the next season.
Mixed
Cutting to fruit links is an alternative name for mixed pruning. Quite often, this method is resorted to in small vineyards. A systematic cut of a new shoot makes it possible not to lose high yields and juiciness of fruits.
Pruning according to the age of the grape
One of the features of grapes is the suspension of the growth of the vine. This happens in connection with the formation of buds on the lower half of the plant, which caused the dynamic growth of shoots on last year's vine. The bushes are expanding, and the distance from the root system to the crown is becoming more and more.
A similar situation leads to a deficiency of nutrients in the root system, and it begins to fade. The solution to the problem was the autumn pruning of the crown, which is carried out taking into account the age of the plant.
First year
In the first months of spring, it is necessary to leave 2 lower buds in the plant, the rest removed. Subsequently, shoots will appear from these buds, which must be fixed in such a way that they are inclined in different directions from each other.
At the onset of autumn, after the foliage from the vines falls, it is necessary to shorten the shoots. One of them is subjected to short trimming, the next is left unchanged. Thus, only 4 buds remain for the winter.
Second year
After the foliage on the plant falls, the long sleeves of the grape bush are pruned. Only 2 shoots are left. Thus, the symmetry of the vines is achieved.
After they begin to trim the vertical stems, that is, those located closer to the middle. Again, all shoots are cut off, with the exception of 2 buds. They will fulfill the role of "knots of substitution."
The remaining vertical stems, which are located at the edges, are also pruned. This time it is necessary to leave 4 kidneys, which will fulfill the role of fruit arrows. After the done manipulations, the bush of grapes can be prepared for the winter.
Third and subsequent years
It is impossible not to mention that when spring comes, in the third year of the growth of the vine, the grown fruit arrows are fixed in a horizontal position closer to the ground, while the tops of the bush are pulled vertically in different directions. The knot of substitution should also grow in an upright position.
During the summer season, the buds will give new shoots in the form of young stems. By the end of August there should be a first trimming of the stems by 15 cm. The done procedure will soon provoke an increase in the juiciness and volume of the ripened berries.
It is worth noting that circumcision carried out before August contributes to the emergence of a large number of unnecessary shoots on the vines.
Within a few days after the leaves fall, you will need to prune each of them from the fruiting vertical shoots. Cut off all 4 extreme shoots. Thus, each shoulder of the bush remains with one link of two vertical shoots.
Their circumcision is carried out according to the same scheme as in the second year of growth of the vine. Near the middle shoots are also minted. Those in the center are cut off, only 2 kidneys are left.
Extreme shoots are cut off too, but this time 4 buds are left. Pruning in the following years will be carried out according to the same principle as described for the third year of growth of the vine bush.
If desired, you can leave more buds on the shoot. This is quite acceptable, since there is always the possibility that several of them will be injured during the onset of frost and insufficiently good shelter. However, it is not recommended to leave more than 10 buds on one shoot, this will provoke the active growth of the vine.
Watch the video on how to put in order a perennial bush of grapes using the annual pruning of excess vine and the formation of classic fruit links on all sleeves:
Fertilizing grapes for the winter
Each year, grapes pull a large amount of micronutrients from the earth in order to give a plentiful and ripe harvest. If in the autumn months you do not replenish the supply of nutrients, then by spring the grape bushes will not find the strength for dynamic growth and development. Subsequently, this can lead to wilting of the plant. To prevent this, use the help:
- potassium solution, which contributes to the rapid ripening of berries and helps the plant to winter;
- copper solution, which increases the resistance of the fruit culture to frost.
Organic fertilizers will require compost (or manure), chicken manure and wood ash. Fertilizing is not poured under each bush of grapes. It will be necessary to make small indentations along the entire diameter of the bush at a distance of 30 cm from the center of the rhizome. In these grooves, fertilizing is expanded or poured. This method of feeding is more effective.
Read more about autumn top dressing of grapes in our other article.
Shelter for the winter
There are 2 popular methods for creating a shelter for the vine:
- To get started, remove the vine from the support beam and spread it on previously laid coniferous branches. Then tie them together and secure with any available wire or twine. On top of the plant, fold another layer of coniferous branches of 6-12 cm. Next, carefully lay out the planks and lay the ruberoid. The latter can be replaced with ordinary industrial film.
- Lock the two adjacent vines together and bend to the ground. This is done using arcs. They can be wooden or metal. The distance from the vine to the soil should be at least 8 cm. Lay the planks on the sides, on top - several layers of reed.
To prevent the structure from getting wet, wrap it with industrial film. Such a home-made shelter is very practical, because thanks to the reed from reeds, the grapes will not freeze and will not decay.
Features of preparing for winter
It is advisable to cover vine bushes with shelter only after the onset of the first frosts. The branches of the plant should be slightly hardened. For 3-4 days, it is recommended to leave without any shelter.
Permissible hardening temperature for grapes from -6 to -9 degrees. A lower temperature will provoke the death of a fruit crop. The hardened bushes will acquire a brownish hue of the leaves. This suggests that the plant has matured, which means it will survive the winter perfectly.
In the first year
A young plant that has to survive the difficulties of the first frosts, is required to provide shelter. You can do this by any of the previously mentioned methods.
Shelter of young grapes in the first days of November, when the plant is still elastic and easily laid to the ground. In no case can the plant be bent strongly, the root system may be damaged.
Young bush
For grape bushes that successfully coped with the first winter, the next frost will still require shelter in the form of a "house" in which the vines do not need to bend to the ground. This is due to the fact that the plant is still not strong enough and can be injured.
Before covering the grapes, it is advisable to feed the plant with phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers. They will allow young animals to be nourished with useful substances and trace elements, so that it is easier to tolerate the winter period. Such a recommendation is more relevant specifically for young plants.
Old grape
Partial shelter can be created for perennial grape bushes that have managed to adapt to frost over many years. It is enough to carefully lay the vine on coniferous branches and toss snow on top. Old vines often need pruning and crown formation. If you do not carry out this procedure before the onset of the first frost, then in the spring the bushes can grow greatly.
Grapes are a rather difficult fruit crop to care for. Autumn preparatory work for winter is an extremely important stage for any vineyard. The better and more thoroughly the pruning is done, the shelter is made and the plant is well-fed with fertilizers, processed and sprayed from viral diseases and pests, the more and more tasty grapes will appear on the branches.