Caring for grapes in the fall is the key to a good harvest! Preparing grapes for winter - the basic rules of the gardener how to save the harvest.

Foreword

Preparing grapes for winter is the most important stage of its cultivation, since the speed of plant development, the number of berries and even their sweetness will depend on how correctly you provide it with wintering. The preparatory process includes very few steps, from cutting the grapes and reducing the amount of nitrogen fertilizer, to burying them in the ground, covering them with fiber.

How to do everything right, not harm the plant and protect it from low temperatures winter - read on!

Grapes for the winter - we monitor the health of the vine in advance

Every gardener, even an amateur, knows that a weak and diseased vine will never survive the winter and is doomed to death. In order for the plant not to get sick and have an excellent vitality, before the onset of frost, you need to take care of the maximum comfortable conditions its growth and provide the right fertilizer root system. It is fertilizer most affect the strength of the vine and its readiness for wintering, as the grapes accumulate starch, organic matter and sugar, which do not allow freezing even in the most severe frosts. If the plant has not accumulated the necessary substances, then the risk of freezing is very high.

It is necessary to pay attention to diseases of grapes. If it forms powdery mildew, fungus, mold or vine has been attacked by a pest - you must immediately, after you collect all the bunches (so as not to eat chemicals), treat with fungicides continuous action. Any preparations, since the main thing is to destroy all biological activity on the plant and allow it to calmly accumulate nutrients.

Vine care also includes processing blue vitriol autumn. For this, a solution of 5% is suitable, which needs to be abundantly sprayed on the plant, and even better - dip into the solution, if it is possible to do so. This helps to get rid of many pests and sterilize the vine so that nothing disturbs while under the snow (or under the artificial "roof").

From the first days of spring, care must be taken that the bushes are not too thick, otherwise they will have a low vitality, and each process will not be able to absorb required amount minerals and salts.

grape pruning

Sheltering grapes for the winter is impossible without high-quality pruning for several reasons. First, it should be noted that it will be necessary a large number of material and labor to bury 7-8 meter shoots. It is better to shorten them to 2-3 meters, so that it is convenient to tilt them to the ground and cover them with a special agrofiber or pretend to be ground. Pruning is necessary not only for convenience, but also for the health of the plant itself. accumulate in the stem useful material, the outflow of which occurs from annual shoots to the productive part of the bush and roots. Thus, you can not cut the shoots immediately after fruiting, as some gardeners do.

The optimal pruning time is the first frost. It is then that the juice stops moving and the period of "hibernation" begins. You can safely remove annual shoots - they will freeze anyway and dry out in the spring. Absolutely everything is cut off to the hardened part, you can leave at your own risk 20-30 centimeters more, but it’s not a fact that this area will overwinter. Only perennial wood is thick enough to survive icing. The winter hardiness of the bush will increase significantly if you protect the site from the wind, since it is he who affects the icing of the stem. Icing restricts oxygen access and does not allow the plant to breathe, causing areas to die off (even perennial wood).

Choosing a vine that will overwinter is quite simple. You can do this visually. Its thickness should be at least 10-15 mm, if less, it is better not to risk it.

Next, we look at the core of the vine. If it occupies from 90 to 60% of the area, then there is no chance to survive prolonged cold. It is necessary that the core occupies no more than 40-50% of the volume, then we can say that all vital "organs" will be reliably hidden from the cold. The remaining thin stems can be safely cut.

How to save grapes for the winter - the harm and benefits of feeding

Many will be genuinely surprised that fertilizers can do a lot of harm, especially early varieties. It is known that nitrogen fertilizers too good influence on the development of the vegetative mass, especially at ambient temperatures above +15 0 C. Thus, the weight gain can be up to 1% per day or more, and the surface of the vine does not have time to harden and remains “young” for several more months. As a result, the shoots can freeze at low temperatures, and their growth stops only 1-2 months after the end of feeding with nitrogen-containing substances.

To avoid this, and the stem had time to harden and form a strong bark that would protect it from low temperatures, it is necessary to finish feeding with liquid and granular fertilizers 3-4 months before the onset of cold weather. That is, as soon as the vineyard ceased to bear fruit (or better a month before), it is necessary to suspend the application ammonium nitrate and phosphate fertilizers.

