All about feeding grapes

To grow a strong and healthy bush of grapes with high yields, you need to feed it regularly with fertilizers. Top dressing for grapes is of great importance, it is one of the main points in the development of culture. If you approach it competently, then you can plant grapes on almost any soil. If you fertilize the soil well when planting, over the next few years you can not think about feeding, but an adult grape bush definitely needs regular feeding. Let us dwell in more detail on how to feed grapes at different periods and how to properly fertilize.

Top dressing of grapes begins with planting, when mineral fertilizers and organic matter are laid in the pit, so that the young plant has enough nutrition for several years... For this, a soil mixture is prepared from humus or overripe manure (for example, 2 buckets), to which superphosphate (200 g) and potassium sulfate (150 g) are added. The last element can be replaced with an ash solution (1 liter). This composition will last for several years, but already matured bushes will need good nutrition from inorganic (mineral) and organic fertilizers.

Let us consider in detail what exactly should be in the "menu" of grape culture from minerals.

• Potassium. This element is needed for the rapid growth of shoots, timely ripening of the vine, accelerating the ripening process of berries, and increasing their sugar content. In addition, without potassium, the grape bush winters poorly, and in summer it will not survive in hot weather. If there is no potassium, we can say that the bush will disappear.
• Azofoska. This complex consists of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. It gives vigor to the bush for good yields.
• Urea (urea). This nitrogen mineral fertilizer is needed by a grape bush to build up green mass, rapid growth of vines and strengthen bunches. It is recommended to apply nitrogen fertilizers at the beginning of the growing season.
• Bor. This element is needed for the formation of grape pollen. If boron is not on the menu for this culture, you will not get high-quality fertilization of the ovaries. The simplest feeding with boron is foliar, but done before flowering, it can increase the yield by a quarter.

Now let's consider what organic fertilizers should be on the grape menu. However, it is up to you to decide whether to feed the grape bushes with organic matter or not - this issue has both opponents and supporters. Some have found a middle ground and use organics as a "snack" between basic dressings. Consider what is classified as organic fertilizers.

• Manure. It contains a lot of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium - everything that a culture needs for normal development. They mainly use horse manure and mullein.The rotted manure is fertilized around the bush or watered with a manure solution around the roots - dilute the manure in water in a ratio of 1: 3, let it brew in a tightly closed container and then dilute 1 liter of concentrate in 10 liters of water. It is desirable to combine such feeding with watering.
• Bird droppings. It is laid in compost or infusion is made following the example of manure and watered in between the main meals. You should not interfere with the infusions of manure and droppings, you can alternate them, or it is better to choose one thing so that there is no overdose.
• Wood ash. This component is considered an ideal food for grapes, it contains a large percentage of calcium (40%), potassium (20%), as well as magnesium, phosphorus, silicon and other elements. Ash is alkalizing, thus improving the composition of the soil. It is indispensable for processing heavy soils - ash is added to such soil twice: in spring and autumn during digging, in other cases - only in the spring.
• Eggshell. It is also an organic fertilizer, 94% calcium carbonate. So collect the eggshells, grind and use around the grape bush to deacidify the soil. Consumption - 0.5 kg of egg powder is required for 1 square meter.
• Yeast. They are absolutely safe for humans, rich in proteins, carbohydrates, they contain B vitamins and other useful microelements. Infusion for grape dressing is made from both dry yeast and raw bakery yeast. In the first case, 1 gram is dissolved in 1 liter of warm water, 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar is added and allowed to brew for several hours, after which the mixture is diluted with 10 liters of water and the grapes are fertilized. They do the same with live yeast, only 50 grams of it is taken. Another option is to make kvass from fresh yeast and bread crumbs, and then dilute 1 liter of such kvass with 10 liters of water and feed the culture during watering.
• Another good natural fertilizer is herbal infusion. The barrel is filled in by a third with fresh vegetation, poured almost to the top with water and left to brew for 3-5 days. Sometimes the contents need to be stirred. Then the solution is filtered and, diluting the resulting concentrate in a ratio of 1:10 with water, the grapes are fed. With the remnants of the herbs from the barrel, they act as follows: they are put into compost, and after decay they will be useful again.

