Summer grape care

The grapes should be taken care of throughout the summer season. Only proper watering, top dressing, as well as timely pruning will allow you to collect a rich harvest and prepare the vine for the period of winter dormancy. We will talk about all this in our article.

Throughout the summer, young grape seedlings require abundant moisture. Irrigation will be especially important at the stage of budding, at the time of the formation of ovaries and ripening of berries. At this stage, the plant needs 40-60 liters of water, and when growing vines on sandy loam and sandy soils, the volume of liquid is increased. Immediately before flowering, abundant watering is not recommended, as excessive irrigation can lead to the dropping of flowers.

Also, watering is suspended in the second half of August, 2-3 weeks before the fruits reach full ripeness. At this point, the plant has enough rain moisture. But if the weather is dry, then you can add liquid in small portions. However, this applies exclusively to young bushes, as well as late-ripening grape varieties. Mature bushes and early ripe grapes in the second half of August finish watered, regardless of weather factors. If you continue watering at the ripening stage, this can lead to cracks and the development of putrefactive diseases.

In the process of cultivation, grapes of any varieties need to be fertilized. The growth and development of the vine, the formation of the root system directly depend on the quality and volume of introduced micro- and macroelements. Correct feeding also affects the size of the crop. The basic nutrient solutions are fed through the roots. To do this, a small trench 30-50 cm deep is dug at a distance of 50-80 cm from the main stem. It is in it that all nutrient mixtures are laid. This site is located in the area where the main roots are located, so the grapes will absorb all the nutrients as needed.

Fertilization is carried out in three stages. The first occurs in early spring. In the summer, the culture is fed twice. The first feeding is given in late June-early July 10-14 days before the appearance of flowers. In this case, the plant must be fertilized with a mixture of 30-40 g of potassium sulfate, 50 g of urea or other nitrogen fertilization and 50 g of superphosphate. As an alternative to mineral complexes, chicken manure and slurry can be introduced at this stage. The second time the grapes need to be fed in the early stages of fruit ripening. At this point, nitrogen fertilization should be excluded, only potash and phosphorus compositions are used here: 2 tablespoons per adult plant. Lovers of folk remedies can use ash instead of ready-made mineral compositions. In this case, the fertilizer dose should be increased 5-8 times.

Foliar dressing will be a good addition to basic fertilization. The first time the vine is sprayed shortly before flowering, the second - immediately after its completion, at the beginning of the formation of ovaries. The third treatment is carried out at the end of August.

Experienced growers know how important pruning is to this crop.Without it, it is simply impossible to achieve a rich harvest. Pruning contributes to the correct formation of the vine and normalizes the load. These measures thin out the landings and free up space for unhindered access to sunlight. In addition, during pruning, all excess growth is removed, which prevents the full growth and development of grapes.

Pruning involves several farming techniques.

• Dry garter of grapes - the initial stage in the care of the vine in the summer. In the south of the country, the garter can be made earlier, in the second half of May. At this stage, the vine is fixed to supports or trellises, giving it a comfortable direction for future development.
• Sanitary pruning. This technique consists in removing all weak, thickening, as well as sterile shoots. Any doubles and tees must be thinned out, leaving only one (the most powerful).
• Wreckage. The purpose of this technique is to regulate the load on the bush. The fragment is produced until the length of the annual shoots has reached 15-20 cm. If you use a pruner at this moment, you can cause serious harm to the plant.
• Pinching. Reception consists in pinching the tops of two-year-old shoots. It is performed 3-4 days before flowering or at the first stage of bud opening. This treatment allows you to slow down the growth of young stems. This measure reduces the risk of ovary shedding and facilitates the pollination process. Species prone to the formation of female flowers and shedding are especially susceptible to these manipulations. To pinch the shoot correctly, you need to leave 5-7 leaves over the bunch, and remove the rest.
• Normalization of inflorescences. Performed to increase the quantity and quality of the future harvest. In addition, it helps to reduce the weight load of the fruit on the vine. The grooming procedure is carried out according to the results of a visual examination before the stage of flower emergence. Inexperienced gardeners remove the extra bunches after the grapes have faded. In any case, 1 brush is left on vines, the mass of bunches of which exceeds 800 g, and if the weight of the vine is from 500 to 800 g, then two brushes. On technical and wine varieties, you can leave 3 or more.
• Grape picking. Assumes full or partial shortening of second-order shoots. Processing is carried out from mid-July to late August, its purpose is to reduce the number of lateral shoots of the main stem. Such manipulations contribute to the full redistribution of useful macronutrients. Depending on the varietal characteristics and the state of the vine, the procedure is performed two or three times. It is not recommended to delete branches completely. It is advisable to leave 2-4 sheets on each stepchild.
• Chasing grapes. This type of processing consists in cutting off the upper parts of the shoots with all the leaves growing there. This improves the nutrition of the grapes and speeds up the ripening process, and also serves as a way to increase the yield. During the minting, 10-14 leaves are left, everything else is cut off. Manipulations are performed at the beginning of the last month of summer.
• Thinning of leaves. Leaves are thinned 2-3 weeks before harvest. This measure provides maximum ventilation of the vineyards and accelerates the ripening of fruits, prevents the development of putrefactive diseases. At this stage, it is necessary to cut off any old and damaged leaves.

Any fungal and viral infections most often end badly for grapes. Therefore, preventive measures are most effective. In the early stages of the growing season, fungicides show good results. In the northern regions of Siberia, as well as in Belarus and the Baltic states, the last chemical treatment is carried out in the first half of August. Most antifungal drugs have a 3 week wait time. At the stage of fruit formation and ripening, chemicals are replaced with folk remedies.To treat the fungus, solutions of iodine, soda, soap or tobacco are made. Biologics give a good effect.

An important step in crop protection is the control of wasps and birds, which are considered the most common pests. Their populations are capable of destroying the entire crop in a matter of weeks; no chemical treatments can save them from them. That is why the preference is given to the creation of physical obstacles.