But do not confuse phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers with organic ones, which will only benefit the root system and stems. They nourish the necessary substances and warm the roots as a result. chemical processes occurring during the slow decomposition of organic matter. At the end of October, it is necessary to apply up to 5-10 kg of humus under each bush, and do it in such a way that all lateral roots do not come into direct contact with it, but have a ball of soil 5-6 centimeters from humus. Otherwise, they can simply burn out in the spring when high temperature. In any case, if you filled up the site organic fertilizers, in the spring it is necessary to pour everything abundantly so that the substances are absorbed evenly into the soil and do no harm.

The construction of winter shelters and their features

When building winter shelters, the main thing is to understand one simple thing- frost is not as bad as ice, which makes it impossible to breathe. Even in the most severe frosts, the raspberry can remain unharmed if it was in a secluded place and “breathed”. Therefore, it makes no sense to dig large trenches, just sprinkle the earth on top or cover the vine.

When and how to insulate grapes for the winter no one will tell you for sure, since there is only one right decision for this task. Each uses the method that is most popular in his latitudes. In many cases, shelter begins when average daily temperature c - 5 ° C degrees - this is the ideal time, according to 60% of the gardeners surveyed. What needs to be considered and what to pay attention to?

1. Length of stay under winter shelter should be minimal. The more it will be underground, fabric and other types of insulating layers, the weaker the clusters will be in the spring. Cover grapes in nature is not provided, and he needs constant access to air, in the ground he is affected by bacteria, begins to rot and simply "suffocate" over time. The sooner you dig it up and the later you bury it, the faster the young shoots will develop and clusters will form.
2. It is not enough to accumulate starch for the wintering period, it is necessary that it crystallizes into sugar. Only sugar syrup, which is formed during the impact sub-zero temperatures on starch, can save the plant. It works like antifreeze in a car - it does not allow the entire "mechanism" to freeze even at -20 0C. What should be done? Just let it stand in the cold for a few days. After that, you can cover and bury.
3. Cannot be covered with foil. Never use polyethylene materials for winter shelter. Cells stop breathing and die. It is also worth considering that under the film there will be a greenhouse effect: under the sun, the buds will germinate and immediately die at night at sub-zero temperatures. It is better to leave without shelter at all than under the film - so at least there will be chances to survive.
4. It is impossible to cover the vine early. If she gets into warm earth, then it can germinate, after which severe frosts will destroy the kidneys.

There are a large number of options for how to shelter for the winter, from the most time-consuming and lengthy, to five minutes. Consider several ways to build wintering "houses":

1. Lazy way. We bend the branches to the floor, cover with a polypropylene bag or agrofibre from above and press down with bricks. Actually, nothing more is needed. You can also sketch the earth along the edge.
2. Way for lovers earthworks. We dig a hole with a depth of 30-40 centimeters and for the length of the entire stem, after which we put the vine in it and bury it. Sketch another 20-25 centimeters of earth from above so that no frosts find your treasure. If strength and desire remain, you can still throw earth on top of the roots so that they are warm and comfortable on cold winter nights.
3. Way for lovers modern architecture. If you couldn't make beautiful landscape design in the warm season - you have the opportunity to do it now! We wrap the tied and erect stem in agrofibre, burlap or other breathable material. Thus, you get a beautiful "ekibana" of impressive size! Not pretty enough? You can paint such a "design" in white or black - original. Your guests will certainly appreciate your taste, and the style will be reminiscent of European (they decorate every element in small yards, including plants prepared for winter)!
4. A method for gardeners who breed a lot of "tops". If the bush is very large and has thin stems since autumn, it is easiest to twist them into a spiral, and then tie them. Hammer 4 sticks around the bush, wrap them around with agrofiber or even mineral wool(some prefer to use fiberglass). Imagine yourself as a silkworm and make a beautiful cocoon around a bush! With a wall thickness of the "cocoon" of 1-2 mm, the plant is not afraid of any frost!

There are many more ways to keep grapes in winter, but these are the most popular and proven by many gardeners. Even summer residents and gardeners use special shelters for shelter. insulation materials, but then the design turns out to be relatively expensive (besides, it is disposable and will have to be thrown out next year). Therefore, there is no need to consider such a method. If you do everything right according to this guide, then next year you can confidently count on a good and tasty harvest of berries!

Foreword

In order to increase frost resistance and yield of grapes for the next year, you need to know how to prepare the grapes for winter. This work is quite difficult, requiring time and effort, but it's worth it!

Necessary tools and materials

What harm can frost do to grapes?

From extreme cold grape bushes can receive damage of varying severity. Naturally, this will lead to further problems with the development of plants and their yield.

