All about feeding grapes in autumn

Grapes are a southern culture. The area of ​​its distribution is expanding annually. The grapevine is grown in the private plots of the middle belt, the Urals, Siberia, the Far East. To obtain beautiful, full-bodied bunches, it is necessary to properly care for the bush. One of the elements of care is the autumn feeding of the grapes.

For a good harvest, the grape bush takes a lot of minerals from the soil. To meet his needs, top dressing is carried out in the fall. It is necessary to feed grapes with nutrients in the fall:

• for the ripening of the vine, which allows the grapes to overwinter without damage;
• to get the best harvest for the next year;
• since in spring, with melt water, minerals will get to the roots that are deep;
• to reduce the incidence of vines and destroy some of the pests;
• to protect the roots from freezing.

To form a full-fledged harvest for the next year, grape bushes are fed in autumn with organic and mineral fertilizers. Organics are widely used by winegrowers to feed bushes. You can cook it yourself, without material costs. When properly prepared and stored, it will contain the nutrients and trace elements the plant needs.

Ash consists of various trace elements (potassium, magnesium, calcium and others) that contribute to the ripening of the vine, creating conditions for a good harvest for the next year. Poultry droppings contain the elements necessary for the growth of strong shoots, essential for the production of full-bodied grapes. Yeast helps the growth of microflora and improves the composition of the soil around the bush.

Manure occupies a special place among organic fertilizers. It contains all the minerals for a full harvest. With it, microorganisms are introduced that loosen, enrich the soil with oxygen. Rotted leaf compost is an excellent fertilizer, especially when combined with mineral supplements. It is undesirable to use grape leaves infected with fungi and viruses for compost. With compost, diseases are transmitted to healthy plants.

Mineral fertilizers consist of the elements necessary for the proper nutrition of plants. Potash fertilizers are important:

• for the normal ripening of the vine;
• for the growth and maturation of bunches;
• help the grape bush to survive the lack of water;
• with an excess of moisture, they do not allow the grapes to crack;
• with a lack of potassium, leaves begin to fall prematurely.

It is widely used to fertilize the soil with a mixture of potassium salt (42%) and potassium sulfate (50%). Phosphorus fertilizers are needed by the plant for abundant flowering and setting full-weight bunches. The stores sell simple superphosphate (22%), double superphosphate (50%), suitable for autumn feeding. It is best to apply potash and phosphate fertilizers together in the fall.

Known complex fertilizers, such as ammophos, azofoska and others, have a large amount of nitrogen, which causes unnecessary growth of young shoots in autumn. They are not applied independently, but they are used in mixtures with organic fertilizers.Manufacturers produce a wide range of mixtures of organic and mineral fertilizers with the addition of trace elements. Their composition is selected specifically for grapes, so that the gardener does not experience problems with the selection of dressings, does not calculate the correct ratio.

The incoming trace elements necessary for the growth of the bush contribute to:

• rapid growth of roots, an increase in their mass;
• the normal development of the grape bush;
• increasing resistance to diseases and pests;
• an increase in beneficial microorganisms in the soil;
• reducing the effect of herbicides on a cultivated plant.

When planting grapes, a sufficient amount of various organic and mineral fertilizers is introduced into the ground. The supply of nutrients allows the bush to grow for 2 years without top dressing. Starting from the third year, autumn feeding is done for normal growth. Fertilization in the fall is carried out after the grape harvest and depends on a number of factors.

Harvest ripening time:

• early varieties are fed in August-September;
• late - in September-October.

Place of growing grapes:

• in the northern regions - in August;
• in the middle zone of the European part of Russia, in the south of Siberia, the Urals - in September;
• in the southern regions - in October.

Soil composition.

• Sandy ones require annual fertilization, because mineral substances are easily washed out of them into the deep layers of the earth. It is necessary to add 2 times: immediately after removing the bunches and when the average daily air temperature drops to +8 degrees, but before the onset of frost. This will fully provide the bushes with nutrients.
• Plants grown on sandy loam soils can be fertilized after a year. It is advisable to make fertilizing in 2 stages.
• Clay wells retain minerals in their composition. Top dressing can be done every 3 years.

Before the grapes are sheltered for the winter, autumn dressing is not done, because it loses its relevance. With frosts down to -7 degrees Celsius, the soil freezes, nutrients do not get to the roots, in the spring the top dressing will be washed off with melt water.

To apply top dressing around the bush, it is advisable to dig grooves about 25 cm deep and 50 cm wide. This will allow nutrients to get into the deep layers of the soil. In this case, the roots located in the upper layers will be removed, which will lead to powerful growth of the young. This will increase the yield of the grapes.

Under a two-year-old young bush of grapes, organic fertilizers with the addition of mineral fertilizers are first applied. This is necessary for the formation of a strong vine that overwinters without damage. An old bush requires more mineral fertilizers, which include potassium and phosphorus, for the formation of bark on the shoots and protection from frost.

The rates and methods of fertilization.

• Mineral fertilizers are applied under the grapes according to the instructions. It indicates the timing and norms for each type of dressing. In the fall, they bring in 1 sq. m about 55 g of superphosphate and potassium sulfate.
• Sprinkle with ash at the rate of 100 g per 1 sq. m, or watered with ash infusion of 5 liters under a bush. To obtain infusion, 300 g of ash are stirred in a bucket of water, insisted for a week.
• The compost is poured around the bush at least 5 cm thick, dug up and watered abundantly.
• In 4 liters of water, 1 kg of bird droppings are diluted, for 10 days the infusion ferments in warmth. Then it is diluted with water at a concentration of 1 to 10 and watered with 0.5 liters under each bush.
• Vine bushes are fertilized with manure at the rate of 1 bucket per 1 square meter.
• You can make a mixture of organic and mineral fertilizers. It consists of 4 kg of humus, 50 g of simple superphosphate, 10 g of potassium chloride.

The soil around the bush and the scattered fertilizers must be carefully dug up and well spilled with water. If fertilizers are laid in grooves, then they are covered with earth from above and watered abundantly.

• Fertilizers containing a large amount of nitrogen are not applied in autumn. They can cause the growth of young shoots, and the vine will not have time to prepare for the winter frost.
• Fertilizers should be applied according to the recommendations. An excess of substances will harm the plant more than it will help it.
• It is better to use a mixture of grape fertilizers in which the optimal combination of the necessary fertilizers is observed. Such mixtures are commercially available.
• Fertilizers are applied to wet soil or watered immediately after application.
• You cannot plant grape bushes close to each other, since grapes require a large area of ​​nutrition, otherwise the bunches will be incomplete, and the berries are small.
• Fresh manure must not be introduced, since ammonia and methane are released during its rotting, which will lead to the death of the plant.
• For the preparation of infusions for dressing, chlorinated water should not be used, since chlorine is harmful to plants.