How to treat grapes in the spring from diseases and pests: before bud break, after opening

Processing of grapes in the spring should be carried out at the end of March, before the buds swell. Then the bushes must be sprayed twice before flowering with an interval of 10-15 days. This allows you to reliably protect the culture from fungal infections, insects and other dangerous pests.

Why do we need spring processing of grapes from diseases and pests

The main task of spraying grapes in spring is protection from pests and diseases. The procedure is carried out every year in March and April. All plants, including healthy ones, are subject to processing. Folk remedies, biological and even chemical preparations will not harm grape bushes, but they will definitely protect it from infectious diseases, for example, from anthracnose, mildew, white and gray rot, oidium and others.

Also, preventive treatment is carried out in the spring to protect against common pests. Danger to culture are:

• grape, spider, felt mite;
• grape leaflet;
• aphids and others.

Spring spraying of grapes is planned at the beginning of the season – until the leaves bloom. It is desirable that the air temperature does not exceed 8 degrees Celsius, and the weather is calm and cloudy. The fact is that spores, larvae and other pests of grapes in such conditions are still in a state of suspended animation (hibernation), so they can be destroyed almost completely.

With the onset of warm days in the tissues of grapes, like other plants, the movement of juice is activated. This also leads to the awakening of various insects. If you do not carry out processing and sanitary pruning in early spring, this can lead to infection of almost the entire vineyard.

The scheme of spraying grapes in the spring from diseases

The scheme for processing grapes in the spring includes several main stages. The first disinfection is carried out immediately after removing the protective agrofibre, burlap or other material. Then the procedure is scheduled for the beginning of April, when the buds are already beginning to swell – the plant “wakes up”, and pests become more active with it. Then several more treatments are planned – at the stage of leaf blooming and at the stage of inflorescence formation.

The first treatments begin after sanitary pruning in early April

During kidney swelling

The earliest spraying of grapes in the spring is planned immediately after the removal of the protective shelter, even before the buds swell. As a rule, this is the first decade of April. Although in the southern regions (Krasnodar Territory, the North Caucasus and others) grape processing is possible at the end of March – you need to focus on weather conditions.

For spraying, use a solution of a fungicide, insecticide or folk remedy. You need to act like this:

1. Remove cover.
2. Raise the vines on a support.
3. Carry out sanitation pruning.
4. Clean up circles.
5. Spray the solution on the stems.

During leaf formation

If you spray the grapes for the first time in the spring, you need to even before bud break. The second treatment in the spring is planned in about two weeks, i.e. April 10-20. At this point, warm days are established steadily, and pests are definitely activated. They begin to feed on plant juices, spoil leafy buds, young vines and rhizomes.

Therefore, it is imperative to carry out a total spraying of the bush, especially young growth. To do this, use solutions of insecticides, as well as folk remedies.

During the formation of inflorescences

During the formation of inflorescences (end of April), the treatment is carried out with a mixture of fungicides and insecticides. To do this, use tank mixtures, in the preparation of which you need to focus on the instructions for the preparations and other documents from the manufacturer.

How to spray grapes in the spring from diseases and pests

For spraying grape bushes in the spring, different means are used. Chemical preparations are most effective, although they can be toxic to beneficial microorganisms (soil bacteria) and insects. Therefore, many gardeners prefer to use biological preparations and folk remedies.

If complex treatment is necessary, mixtures of several preparations are made.

Biological agents

Biological agents contain strains of microorganisms that destroy pests. Their main advantage is non-toxicity. Such preparations are safe for grapes and other plants, as well as for humans, animals and beneficial insects, including bees.

The most effective biological fungicides include:

• “Fitosporin”;
• “Respecta 25%”;
• «Strekkar»;
• “Phytolavin, VRK”;
• “Abacus Ultra, SE”.

Popular biological insecticides:

• “Bitoxibacillin”;
• “Vertimek”;
• “Fitoverm”;
• “Letto”;
• “Biodecharge”.

Chemicals

Chemicals completely destroy pests – often the result is noticeable after the first spraying in spring or early summer. They contain artificial (synthesized) substances that do their job well, but at the same time can be toxic to bees, soil bacteria, and even to humans. Therefore, before use, you must carefully read the instructions, and if necessary, use a mask, gloves and other personal protective equipment.

Most often, the following preparations are used for spraying bushes:

1. Copper sulfate (copper sulfate) is one of the most effective fungicides. To prepare the solution, take 300 g of quicklime, dissolve in 1-2 liters of hot water. After the hissing is over, add 300 g of vitriol powder, mix and bring to a total volume of 10 liters. Before carrying out the procedure, you need to immerse the metal rod in the solution – if the color of the liquid has not changed, you can start processing the grapes in the spring. When carrying out subsequent sprayings of vitriol and quicklime, they take three times less – i.e. 100 g per 10 liters.

