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Grapes throughout the year need proper care and agrotechnical measures. Depending on the season, the nature of these events will be determined. After reading this article, you will learn what kind of care for grapes in the fall a summer resident needs to do and how to properly prepare him for the winter.
Features of autumn care
In the fall, summer residents will have to work hard. After all, the next year’s grape harvest will depend on the quality of the work carried out. In addition, autumn is the time of the year when every gardener must carry out a series of activities to prepare the plant for winter. Before starting planned work, note for yourself that the vine, which brought you a generous harvest, spent all its strength and nutrients on it, and as a result, became weak. To give strength to the vine and allow it to recover, your main actions should be as follows:
- watering;
- top dressing;
- loosening;
- pruning;
- pest control;
- shelter for the winter.
Let’s consider each of these agrotechnical methods of walking behind a plant in more detail.
Watering and fertilizer
Having harvested ripe grapes, watering the plant can be suspended until mid-autumn. The exception is if the weather is very dry and hot outside. But with the advent of October, make sure that the watering is sufficient and plentiful. The soil should be well moistened, and the root system should receive the required amount of moisture. The following tips will help you water properly. Using a shovel, dig grooves around the perimeter of the plant and water directly into them. The effectiveness of the method lies in the fact that water enters directly into the root system. Another plus of such watering is that the water will be compactly absorbed directly under the base of the vine, and this contributes to the absence of dirt on the site. Abundant irrigation of grapes will help him prepare for the cold.
Using a shovel, dig grooves around the perimeter of the plant and water directly into them.
Do not forget about the soil – it also requires appropriate care. Any very correct watering will not bring the desired effect if the surface of the earth is compacted. To keep moisture in the soil as long as possible, loosen it in a timely manner. This is another factor that contributes to the successful wintering of the grape bush.
During the care and preparation for winter, do not forget about the importance of autumn feeding. Start foliar feeding in September. Add 20 g of superphosphate and 10 g of potassium salt to the soil. It is also recommended to add microelements such as boric acid (2,5 g), manganese sulfate (2 g), zinc sulfate (2 g). Fertilizers are applied both in dissolved form and in dry form. The optimal depth when digging is 20 cm.
Some gardeners advise fertilizing in October when the soil is a little dry. Organic fertilizers are recommended for this purpose. Small amounts of wood ash give good results. Many summer residents of the Moscow region are advised to mulch the earth around the base using compost or manure.
In the last month of autumn, once every three years, it is advisable to fertilize with potassium-phosphorus fertilizer (25 g of potassium sulfate and superphosphate each).
Trimming
Autumn is the best time to form a grape bush. You need to start this procedure 2 weeks after all the foliage has fallen from the plant. It is not recommended to carry out pruning earlier than the specified period. By ignoring this requirement and starting early pruning, you can disrupt the process of accumulating nutrients and preparing the plant for winter. But do not delay pruning, waiting for frosts, because they adversely affect the vine – it will become brittle and, pruning even very carefully, you can injure it or contribute to the breakage of grape shoots.
When pruning in the fall, remove diseased, deformed and old shoots. Leave only the healthiest sprouts. In the climate of the Moscow region, when pruning, it is recommended to leave a reserve of eyes in case of freezing. If necessary, they can be removed in the spring, when the plant overwinter and all the consequences of overwintering will be visible. For a reserve, it is desirable to leave a third of the branches that could be cut in the fall.
Performing the shaping
In autumn, do not forget about pests. To combat them during this period of the year, you can safely use chemicals. After all, the bunches of grapes will already be harvested by this time. Use a 3% copper sulfate solution or a 4% iron sulfate solution. Excellent results in the fight against parasites are given by the fungicidal preparation “Hom” (contains copper). With the help of these preparations, spray the branches and the ground under the plant bush.
If gray rot is found, use Horus, Rovral and Euparen preparations.
If the plant suffers from grape leafworm, spray the vines and leaves with a decoction of chamomile. Also use the drug “Rovicurt”.
Shelter
Since grapes are a southern culture, a frosty winter for him is a stress and ordeal. Shelter is recommended to be carried out in the northern regions (Moscow region, Middle lane) for most varieties. You can not carry out this procedure, unless you have a frost-resistant variety. You need to start warming during the pruning period. For most varieties in cool regions where severe frosts are frequent, a covering scheme for forming a bush is used, in which the vine can be painlessly bent to the surface of the earth.
For insulation, summer residents often use ordinary plastic wrap. But be aware that this is not the most successful material for insulation. During thaws, the temperature under the film will begin to rise and, as a result, the humidity will increase. The creation of such greenhouse conditions will contribute to the emergence and development of mold and fungi. For the same reasons, it is not advised to conduct insulation using leaves and sawdust.
The ideal and correct material for insulation is spruce branches. The thickness of the autumn shelter should be at least 20 cm. The spruce cover protects from frost, provides sufficient ventilation and can successfully trap snow. The combination of all these factors makes spruce branches the best material for sheltering vines for the winter, which our grandfathers used with success. A grape bush covered in this way may not be afraid of severe frosts and winter thaws.
For most varieties in cool regions where severe frosts are frequent, a covering scheme for forming a bush is used, in which the vine can be painlessly bent to the surface of the earth.
You can also cover the grapes by hilling or partial covering. Hilling is desirable for annual seedlings. Mature bushes do not need hilling unless you live in warm southern areas. When hilling, only the place of adhesion and the lower part of the shoot are covered. First, treat with drugs against pests and various diseases, water the soil abundantly and surround the grapes with a shaft of earth, the height of which is 25-30 cm.
With partial coverage, only a small area of u3buXNUMXbthe bush, which is located near the soil, is covered with earth. The rest of the plant is covered with improvised means. Straw or a light cloth is suitable for this. The materials used should be carefully fixed and wrapped with a layer of at least XNUMX cm thick grapes. When using this shelter method, be aware that if the winters in your climate zone are very frosty and cold, then it will not protect your plant and it can be severely affected by low temperatures .
Now you know what needs to be done with the grape bush in the autumn, and what kind of care it needs. By adhering to the above activities, you can count on the fact that next year the grapes will delight you with an excellent harvest of fragrant and juicy berries, which will become even tastier and larger.
Video “Preparing for winter and sheltering grapes”
This video will tell you how to properly prepare the grapes for the winter.