Augustine grapes

Augustine is one of the most popular and unpretentious grape varieties, which consistently pleases with its harvest and beautiful appearance. Experienced gardeners do not experience difficulties in growing it, but beginners have a lot of doubts: is it worth buying it for a lot of money and whether there will be problems with caring for it. It is important to evaluate all the advantages and disadvantages before buying and planting seeds.

The phenomenon - the second name of the Augustine grape, was bred in Bulgaria by crossing Pleven and Villars Blanc. Due to this selection of parental pairs, the new variety turned out to be very resistant to rot, fungal diseases and bad weather. It is thanks to this that Augustine, or Pleven, is stable, grows well in the northern regions of the country and does not require special care.

The bushes of this variety are quite strong, they have a huge number of vines that look great in the garden. Grapes are not only used as decoration, but also delight with sweet berries.

Augustine is a table variety that ripens over an average of 117 days. The first fruits appear at the end of summer, but you can take your time to pick them - the berries can remain on the bush for another 2-3 weeks without losing their taste and shape.

Loose, crumbly clusters have a standard conical shape. Their average weight is 350-400 grams. Sometimes the creepers fall lower under the weight of the berries, but there is nothing wrong with that - the bush can withstand it without any problems.

Fruits are white, sometimes slightly amber berries weighing 5-6 grams. The skin is very dense, unlike other varieties, but it is practically not felt in ripe fruits.

The berries are sweet and dense, reminiscent of delicate marmalade. However, the taste is simple, there are no nutmeg shades, which is why it is not very popular among lovers of the unusual. They contain 17–20% sugar, and the acidity of the fruit is 7 g / dm³. Tasting score - 8.2 points.

The Augustine variety gives a good yield - 120–140 kg / ha. Despite the fact that so many berries can be obtained from one bush every year, their quality does not change for the worse over time.

As mentioned above, Augustine grapes are very resistant to bad weather and unfavorable growing conditions. However, to get a truly bountiful harvest, you need to prepare a place with fertile soil: mix ordinary soil with peat and compost. Augustine loves water, but this is not a reason to plant him in the bottom of the garden. It is advisable to plant grapes from the south or southwest side.

Experienced gardeners advise not to plant bushes close to each other, the optimal distance between plants in one row is 150 cm, and between adjacent rows - at least three meters. This will not only make it easier to care for the grapes, but also give all the bushes enough sunlight, because the vines will not be able to shade each other.

It is important to choose the right seedlings of the Augustine variety. They should have firm and long roots, a green trunk under brown bark, a vine at least 35 cm in length and 4-6 buds.

For young seedlings, it is necessary to prepare pits up to 1 meter deep, their bottom is covered by 60 cm with humus mixed with wood ash and ammonium sulfate, you can add superphosphate. They are planted either at the end of March or in September.

Augustine has bisexual flowers, so they can pollinate themselves on their own - they do not need a bush of the opposite sex nearby.

Cutting grapes and vines should be quite voluminous. Light pruning of the tips and removal of leaves will do nothing, as the plant tends to grow and spread rapidly. Only vigorous pruning will induce the plant to produce fertile shoots that can bear fruit. Pruning increases the likelihood of forming large clusters covered with berries.

In the first year it is necessary to leave 2-3 shoots, in the second - 3-4 vines, and after harvesting to shorten them. In the third year, it is necessary to form a fruit arrow and a replacement knot, which are cut off every year, leaving new shoots.

In the summer, you need to pinch your stepsons. One brush should have no more than 5 leaves, the rest are removed.

The Augustine variety prefers abundant watering, but not too often. He needs 2-3 buckets of water at room temperature once a month during the first year, after which the amount of liquid decreases. Before flowering and harvesting, it is necessary to increase watering by 1.5 times.

This grape variety is fed three times a year: in early spring, a couple of weeks before flowering and after harvest.

In the spring, this is done during watering: 20 grams of superphosphate, half a tablespoon of potassium salt and the same amount of ammonium nitrate are added to the water. This mixture is poured over the bush at a distance of 30–35 cm from the base.

Potash fertilizers are used in autumn. Mix 10 grams of potassium salt, 20 grams of superphosphate, 1 gram of boric acid and the same amount of potassium iodide. To this composition add 2 grams of zinc sulfate and manganese sulfate. Experienced gardeners advise using not only self-made products for Augustine, but also complex preparations: Florovit and Kemira.

Before covering the plant for the winter, sprinkle the ground around it with wood ash.

This variety is distinguished by its high frost resistance: it can withstand frosts down to -24 degrees. But despite this, Augustine requires shelter for the winter - he is pressed to the ground, covered with foliage and covered with agrofibre.

The variety is resistant to diseases and pests, but even he sometimes has health problems. In order not to lose the bush, you need to know what diseases are most common.

The most common is anthracnose. Augustine leaves are covered with dark brown spots, crumble and fall off. Fruits have a bluish tinge, crack or dry out. You can avoid contamination of the entire plant by removing the infected parts of the bush and treating the grapes with drugs.

White rot appears much less frequently, usually in older and weak grapes. The fruits turn brown, crumple and wrinkle, the infection spreads to the shoots, and they are covered with a light brown bloom. To cure the plant, it is necessary to treat it with a 2% solution of Bordeaux liquid.

Black spot is a fungal disease that develops when the air humidity reaches 80% and the temperature is 20-25 degrees. Brown spots appear on the branches, which eventually turn black. Infected shoots cannot be saved, but the appearance of the disease can be prevented by spraying the bushes with a fungicide during the flowering period.

This variety can be stored no more than 2-3 weeks in the fresh air, after which the taste changes greatly. The berries can be stored frozen for quite a long time, but Augustine cannot be called the best variety in terms of storage.