- Authors: Hungary
- Berry color: green-golden
- Taste: harmonious
- With bones: No
- Ripening period: very early
- Ripening period, days: 110-115
- Frost resistance, ° C: -24
- Name synonyms: Hungarian Kishmish, GF No. 342
- Bunch weight, g: 300-500
- Flower type: bisexual
Who doesn't love the raisins familiar from childhood - sweet seedless grapes and wonderful raisins, without which it is difficult to imagine many varieties of pastries and desserts? Grape Kishmish 342 is one of the best raisins.
Breeding history
Variety Kishmish 342, whose name synonyms are GF 342, Kishmish Hungarian, was bred relatively recently and obtained by Hungarian specialists by the selection method, by crossing the American Perlet and the European Villard blanc. From its progenitors, the variety received early maturity and seedlessness, unpretentiousness and frost resistance, good yield and dessert taste.
Geography of distribution
Despite its comparative youth, the wonderful sunny grapes have won the love of many winegrowers in most regions. And, fortunately, there are many of them - the vitality and good resistance to diseases allowed it to grow in almost all regions of the country. Kishmish 342 is well known in the southern regions of Russia - on the Black Sea coast, the Kuban and Crimean expanses. It is also known in the European part of the country, in Altai and the Urals, Primorye and the Far East, Sakhalin and Siberia. Growing methods differ among themselves, as well as ripening times. If in a subtropical climate it does not need special conditions, then in a cold climatic zone it requires attention.
Description
Kishmish 342 is a grape with bunches of delicious golden berries, filled with sun and nectar during ripening.
Ripening period
Kishmish 342 belongs to very early varieties and starts counting from the beginning of sap flow - the time until the berry reaches technical ripeness is 110-115 days. This indicator remains one of the factors of the extensive cultivation area.
Bunches
Bushes of different ages are characterized by the uneven size of the brushes. Clusters are larger on older vines than on young shoots. The average weight of a cylindro-conical bunch is 300-500 grams, however, good care and proper agricultural technology can allow you to achieve more significant indicators. The brush has a structure of moderate density and amazing beauty after reaching physiological and technical ripeness.
Berries
The green-golden egg-shaped berry (oval, slightly elongated downward) belongs to the third class of seedlessness, that is, there are practically none. Fleshy-juicy pulp contains 190-210 g / dm³ of sugar and 6-8 g / dm³ of acidity. The average berry size is 1.5x1.7 mm, weight is from 2 to 3.5 grams.
Taste
The fruits have a harmonious dessert nutmeg taste
Yield
In this, the indicators do not differ in uniformity: the older the vine, the greater the yield it gives. The average figure for high-quality care is 20-25 kilograms per bush.
Growing features
Kishmish 342 is propagated in several ways:
saplings:
layering;
root and grafting method.
Of the above methods, the first is the simplest, suitable for novice gardeners and winegrowers.
Landing
The planting time for "sunny" grapes is chosen depending on the region. The southern climate allows planting of cuttings in spring and autumn - long autumn, mild warm winter will allow the seedling to adapt in any case. This is not the case with landing in temperate latitudes. There, this process is best carried out in the spring, since the early onset of winter may not give the seedling time to root. Even overwintered, he is likely to be frail and inferior, and the gardener can waste 4 years waiting for the harvest.
The landing technology is no different from the classic one. He traditionally needs sunny places with protection from winds and drafts. About a meter away, there should be a stable support, for example, a wall of a structure. If this is a vineyard on an industrial scale, then powerful trellises are installed.
Soil is no less important, it should be fertile soil, ideally black soil. Since in the future the gardener will receive powerful bushes, the distance between them is at least 3 meters, and preferably four. Pits are dug large, with a depth of 70 cm and a diameter of at least 80 cm. Drainage is laid in the pit, and the excavated soil is mixed with humus and wood ash, the seedling is shortened by 2 buds after planting.
Pollination
Kishmish blooms 342 with bisexual flowers, therefore it copes with pollination perfectly without human help.
Pruning
Pruning is definitely needed - they begin to carry it out from the second year. The strongest shoot is chosen and two buds are left on it, giving life to two shoots the next year. Each of them is also pruned to 2 buds. Thus, a four-arm fan bush will be formed in 4 years. Subsequently, annual average pruning is carried out by 6-8 eyes, long by 8-10 eyes.
Watering
If it rains in the summer, then the grapes do not need watering - it is carried out only during a drought. It is important not to forget to loosen the ground around the bushes after each rain or watering. Loosening is replaced by mulching with sawdust, grass, peat, which greatly simplifies the life of gardeners.
Top dressing
The vigor of the vine obliges the grower to feed it with organic matter and mineral fertilizers. In spring, nitrogen is needed to stimulate the growth of green mass. In the summer they are fed with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. Such a measure will allow you to get a large berry with an excellent taste. In the fall, it is the turn of the organic. Humus, wood ash, bird droppings, compost are used. At the same time, it is important to remember about the power of bird droppings - in large quantities, it is able to burn everything with which it comes into contact.
Frost resistance and the need for shelter
Despite the declared frost resistance up to -24 degrees, in climatically cold zones it is better to play it safe and cover the bushes for the winter. This is not easy to do, since the vine has a solid elasticity, but you have to try.
The near-stem part must be spilled, the upper part is freed from the support, bent to the ground and sprinkled with sawdust, soil, covered with spruce branches, fallen leaves and covered with agrofibre on top. In winter, an additional shelter is built in the form of a snowdrift.
Diseases and pests
Disease resistance in points:
mildew - 2.5;
fungal forms - 2.5–3;
oidium -3, that is, tolerant;
gray rot - 1 point, which means high resistance.
With such indicators, prevention will not be superfluous, especially during prolonged rains. The bushes are treated with fungicides, copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid. In addition, the vine can be attacked: spider mites, leaf rollers, May beetles lay eggs and larvae seriously harm foliage. Insecticides come to the rescue, they will also help in the fight against wasps that cause serious, sometimes irreparable damage to the crop.
If a grape is exposed to any disease or insect, this always affects its appearance.
Storage
In a cold room with a temperature not higher than +5 degrees, berries can be stored from 3 to 6 weeks at an air humidity of 90–95%. The thin skin of the fruit does not allow Kishmish 342 to be transported over long distances - the berry will certainly be "injured".
Review overview
In general, judging by the reviews, Kishmish 342 has earned a high rating from gardeners for its early maturity and sweetness. People are happy to note the absence of problems with growing vines, resistance to weather conditions, and good frost tolerance. Those who are especially picky about the minuses include a simple taste and a small berry.