The Libya variety has won the hearts of grape lovers with its delicate taste and light aroma. The new variety is suitable for any use and cooking, except winemaking. It belongs to the table varieties, from which jams, preserves, juices, compotes, and raisins are made.
History of selection
The famous Ukrainian folk breeder Zagorulko V.V. developed the Libya grape variety, which has good qualities and the ability to grow even in cold regions. By crossing the parent plants of the Arcadia and Flamingo grapes, the Libya variety was obtained.The variety was bred more than 10 years ago, but was included in the register in 2011. Some gardeners call the variety “sweetie” because of its taste. It became widespread in Russia starting in 2014, when it was included in the State Register.
Description of the variety
Livia took the beautiful coloring from Flamingo, and the taste and shape of the brushes from Arcadia.
Description of the brush and berries of Libya:
- Cone-cylindrical in shape, large from 0.6 kg to 1 kg, dense, long up to 40 cm, with large berries from 8 to 17 g.
- In a sunny place, growing grapes produce fruits of bright pink color, in the shade - light pink, and can be round or oval in shape.
- Sugar accumulation up to 25%.
Description of the shape of bushes and roots:
- The seedlings quickly take root and adapt to new conditions.
- The bushes are tall, with strong vines.
- The root system is powerful and recovers well.
Distinctive characteristics
The grapes were bred in the Zaporozhye region and quickly began to spread throughout it and surrounding areas. This variety is distinguished by its unpretentiousness and the ability even for an inexperienced summer resident to obtain a bountiful harvest with a minimum of effort. Characteristics of the variety include:
- Self-pollinating
- High yield.
- Requires rationing of grapes.
- Frost resistance down to –21 °C.
- The crop can be stored in normal presentation for up to 1 month.
- It tolerates transportation well and does not wrinkle.
- Resistant to some fungal diseases.
- Stable harvest.
The grapes have a sweet taste with a slight sourness, a delicate, fresh aroma. Makes a crunching sound when cut.
Advantages and disadvantages
| Advantages | Flaws |
| High yield | Weakly resistant to mildew and oidium |
| Precocity, early | Attracts wasps and birds with its taste |
| Long shelf life, transportability | Frost resistance is weak down to -21 °C |
| Very sweet variety | The coloring of the berries on the brush is uneven |
| Grows in shade and sun | |
| High yield per bush up to 30 kg | |
| The skin is tender, thin | |
| Annual vines ripen until autumn |
Landing rules
Proper planting guarantees rapid adaptation of the plant. A hole for the seedling is dug 0.5 m deep, 0.6 m wide:
- Prepare a hole, at the bottom of which lay a 10-15 cm layer of drainage.
- Place rotted manure or chicken droppings on the drainage.
- Water intensively, but so that there is no stagnation of water.
- Plant a seedling and sprinkle it with a loose soil mixture of sand, peat and earth.
Leave a depression around the bush about 0.5-0.6 m in diameter and make a groove from it to drain excess water.
Before planting, the roots of the seedling need to be inspected and soaked in a manganese solution for disinfection.
Tips for care and cultivation
It is very important to ration the harvest so that young vines can ripen before autumn. The variety requires a little shade, especially in hot, dry weather. The most favorable place for growth is the southern side of the site with a slight slope. The grapes have great growth power, so they require strong supports.
The most important care for the bush is pruning, carried out in spring and autumn by 2-6 eyes. The best option for a plant is to form 4 sleeves. Feeding the plant is very important, especially during the ripening period of the berries, more potassium should be added. The ripening period of berries is from 90 to 105 days.
During the winter, the vines and roots need to be covered, since if there are strong temperature changes or more than -21 ° C, the plant will die.
Watering should be carried out during the flowering period, after it 1-2 months, 2 times each and after harvesting, as well as in very dry weather with strong winds.Water the young seedling with 1-2 buckets under a one-year-old bush, in the evening or in the morning.
Features of reproduction
The bush is propagated in 4 ways:
- Seeds.
- Taps.
- Vaccination, which is carried out in the spring.
- Cuttings.
Branches and cuttings are added in drops after harvesting, in the fall. The cuttings are treated with a disinfectant, dried from it, wrapped in burlap and put in a cold, dark place.
About diseases and pests
Libya is not resistant to fungal diseases and pests, so preventive spraying in the spring is mandatory. Most often they appear on it under unfavorable weather conditions:
- Mildew.
- Oidium.
- Anthracnose.
- Gray, root rot.
- Chlorosis.
- Wasps.
- Ticks.
- Aphid.
- Birds.
To make the bushes more resistant to diseases, they are fed in early spring and during the period of berry ripening with complex fertilizers. Cover with wasps and birds with a net or gauze.
The best place for growing Libya is the North Caucasus region and other areas with a warm climate.
