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Gardeners love to grow early varieties of crops. When the main varieties are still preparing for fruiting on the site, the early ones are already delighting the owners with their harvest. Therefore, early grapes can very often be found in the garden, even among inexperienced gardeners. This is a hybrid variety obtained by crossing two forms – Shasla Severnaya and Michurinets.
Description of the characteristics and properties of grapes ” Early” compiled at the Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking. Ya. I. Potapenko of the city of Novocherkassk. The hybrid belongs to the table variety of very early fruiting, which can withstand low temperatures. Thanks to these qualities, it is grown in all regions of Our Country, even in the Urals and Siberia. Table grape varieties are characterized by excellent taste and are intended for fresh consumption. ” early” fully justifies its purpose. In order for the description of the Early grape variety to be as detailed as possible, the article will use photos, videos and reviews of gardeners.
Variety description
First, let’s turn to the characteristics that make growers choose this hybrid for planting.
Of course, this harvest time. Already in July, raspberry-red berries flaunt on the bushes of the early grape variety. At this time, the first signs of the beginning of fruit ripening only appear on the bushes of other varieties. With proper care, the variety will delight with ripe grapes at the end of June. To accurately determine harvest time in your area, count 110-115 days from bud break. Early grapes begin to bear fruit 2-3 years after planting, subject to the cultivation agrotechnics.
Productivity. One fruitful shoot forms 2-3 inflorescences. Up to 25 kg of delicious berries ripen on each adult bush. Young plants give about 7 kg per bush.
Bush medium-sized, but grows quite widely. An adult vineyard occupies a plot up to 5 meters wide. The variety of early grapes has a peculiarity.
Attention! A layer of perennial wood is not immediately formed on the vine. It is this characteristic that leads to poor yields in the first 3-4 years of the bush’s life.
Therefore, gardeners need to do medium and short pruning annually in places where the growth thickness is 20-25 cm. This feature is noted in the description of the early grape variety.
Leaves on the plant there are rounded or heart-shaped, with slight pubescence on the lower plate. They are located on long petioles, hold firmly.
bunches loose, not very large. In order for the plant to form a large bunch, growers leave no more than 2 inflorescences on one stem. If you leave more, then the ripening process will be delayed, and the clusters will be small.
The special value of the early grapes is berries (see photo).
They are medium in size but very tasty. The taste of the fruit is sweet with a slight sourness. fragrance contains notes of caramel smell. Gardeners gave the variety of early grapes a second name – “Caramel”. Grapes have an oval shape, reach a weight of up to 6-7 g. The pulp is slightly crunchy and accumulates sugar content well. With a lack of moisture, they can begin to crack and attract insects. The fruits are firmly attached to the stalk, so the variety tolerates transportation well and the berries are stored on the bush for a long time. This makes it possible not to harvest the entire crop at once.
A short video about a grape variety without comments:
Frost resistance very good early hybrid. Up to -23⁰С, the variety does not require shelter. This characteristic, combined with early fruiting, makes it possible to grow Early grapes in areas with short summers and cold winters.
Resistant to many diseases culture is very good. It is very important that the variety is not affected by mildew and oidium, and is also not subject to decay. It also resists tick attacks well. But against phylloxera, the “Early ” has no immunity. Therefore, without the use of pest control measures, the yield will begin to decline, and after 6-8 years the bush will die.
An early variety is used for the production of wines and juices, but infrequently. It is mainly used by buyers in great demand for fresh consumption.
Advantages and disadvantages
According to gardeners, the early grape variety has many advantages that led to its well-deserved popularity:
- very early fruiting;
- sufficient yield;
- unusual and pleasant taste;
- frost resistance;
- transportability;
- resistance to major grape diseases;
- preservation of brushes on the bush without loss of taste;
- unpretentiousness in care;
- good cutting.
Among the shortcomings, growers note:
- not very large berries;
- low yield during the growing period of the bush;
- the tendency of berries to crack with irregular watering and prolonged rains;
- susceptibility to attacks by wasps and bees.
Despite the disadvantages of the early variety, growers love it very much and are happy to share their growing experience.
