Planting, care and cultivation of grapes in Udmurtia, description of the best varieties for the region

Grapes in Udmurtia are nonsense; planting and caring for them are strikingly different from what is practiced in the places where they naturally grow. Harsh climatic conditions - short summers and long, harsh winters - leave a special mark on the region's crop production. To grow the native southern grape plant in such conditions, you need to choose the right variety.

List of grape varieties that are optimally suited for cultivation in Udmurtia

List:

• Donskoy agate;
• Aleshenkin;
• Volzhsky;
• Delight;
• Far Eastern Ramminga;
• Pearl Sabo;
• Sharov's riddle;
• Dawn of the North;
• Korinka Russian;
• Beauty of Nikopol;
• Beauty of the North;
• Crystal;
• Liepaja Amber;
• Madeleine Angevin;
• Malengre Early;
• Michurinsky;
• Moscow Sustainable;
• Muromets;
• Novgorod;
• Special;
• Memory of Dombkowska;
• Platovsky;
• Early Tsiravsky;
• Russian Early;
• Northern;
• Tambov Pink;
• Shasla Ramminga;
• Anniversary.

Characteristics of the best varieties

In the short summer, not everyone frost-resistant grape varieties able to mature. The presence of a short growing season in the description is one of the fundamental characteristics when choosing. For growing a vineyard in open ground, the winter hardiness of the variety is very important, but resistance to fungal and bacterial diseases is not particularly important for Udmurtia. There are no pathogens of grape diseases in this region - mildew, oidium, they die in severe frosts, even if their strains are imported along with seedlings.

Growing conditions and frost resistance

Udmurtia's short but hot summers and snowy winters are sufficient conditions for obtaining high-quality grape harvests from open ground. No more than 5 calendar months should pass from the day the vine awakens until the harvest is harvested. Winter reigns in Udmurtia for 7 months a year. From November, the vine is protected by a thick blanket of snow.

It is possible to reliably prepare a vineyard for wintering if the growing season of the variety lasts no more than 130 days. Early ripening varieties that are resistant to returning frosts in the spring can be considered the best choice.

Features of the structure of the bush

The above-ground and underground parts of the grape bush should develop organically - the root system should be able to penetrate up to 2.5-3 meters into the bowels of the earth, which is slightly below the freezing point of the soil. This will help the bush to overwinter without the risk of frostbite to the root system. The peculiarity of the roots is that their development continues both in summer and winter.

The thickened (upper) underground part is the “head”; its health affects the development of the above-ground part of the perennial vine and the formation of bush sleeves. Thinner shoots extend from each sleeve. The number of sleeves depends on the characteristics of the variety - from 1 to 6 pcs. The shoots differ:

• Annuals formed during the current season.
• Ripened - growth from last season.
• Fruit shoots - fruit buds form on them.

The leaves of different grape varieties differ in their dissection into 3 or 5 lobes. The vine is a vine that clings to supports with thin, twining shoots. The tendrils are strong enough to hold the branches with the harvest on the trellis.

Grapes are a perennial plant; their fruiting period is on average 40 years.

Planting in open ground in summer

In summer, the root system develops intensively. This is the reason for planting bushes in the ground during the hot season. By the onset of frost, the ends of the roots should reach a depth of more than 2 meters, where frost will not penetrate. In different grape varieties, the root system can withstand frosts from -5 to -9 °C.

The timing of planting grapes in Udmurtia falls on the last days of May - the first ten days of June. The vine will begin to bear fruit only in the 3rd year.

Attention! Seedlings must be tied up, protected from the winds, but not shaded. The formation of the bush begins in the 2nd season.

Choose a landing site and dig a hole

Soils not suitable for planting grapes, - swamp, flooded areas, salty soils. On other types of soil, the grapevine develops well and bears fruit. The trick of Udmurt winegrowers is that they plant bushes on the south side of a monolithic brick fence.

This way the plant is protected from the winds and the sun has access to it. If there is no such fence, then they put up slate protection. The southwestern slopes are the best place for a vineyard in Udmurtia; here the rocks rising on the opposite side will serve as a barrier to the winds. Melt water from the mountains flows quickly, which means that the roots of the grapes will be protected from excessive moisture.