During the growing season, grapes are fertilized at least 7 times, two of these dressings will be foliar, the other five - root. The power plan depends on the phases of development. For the introduction of the main nutrition (root dressing), there is the following schedule:

• in early spring - when the vine is still dormant, but the thermometer already shows +16 degrees; it is important not to miss this period;
• in late spring or early summer (May or early June) - it will definitely depend on the state of the kidneys; it is important to feed before flowering;
• the end of flowering - the beginning of the formation of the first berries on the bunches;
• about 10 days or two weeks before harvest (August or September-October - it all depends on the grape variety);
• in late autumn - after the foliage has fallen; in fact, this will already become the preparation of the vine for wintering, after fertilization, its shelter for the winter will follow.

And now we will consider in detail the seasonal top dressing.

Spring tillage under the vineyard begins in early spring by adding potash salt. It can also be a complex fertilizer consisting of ammonium nitrate or urea, superphosphate and potassium salt. Such feeding will replenish the supply of minerals after a state of rest. The mineral solution is made in accordance with the instructions, and the feeding itself is carried out as follows:

1. if there are no drainage pipes, you need to make small holes or trenches half a meter from the bush and pour the fertilizer into them;
2. cover pits or trenches with cut grass.

In early spring, grapes are usually fed with nitrogen. To do this, you can use organic matter and fertilize the soil with chicken droppings or wood ash. At the end of May, the procedure is repeated with the mineral composition, only with a lower fertilizer concentration. This time it is carried out to improve pollination and the formation of large clusters.

In summer, the vine begins to form fruits and especially needs high-quality care and feeding. In order for the berries to ripen and gain juiciness, you need to constantly replenish the reserves of nutrients in the soil, otherwise the berries on the bunches will be sour and insufficiently poured. Here it is necessary to approach dry feeding with caution, dry elements are concentrated and can damage the roots, causing a burn. Before fertilizing, you need to study all the information for use, which is placed on the package.

If the grapes grow on acidic soil, then fertilizer is applied, which contains a lot of calcium. Phosphorus is introduced in June, and potassium is added before harvesting in August. At this point, the soil is depleted, and the plant needs potassium after the berries ripen. Experienced winegrowers during this period give preference to organic matter: for feeding, they use ash, liquid infusion from chicken manure or humus, water the bushes with a solution from rotted compost.

In early autumn, for better pouring of berries, dressing with boric acid is used. This element increases the sweetness and size of the grapes, after such processing they do not burst and can be stored longer. With such a top dressing, the yield increases by 20%.

The solution is prepared as follows: take 1 liter of warm water and dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of boric acid (powder) in it. The composition is sprayed on the bush. In the first week of September, you can dig up the ground around the grape bushes and add compost or manure, or you can pour it with chicken droppings. In November, it is already necessary to prepare the soil and bushes for winter, for this they apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, as well as magnesium. The granules are scattered under the bush, dug up, watered.

After fruiting, the bushes need nutrient replenishment. Potassium sulfate and superphosphate are suitable fertilizers. Besides, every 3 years before sheltering for the winter in late autumn, it is recommended to introduce compost or humus for digging (1.5-2 buckets per square meter).

Every season after harvesting, you need to mulch the soil under the grapes. This is not a laborious task, it can be done quite quickly, and it will bring great benefits to the culture. Since October, liquid compounds are no longer introduced into the soil, since the root system can freeze due to autumn frosts, and mulching is safe. Mulch (in the form of humus, compost, peat) will slowly recharge the roots and at the same time protect them from frost.

Foliar dressing should be carried out at least 2 times between the main meals, preferably just before flowering and before the ovary. They are carried out in dry, calm weather late in the evening - so there is a chance that the solution will remain on the leaves longer.

When feeding grapes, it is advisable to observe all norms, dosages and rules, otherwise mistakes will lead to weakening of the bushes and crop failure. Let's outline the most common mistakes.

• Increased attention to young bushes. In fact, when planting (if all the rules are followed), young seedlings receive the necessary elements for 2-3 years. Therefore, all efforts should be directed to an adult plant. A mature vine needs more nutrition.
• You should not constantly fertilize with only complex formulations. At each stage of development, the vine needs different elements, and the composition of complex fertilizers is the same.
• No need to overfeed plants, due to an excess of trace elements, grapes can get sick, delay fruiting, and so on.

For information on how to feed grapes, see the next video.