   

2. Ferrous vitriol (ferrous sulfate) is another powerful spring treatment for pathologies such as anthracnose, necrosis, downy mildew and others. Prepare at the rate of 500 g of powder per 10 liters of water.

   

3. Bordeaux mixture helps to cope with rot, anthracnose, mildew. For spraying in early spring, a solution with a concentration of 3% is prepared. Then the dosage is reduced to 0,5%.

   

4. Urea is an organic fertilizer containing up to 50% nitrogen. Apply it as a means for the prevention and feeding of grapes in the spring. Well protects the bushes from caterpillars, scab, copperheads and other pests. The working solution should be sufficiently concentrated – 500 g per 10 liters.

   

5. “Ridomil” – a relatively safe fungicide, is used for spraying in the spring (solution with a concentration of 1%).

   

6. Colloidal sulfur effective for protection against anthracnose, oidium and sucking insects. The standard dosage is 100 g per 10 liters.

   

Folk remedies

Folk remedies are less effective than biological and chemical ones. But they are also used to process grapes in the spring, especially for prevention or in the early stages of infection.

In reviews, gardeners recommend the following recipes:

1. Composition from downy mildew (mildew): pick and dry horsetail, prepare a decoction and add 75 g of chopped garlic cloves (per 10 l) to it. Leave for several hours.
2. From this powdery mildew (oidium): baking soda (40 g), laundry soap shavings (3 tablespoons) per 10 liters. Another option is 5 g of potassium permanganate or 1 liter of milk for the same amount of water.
3. An insecticide that helps to cope with grape mites: 2 kg of potato stalks per 10 liters of boiling water. Let it brew for several hours, then add 50 g of chopped garlic cloves.
4. Universal fungicide – onion peel (half a bucket) is filled with water and boiled for 20 minutes, after which it is insisted for a day. Then add 30 g of honey (liquid) and filter.

tank mixes

Tank mixes include fungicides, insecticides, fertilizers. When compiling them, several important points should be taken into account:

1. Bordeaux liquid is never included in the mixture – it is used only separately.
2. If you include growth stimulants, then in limited quantities.
3. Pesticides do not mix well with fertilizers containing trace elements such as boron, iron, zinc and magnesium.
4. The composition of the mixture does not include magnesium with calcium and iron.
5. Substances that create an alkaline environment do not combine with phosphorus compounds.

For the processing of grapes in the spring, you can use the following tank mixtures:

1. “Fufanon”, “HOM” – spraying at the stage of bud swelling.
2. “Topaz”, “Albit”, “Ridomil Gold” – an effective prevention of all known fungal diseases of the bush.
3. “Bankol”, “Ridomil Gold” – against the main pests.
4. “Topaz”, “Zircon”, “Aktara” – a mixture for the prevention of diseases, pests and stimulation of growth processes.
5. “Akarin”, “Aktara”, “Fitoverm”, potassium humate – to protect the bushes from diseases, pests, as well as to strengthen the immune system.

When compiling tank mixtures, it is necessary to take into account the compatibility of all components

How to spray grapes in early spring

Processing grapes is quite simple, but there are also some nuances here. Sometimes improper disinfection not only does not protect the bushes from pests, but, on the contrary, contributes to their spread. To prevent this from happening, experienced gardeners recommend considering a few practical tips:

1. It is very important to observe the timing of spraying. You should pay attention to the recommendations described above and to the instructions for the drugs.
2. Basically, processing is planned for the evening. This choice is not accidental. Most drugs are effective in the evening.
3. It is equally important to choose the weather. It should be calm and not rainy. Otherwise, gusts of wind or precipitation will quickly remove the remaining solution, they will fall into the soil, and the vines themselves will remain unprotected.
4. Do not think that the more you pour the drug, the more effective it will work. In fact, the dosage must be observed very carefully, otherwise the grapes, the soil under it and neighboring plants will suffer.
5. If the cases are neglected, the bushes are heavily infected, an individual treatment schedule should be drawn up in spring and early summer. Then spraying is carried out every 10 days, and when using folk remedies – after five days.

Conclusion

Processing grapes in spring helps protect the shrub from pests and diseases. It is always easier to prevent the development of infections and the appearance of insects than to deal with them. Therefore, processing must be done every spring, and not once, but at least three times per season.