Choosing grapes for planting in the country is not an easy task, because the number of varieties is simply huge and anyone can get confused. Our article will introduce you to another representative of this berry culture, which is called Monarch – grapes with yellow berries (there is also a variety with black berries). A description of the characteristics of the variety is presented, as well as agrotechnical measures that must be carried out in order to obtain an excellent harvest of berries that melt in your mouth.
Characteristic of the variety
Monarch is a grape created by the breeder E.G. Pavlovsky as a result of crossing varieties “Talisman” and “Cardinal” with the addition of a mixture of pollen. Often the Monarch variety is called Pavlovsky in honor of the scientist. It takes 120-125 days for the berries to ripen. Bushes have great growth power. The vine matures quite well – by 2/3 of its growth, while its length is 130 cm. Rooting of cuttings occurs quickly. Under favorable conditions, already in the first days of June, the grape bush begins to bloom. Grapes are self-pollinating.
The monarch matures in the third decade of August. Clusters are cylindrical in shape, large (on average up to 600 g, but there are also up to 1 kg). The berries are yellow, large, oval, weighing almost 23 g, but there is a direct relationship between the size of the berries and the size of the bunch. The pulp is juicy, aromatic, with a nutmeg aftertaste. The skin is so thin and tender that it is not felt when eaten, but at the same time, the berries do not crack from excess moisture and are not damaged by insects. Berries after ripening can remain on the bush for a long time, while their presentation and taste do not deteriorate. The description will be incomplete without mentioning such a fact as high productivity, because up to 7 kg of ripe berries can be collected from one bush.
Berries after ripening can remain on the bush for a long time, while their presentation and taste do not deteriorate.
Monarch – frost-resistant grapes (up to -23 degrees), it is weakly affected by fungal diseases such as mildew, gray rot, and is sometimes susceptible to oidium infections.
Agrotechnics
Let’s start the description of agricultural practices with planting, the technology of which is identical to planting seedlings of other varieties. Monarch gives good yields on light, moist soils. Grapes are very fond of irrigation and top dressing with increased doses of organic and mineral fertilizers. Despite the fact that the variety is drought-resistant, according to the reviews of growers who grow it, the plant needs good watering, especially if the plant grows in the Volga region, where summers are traditionally dry and hot.
When growing the Monarch variety, you need to know some features. So during the pollination period, the ovaries fall off, and only large inflorescences fall off. As a rule, this happens on shoots that are “fattening” after pruning. To avoid crop loss, the breeder Pavlovsky advised not to prune a young bush in the fall, but to wait for spring flowering and, already at the stage of the formation of “peas”, completely cut the grapes according to all the rules.
During the pollination period, the ovaries fall off, and only large inflorescences fall off.
If the bush is old, then the maximum number of eyes should be left for fruiting – usually from 60. At the same time, the shoots should not be thick.
For better pollination, gardeners are advised to thin out the foliage during the flowering of the grapes.
Despite the fact that the variety is frost-resistant, you should not abuse it and it is better to cover the bushes for the winter period.
Also, to protect against grape aphids, grafting onto rootstocks of phylloxera-resistant varieties is practiced, however, such grapes grow with worse berry characteristics.
The description given by many gardeners characterizes the Monarch as a capricious variety, but if you pay enough attention to it, the grapes will please the owner with a worthy and early harvest: it is not for nothing that this early variety has a royal name, because its berries taste unparalleled. Agricultural practices should be carried out regularly and efficiently.
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