Russian novice gardeners are in no hurry to plant grapevines on plots, as they consider the crop to be demanding in terms of growing conditions and time-consuming to care for. And in vain. Breeders have developed many hybrids that are resistant to harsh weather conditions and common diseases of this plant. Experienced winegrowers advise paying attention to Lydia, a grape variety that has won fans all over the world.
History of variety development
The credit for the appearance of the new hybrid belongs to American breeders. Based on the V. Labrusca grape variety, they created a new variety, distinguished by its special aroma, versatility of use and fairly high resistance to frost and attacks by insects and diseases, in particular fungi.
Today Lydia is successfully cultivated by winegrowers throughout the post-Soviet space and Europe. It can be found both on French plantations and on the plots of Russian gardeners.
Interesting! In the USA and European countries, Lydia berries are only eaten fresh. Wines from this grape variety are not only not produced, but are generally prohibited for sale.
Description of grapes Lydia
Before you go shopping for a seedling, you should study the description of the Lydia grape variety and find out all its advantages and disadvantages.
The general characteristics of the grapes are as follows:
- The weight of one bunch of berries is no more than 120 grams, the weight of one grape is about 4 grams.
- The shape of the vine fruit is round-oval.
- The taste is sweet and has a delicate strawberry aroma.
- The leaves are five-lobed, medium dissected, large or medium in size.
- The color of the grapes is slightly pinkish, becoming dark red when fully ripe.
The percentage of sugar is about 18-20%.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Like any crop, Lydia has not only advantages, but also disadvantages that should be taken into account when planning planting bushes.
The undeniable advantages of the variety include:
- The aroma and taste of ripe berries.
- Versatility in use (juice is made from grapes, jam is made for the winter and eaten fresh).
- Use for site decoration due to its attractive appearance.
- Easy to care for and survivable.
- Not afraid of soil waterlogging, frost and drought.
- The high calorie content of the fruit allows you to quickly get enough.
- Good resistance to diseases such as mildew and powdery mildew (oidium).
Gardeners consider the main disadvantages of the variety to be:
- Small berry size.
- Frequent infestation of grape aphids (phylloxera).
- If the harvest is untimely, the berries may fall off due to gusts of wind.
- Low resistance to calcareous chlorosis.
After weighing the pros and cons, they decide to plant a grapevine on the site.
Ripening time and yield
Lydia belongs to varieties with medium ripening periods. The grapes are cut no earlier than mid-autumn. The yield is quite high - with proper care and selection of a suitable place, up to 35-40 kg can be harvested from one bush.
Planting Tips
In order to harvest high yields of berries every year, you need to carefully prepare the planting site. The vine bears fruit well in areas near walls (this could be the wall of a house or outbuilding). The main thing is that the bush does not grow in a draft and receives enough sunlight throughout the day.
In warm regions, autumn planting of seedlings is recommended, and in areas with cold winters, spring planting is preferable.
How to properly care?
Any crop will reward the gardener with a harvest if it is provided with proper care. Irrigation of grape bushes is carried out in the spring during the period of bud formation, the next time they are watered when fruit sets. Another addition of water is necessary when the berries are filled.
In hot, dry weather, moisten the tree trunk once a week.
Foliar feeding is done with mineral and organic fertilizers to saturate the vine with the necessary microelements for growth and development.From mid-July, fertilizing is stopped to give the plant the opportunity to prepare for winter and not provoke the growth of young shoots.
The vine also needs pruning. After winter, cut out damaged and old branches. When the fruits ripen, the shoots are removed.
Diseases and pests
With proper agricultural technology, the plant is resistant to fungal diseases of the crop and is rarely affected by pests. The only thing that causes damage to plantings is the grape aphid. If measures are not taken in time, you can lose the entire harvest. For treatment, the latest generation insecticides are used, which are effective only at the initial stage of damage.
Best Growing Regions
The best regions for cultivation are considered to be the southern regions of Russia, Moldova, eastern and southern Ukraine. In cold climates, the berries will not have time to ripen.