What you need to pay attention to when choosing seedlings

The bark of the seedlings should be smooth brown; a greenish tint indicates that this is a first-year plant. Such seedlings have the best adaptability. The root system of grape bushes for Udmurtia should be distinguished by a powerful rhizome. There should be no damage to the bark or shoots.

How to plant

The method of planting - in a trench or a separate hole, depends on the characteristics of the soil on the site. On loamy and sandy loam soils, planting holes are mainly prepared. In sandstones, plants are planted in a trench.

The width of the hole is at least 1 m, the depth is up to 1.5 m. Depending on the spreading nature of the bushes and the selected variety, the interval for planting seedlings is selected - 2 or 3 meters between plants in the same row.

Seating by stepsons

Having a vineyard on the plot, in the summer you always have to thin it out, pruning it - removing fresh shoots that thicken the bush.Strong shoots will become worthy planting material. After cutting the shoot, it is necessary to free it from excess foliage; to do this, all the lower leaves are removed. No more than 3 of the youngest leaves should remain on the cuttings.

The cuttings are placed in water in which “Kornevin” or “Heteroauxin” is dissolved - root growth stimulants. Cuttings that have taken root:

• sink into shallow holes;
• sprinkled with earth;
• excess leaves are removed from them, 1 young and 1 rudimentary are left;
• the plant is covered with a transparent plastic jar, cut off from a bottle.

This way the plant will have time to take root and take root.

Growing and care

The peculiarity of viticulture in Udmurtia is that after the first summer season, a grape seedling planted in a pot is removed to a dark, cool place, and is not left to overwinter with adult plants. It will end up there only for the second season; this is a necessary measure when planting grape varieties with average winter hardiness.

Trim and form a bush

Cover crops require low pruning of shoots, due to this the number of branches - fruitful shoots - increases (maximum 7). In the first year, only 1 bud is left to form the vine; everything else is pinched or cut off with pruning shears at the beginning of summer.

By the time the bush is prepared for winter, there should not be more than 10-12 buds left on the shoot; side shoots should be removed without regret. The following year the bush is strong enough to support the development of a second vine. By winter, just like the first one, it stops down to 10-12 ocelli. As a result, a three-year-old seedling will already have 2 fruiting vines. In the third summer, the bush can be enriched with two more fruitful vines, increasing the harvest of the 4th season.During the first 5-6 years, the structure of the bush is formed, after which all that remains is to maintain it.

Fertilizing the soil and foliar feeding

To maintain the strength of the bush, nitrogen fertilizers are applied at the initial stage of the growing season. After the formation of the ovaries, mineral fertilizing is carried out. Manure and humus are used as root feeding. They are applied no more than once every 2-3 years when watering the plant before the winter cold.

Nitrogen-containing fertilizers are scattered around the grape trunk before watering. Foliar fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is also carried out. When planting seedlings, the fertile soil in the planting hole is enriched with humus and phosphorus fertilizers.

Irrigation of plants

Grapes require abundant watering at the beginning of flowering, the formation of ovaries, and the berries collecting juice. A month before harvesting, no watering is carried out. Excessive moisture will make the crop sour.

Care in spring and autumn

Pruning, moistening the soil, fertilizing, removing rotten or fallen leaves and fruits are mandatory stages of autumn and spring care.

In the fall, insulation is necessary by mulching the soil, creating fences and wrapping bushes.

Preparing bushes for winter

A simple, but not the most humane way:

• bend the vine to the ground;
• secure it with a metal tape or bracket;
• cover with a layer of earth 10-25 cm.

Method for creating a multi-layer greenhouse:

• A plastic tight bag is placed on the tied branches of the bush;
• sackcloth;
• The 2nd layer of plastic film is pulled together at the base of the plant.

For vineyards planted in the lowlands, a more labor-intensive method of winter protection is used - the construction of wooden temporary shelters covered with roofing felt on the outside - this is the best water protection for the vines from melt water.

We tie the vine to the trellis

It is necessary to tie the vine before the sap begins to flow; at this time it is more pliable and less vulnerable. When the vines are tied horizontally to the trellis, according to winegrowers, the clusters become heavier and the ripening of the berries improves.

Preventative treatment

As a preventive measure against fungal infections, a 3.5% solution of copper sulfate is used.

Harvest and storage

Harvest occurs at the end of September - October. Storage, transportability, and processing methods entirely depend on the characteristics of the varieties chosen for cultivation.