Charlie Grape

A large-fruited, unpretentious hybrid with high resistance to frost has become a favorite among gardeners in many regions of our country. Its good acclimatization with proper agricultural technology allows the variety to decorate the table with its beautiful bunches of juicy sweet berries.

The author of the table grape variety Charlie (synonym Anthracite) is the national breeder Evgeny Georgievich Pavlovsky, who has been collaborating with VNIIViV them. Ya.I. Potapenko. On the instructions of the research institute, Pavlovsky tested many varieties on his site for many years of cooperation. Charlie was the result of crossing two varieties Nadezhda AZOS and Victoria. In this duet, Victoria is a more senior companion, her appearance fell on the middle of the 20th century. Nadezhda AZOS is a little younger, her date of birth is the 80s of the same century.

The descendant of the famous progenitors was tested in gentle conditions in the south of Belarus. However, being born in a warm climate did not prevent him from mastering temperate latitudes, and he fell in love with gardeners in almost all regions of Russia, not counting the Arctic. Although who knows, most likely, in someone's greenhouse, he bask in the rays of the artificial sun and endows the owners not only with vitamins, but also wonderful juices and wine.

Due to qualities such as resistance to frost and disease, Charlie's geography covers almost all climatic zones and regions of the country:

• tropical;
• subtropical;
• moderate.

The enumeration of the regions developed by the Charlie grapes will take up a lot of space. Here are just a few of them:

• Altai and Adygea;
• Buryatia and Kalmykia;
• Dagestan and Karelia;
• Krasnodar and Krasnoyarsk;
• Astrakhan and Irkutsk regions.

This is just a small part of Charlie's habitat. As can be seen from the geographical diversity of the regions, its vitality has made it possible to expand its growing area to almost the entire territory of the Russian Federation.

Charlie table variety is characterized by medium vigor of bushes with powerful vines ripening along the entire length. Bushes are prone to branching - even young plants are capable of giving life to up to 40 shoots with good vitality. Foliage and shoots are painted in a rich green color scheme. The variety has an excellent presentation and transportability.

Five-lobed, slightly pubescent, medium-sized leaf has a medium dissection. The wrinkled surface is covered with a fine mesh of veins. The organoleptic qualities are most pronounced in areas with a short summer period. The amazing vitality of the variety allows it to quickly recover from injury during frosts, showers, strong winds. With high-quality agricultural technology, the bush is able to please the owner in the second year, giving him up to 4 clusters of full-fledged varietal grapes.

Breeders classify the variety as early or medium early, since the ripening period is 105-115 days, depending on the climatic zone of growth. The full maturity of the brush occurs at the beginning or in the middle of August, while it must be remembered that the berries take on a rich color a little earlier than real ripeness.It's all about the characteristic feature of the variety - it takes a long time to gain sugar content, and if you give it time, the indicators grow to 22 percent.

The variety has almost no peas, all berries are uniform in size, tightly attached to the branch. Large medium-soft brushes have a conical shape, but may have an irregular outline, the length is up to 40 cm. The average weight of a hand is kept in the region of 600-800 grams, but one and a half to two kilograms are not rare and champion. Large bunches also gave good conditions.

Fleshy fruits with dense skin with juicy pulp are colored in black and rich dark blue palette. The shape of the berry is oval, size is large, weight is 7-10 grams. The number of grains is limited - no more than 3 pieces.

The taste is harmonious, the score on a ten-point system is 8.4. Not everyone likes the barely perceptible nightshade flavor, but, according to experts, it disappears after the bush reaches three or four years of age. Some gardeners say that if you let the bunches hang on the vine, the taste goes away. Some see this as a direct dependence on the soil composition. In short, "nightshade" is not always manifested, but many people use this variety only for making wine.

An adult bush gives up to 20 kilograms of excellent berries. Prospective yield - 140 centners per hectare.

Good yields and successful vine growing directly depend on proper planting and adherence to agricultural practices. Each shoot forms up to 7 brushes, but it is recommended to leave no more than 2, otherwise the bush will be overloaded, and the crop does not always reach technical and physiological ripeness.

Planting of seedlings is carried out in early spring or late autumn (April-May, October-November), during the absence of sap flow. Placed in sunny areas, protected from the wind, avoiding swampy soils, away from crops that require regular abundant watering.

Bisexual flowering of grapes allows you to do without additional pollination.

The tendency of the bush to grow shoots, leading to thickening, makes it necessary to carry out 3 pruning times annually: in spring, summer, autumn. In the spring, weak and damaged branches are removed, in the summer - stepchildren, in the fall - extra eyes.

Six-time moderate watering along annular grooves with a depth of 20 centimeters is carried out in compliance with the consumption rates - 14-15 liters per bush.

A powerful vine requires regular fertilizing with organic and mineral fertilizers. Top dressing is applied into the grooves to a depth of 30 cm. The distance from the trunk is at least 40 centimeters.

Despite its excellent tolerance to low temperatures, in temperate latitudes, the variety needs shelter for the winter. To do this, the vine is removed from the trellis, bent to the ground and sprinkled with soil brought or taken from the rows. It is impossible to take soil from under the bush - the roots will remain unprotected.

The variety is resistant to various diseases, such as mildew and powdery mildew, it is almost not affected by rot, anthracnose and chlorosis. However, it needs prevention, like all types of grapes. This is an antifungal treatment. Birds belong to the berries of this variety with great reverence, therefore, many gardeners fence it with a fine-mesh net that serves as a barrier for feathered gourmets. Wasps are sprayed with insecticidal preparations.

The variety does not lose marketable and organoleptic qualities for a long time, it is perfectly stored in a cool room, therefore it should be sold even in regions remote from the growing areas.

Judging by the reviews, even a "loaded" bush is able to draw out the technical and physiological ripeness with good sugar content and taste. Unfortunately, many people have a negative attitude to the nightshade flavor, but this does not interfere with growing a variety for making wine. Most gardeners note Charlie's decorative qualities.