Seat selection and landing
Although the variety is considered unpretentious, enough attention should be paid to the choice of location and planting. The further development of the plant depends on how well these activities are carried out. The planting technology of the variety is standard, but there are some recommendations:
- It is better to plant seedlings on the south side of summer cottages. This is how experienced gardeners advise placing Early grapes in their reviews. They explain this by the fact that at night the building gives the plants the heat accumulated during the day.
- A variety is planted in autumn and spring, but it is preferable to do this at the end of the season. In this case, the seedlings adapt more easily, and fully develop in the spring. Spring planting is performed only with seedlings with buds in a dormant state.
- The hybrid is well planted with a pergola planting.
The description and photos of the stages of the process help novice gardeners to plant early grapes correctly.
For the vineyard choose a sunny place with protection from the winds. Mark the place and dig holes. The bushes of the hybrid variety grow strongly, so the distance between two seedlings must be at least 3 meters. Each bush requires an area of 5-6 square meters. m. These values must be taken into account when marking. Pits for bushes are made at least 50 cm deep. If planting occurs in the fall, then the pits are prepared in 2 weeks, in the spring the period can be reduced to 3-4 days. A drainage layer is laid on the bottom, then a mixture of humus and fertile soil (1: 2), as well as sand (0,5 buckets). The soil is watered, and when it settles a little, earth and wood ash (0,5 kg) are added again. They leave a hole so that the earth sags, and then proceed to planting.
Be sure to pay attention to the condition of grape seedlings. They must be free from damage, signs of damage by pests or diseases. Plants are placed in a hole, at the same time they dig in a pipe for irrigation, and cover the grape seedling with earth. Then watered.
Care of grapes
An important point in the care of the bushes is watering. When growing the “Early ” variety, it will be necessary to carry out vegetative and water-charging irrigation. Water-charging is carried out in autumn and spring, the first is more important for grapes. The autumn event increases the frost resistance of the bush. Irrigation time depends on weather conditions. In the summer, two full waterings are enough for the variety. The first time after flowering, the second – when the berries begin to ripen. Water consumption per plant 10-20 liters.
Despite the fact that in the description the early grape variety is called unpretentious, it will not be easy to get a crop as in the photo without top dressing. Food is applied throughout the growing season. In the spring, grape bushes need a full range of nutrients. Vine growers use mineral complex fertilizers. When the time comes for fruit ripening, potassium and phosphorus are added. Before sheltering the bushes for the winter, top dressing is repeated with a complex mineral composition. Organics need to be applied no more than once every 2-3 years and in the fall. Top dressing of grapes is combined with watering, so as not to harm the roots.
Another important point of care for the Early variety is pruning and shaping the bush.
The variety is pruned annually. The yield and presentation of grapes depends on the regularity and quality of pruning. It is important to prune the early grapes on time. Too early – leads to loss of juice during grape weeping, late leads to uneven development of the bush. Therefore, it is recommended to start during the period when constant heat is established. Experienced growers know the special signs on the vine that indicate the beginning of pruning.
Young gardeners need to follow some rules when growing a variety:
- The first 2 years of the bush’s life, only dry parts are removed.
- Real pruning is carried out after lignification of the vine.
- Young shoots are not pruned while the stem is small. Gardeners wait for it to increase, and then they start trimming the skeleton.
- When pruning grapes, do not forget about the rationing of the load. On one shoot, no more than 2-3 brushes are left.
Another topic that worries gardeners is pest control. The variety is affected by phylloxera and is very attractive to wasps. With phylloxera, you need to start the fight from the moment of landing. To do this, properly prepare the soil. If the site has sandy soil, then this is very good. In another case, sand is added to the pits.
As soon as infected bushes are noticed, they are destroyed. Grape leaves, on which the pest is seen, are cut off and burned. For treatment, drugs “Fozalon”, “Aktellik”, “Fastak” are used.
Wasps annoy at the end of the season, when the crop is ready to be harvested.
You need to fight them in the usual ways – destroy nests, burn smoke bombs, lay out baits. Birds are saved by special bags or a mesh with small holes that encloses the grapes.
Reviews
Video review from the gardener:
