Valentina grapes

Amber clusters of Valentine’s grapes are so huge and beautiful that they fascinate any gardener. The culture is famous for its high yield and good marketability. Many amateurs and owners of professional vineyards are looking for a description of the variety, photos, reviews, videos about Valentine grapes, hoping to grow a handsome man on their site.

Variety description

Valentina is considered a table grape. The average ripening time coincides with the well-known varieties Pervozvanny, as well as Gift to Zaporozhye. The culture is famous for its huge beautiful bunches with delicious berries, from which excellent juice and wine are obtained.

Considering the description of the Valentine grape variety, photos, reviews, it is worth paying attention to the vine. Bushes are vigorous with intensively growing shoots. The vine, with good dressings, is drawn out long and requires free space.

The Valentina variety is famous for its large cylindrical clusters with an elongated lower part. The berries are loosely collected. The length of a large bunch can reach 40 cm, and weight – 1,5 kg. One berry weighs about 16 g. The length of the fruit is 44 mm, the width is 26 mm. The shape of the berry is cylindrical, elongated, slightly curved.

After ripening, a bunch of grapes of the Valentina variety acquires a yellow color with an amber tint. A distinctive feature is caulking. Dots resembling freckles appear on the skin of ripe berries. From the sun, the side of the fruit turns a light brown tan. Ripening of grapes is friendly. The berries do not sprout.

The pulp is of particular taste. The grape is so tender that it just melts in your mouth without feeling a thin skin. The pulp contains one or two seeds. When eaten, there is a taste of nutmeg with the aroma of sage. The sugar content in mature fruits is up to 19%, and the acid content is about 6 g / l.

By origin, Valentina grapes are a complex hybrid. The creators are breeders from Novocherkassk. The variety was obtained by crossing Muscat summer with a hybrid bred from two popular grapes Vostorg and Arcadia. The resulting Valentina variety has taken root in many regions, but requires shelter for a good wintering.

The value of the Valentina variety lies in the stable harvest. The first clusters may appear in the second year of life, but growers usually remove them to form a bush. Ripening of clusters begins 140 days after awakening of the kidneys. If the first bunches are removed in the second year, the next season’s harvest will double. During the summer, ¾ of the length of the vine has time to ripen. During the autumn pruning of bushes, shoots with 8–12 buds are left.

Variety Valentina throws out bisexual flowers. The ability of self-pollination allows you to get a crop without the participation of insects. The vine of Valentina grapes can withstand winter frosts down to -22^оC. This is an extreme indicator at which freezing of fruit buds is already beginning. In order not to risk the future harvest, the vine is warmed in the fall. The process involves not only hiding the bush. First, a weak and not lignified vine is cut, a bush is formed, and water is plentifully poured under the root. The soil around the trunk is covered with a thick layer of mulch. After these procedures, the vine is tied with a rope, wrapped in dense material, laid in a groove and sprinkled with soil.

Positive and negative features of the variety

The following advantages will help to better describe the Valentine grape variety:

• stable fruiting and high yield;
• variety Valentina is rarely affected by mildew, gray rot and is moderately resistant to oidium;
• plucked bunches retain their presentation for a long time, can be stored and transported;

Among the shortcomings, the weak frost resistance of the Valentina variety is distinguished. Juicy large berries burst with excess moisture, and sweet juice quickly attracts insects. Brown tan skins of berries with freckles do not always attract buyers.

The video shows the detailed characteristics of Valentina grapes:

Rules for planting seedlings

According to reviews and descriptions, Valentina grapes have a good survival rate of seedlings. Culture can be grown not only by a professional, but also by a novice amateur gardener. Planting grape seedlings is carried out according to the following rules:

• Spreading vigorous bushes require a lot of space. The optimal scheme for planting grape seedlings of the Valentina variety is 4×6 m.
• The variety loves light black soil, nutrient soil, organic fertilizing. This is a prerequisite for obtaining large bunches of grapes.
• Seedlings can be planted in spring and autumn. Gardeners assure of better survival during the October landing.
• A hole for a seedling of Valentine’s grapes is dug 80 cm deep and 40–60 cm in diameter. A drainage layer of fine stone must be arranged at the bottom. At least three buckets of a mixture of black soil with humus are poured into the pit. Sand is added for looseness. After backfilling, the depth of the hole is about 50 cm.
• A new bottom of the hole is formed from the fertile mixture in the form of a mound. A seedling is placed on top with roots, tilted a little and sprinkled with gently loose soil.
• A planted grape seedling is watered with two buckets of water. For better engraftment, a root growth stimulator is added.

After soaking up water, the earth inside the hole will sag. The disadvantage is compensated by adding soil and mulching with sawdust or peat. A peg is driven in near the hole. A grape seedling is tied, leaving it in this state until rooting.

Reproduction by cuttings

To start Valentine grapes on your site, it is not necessary to buy a seedling. The variety reproduces well by cuttings, and you can cut them in the fall from a bush with a familiar gardener or neighbor. To grow grapes, you must perform the following steps:

• Harvesting cuttings of Valentina grapes is done during autumn pruning. A mature annual vine without damage to the bark and buds is suitable for reproduction.
• The cuttings are cut so long that they have at least two developed buds.
• Cut branches of grapes are wrapped with a damp cloth. Store the cuttings in the refrigerator or cellar, periodically moistening from the sprayer.
• At the end of December, Valentine’s grape cuttings are inspected, dried branches are discarded, and then subjected to disinfection. Planting material is dipped in a pink solution of manganese, and then washed with running water.
• For each cutting above the lower kidney, an oblique cut is made with a secateurs. Along the bark with the tip of a knife, notches 1-2 cm long are cut to simplify the appearance of roots. Valentine’s grape cuttings are placed for a couple of days in a jar of water, where the growth stimulator is dissolved.
• Each gardener has his own way of germinating roots. You can wrap the lower part of the cutting with moss or a damp cloth, top with a film and put it in a warm place. Sometimes gardeners prefer to immediately plant planting material in cups with a wet substrate, where roots grow and engraftment occurs at the same time.
• If the grape cuttings are wrapped in moss or a damp cloth, after bud break they are planted in glasses with a nutrient substrate.

Germination of grape cuttings occurs on the windowsill. With the establishment of round-the-clock heat, the finished seedlings are planted in a permanent place.

planting care

Valentina grapes need care, but the activities do not involve particularly complex actions. The standard procedure contains the following requirements:

• During the entire growing season, Valentina grapes need organic and mineral supplements. Watering is required, but during the ripening of berries with water, you can not overdo it. Fruit cracking will begin.
• After each watering, the soil around the bush is loosened and covered with sawdust or peat mulch. Be sure to do additional weeding with abundant growth of weeds.
• The vine of Valentine’s grapes is subjected to medium and short pruning.
• In autumn, after pruning, the bushes cover. Residents of the southern regions, where the thermometer does not fall below a critical minimum, can ignore the process.

From early spring until the moment of sheltering for the winter, the Valentina grape vine is sprayed with prophylactic preparations.

Fighting diseases and pests

The average resistance of Valentine grapes to oidium increases the risk of damage to the bushes during the epidemic. The disease appears on the leaves as light spots. The disease quickly spreads to stems and berries. There is mold, rot, accompanied by an unpleasant odor.

In order not to lose the entire crop, the grape bush is urgently treated with a solution of colloidal sulfur or other preparations for oidium. However, it is better to prevent the onset of the disease by performing preventive spraying three times a year. In autumn, after the leaves fall, the vine is treated with Bordeaux liquid or a solution of copper sulphate.

Preventive measures are timely pruning to prevent thickening. Exfoliated bark is removed from the old vine, as many parasites live on it. When the disease spreads, the affected brushes and foliage are removed.

Valentina grapes have many pests: leafworm, mites, phylloxera, pruritus. Store-bought drugs help fight insects. The bush is processed according to the instructions on each package. For wasps, they hang traps from plastic bottles, where they pour a little sweet liquid.

Reviews

Gardeners leave the best reviews on the Valentine grape forums. It is rare to find dissatisfaction with the variety.