• Frosts can lead to the death of annual growth and perennial branches, due to which active growth will be observed only in coppice shoots;
• Because of the cold, the above-ground part of the vineyard may die;
• If fruit buds suffer due to frost, there will be no flowering of grapes in the new season, which means that you will receive a harvest at least a year later;
• Extreme cold can damage not only the entire above-ground part, but also root, because of which the grapes will stop growing and producing crops.

By knowing how to store grapes in winter, these problems can be avoided. And the lack of shelter will lead to death and the young vine, and branches, and the root system. As a result, you can lose almost the entire crop. Preparing grapes for winter is what will help to avoid severe frostbite.

How to Prepare Grapes for Winter: Vine Care

From March to November, it is necessary to constantly inspect the grapes, quickly and effectively eliminating diseased shoots, cutting out damaged or frozen branches. It is also carried out with the help of fungicides. After harvest, you can use an increased dose of chemicals for processing, which will help the grapes ripen and winter in a healthy state.

Growers know that plants under cover provided warm temperatures, spend a lot of nutrients to support the processes in the "organism". And so that the grape vines have enough nutrients for the winter and for the subsequent development of new shoots in the spring, the plant is fed with mineral and organic fertilizers. It should be remembered about foliar top dressing which is carried out several times during the summer.

Mandatory conditions for the care of the vineyard are:

• Timely thinning of the vine and removal of unnecessary branches;
• Supporting vine health by adding nutrients.

The second stage of preparation for winter - pruning and rolling

If you have been taking care of the grapes throughout the year, trying to keep the plants healthy, you can proceed to the next step -. However, before that, it is necessary to trim and cut (remove) part of the root system. Keep in mind that the branches are pruned some time after the grape harvest - the vine needs to get a little stronger, replenishing the supply of nutrients.

As growers say, early removal of shoots reduces the frost resistance of the plant - it is advisable to start these works when the first frosts come. Katharovka (removal of roots that grow near the ground) is carried out in order to strengthen the root system.

They work like this:

• First, we dig a ditch around the stems up to 25 cm deep;
• We cut the roots to the base and cover the slices with vitriol;
• We fill the trench with sand from above;
• We plant and water the bushes.

How to save grapes for the winter - choose a shelter

The most popular shelter methods are the dry version and covering the vines and shoots with earth. Sprinkling with soil is considered the most simple option, it is most suitable for young grapes. The cover goes like this:

• We dig a trench to a depth of 20 cm, put a sleeve in it, cover the bottom with straw or fallen leaves with a layer of about 5 cm;
• We remove the vine from the trellis and lay it in a trench, covering it with straw on top.

To carry out the dry shelter method, you will need polyethylene film and such dense material as mats, tarpaulin, agrofibre. To carry out shelter in this way, you do not need to dig a trench, since we will lay the branches on the mulch under the grape bushes, covering them with hay or straw on top with a layer of at least 30 cm. We put bags, a film on top of the material, fixing them with steel brackets.

In conditions Russian climate preparing grapes for winter is very milestone, because it is necessary not only to do everything correctly necessary procedures but also to choose the most suitable time for this. It is worth making a mistake with the timing, and you may encounter freezing or damping of the vineyard.

The ability of grape bushes to endure the cold season well depends largely on how carefully they were looked after throughout the season. Affected by diseases, weakened grapes with unripened wood are unlikely to survive frosts, so since spring you need to think about how to save grapes for the winter.

Throughout the season, regularly inspect the vines and fight fungal diseases in a timely manner by treating the vineyard with fungicides and cutting out damaged branches. After picking the berries, you can apply one and a half or even a double dose. chemical agent so that the plants concentrate their forces on ripening and go into the winter healthy.

Video about the rules for preparing grapes for winter

The longer the grapes lie under cover, and the warmer the temperature in the shelter, the more nutrients are consumed by the plant to maintain important life processes. In addition, by spring, the roots and vines should have a sufficient supply of food for the development of young shoots in early spring. Your task: do not forget complex mineral fertilizers and organic, as well as carry out foliar feeding several times per season.

Healthy vines with a thickness of 6 to 13 mm ripen and winter best, especially if the core occupies no more than a third of the diameter of the vine. In such vines, enough nutrients have been accumulated for a successful wintering.

The resistance of grapes to frost largely depends on whether the wood has matured. The mature vine has Brown color, stays warm during frosts and makes a characteristic crack when folded without breaking. Scourges with unripened greenish wood should be removed during autumn pruning, since they not only do not overwinter, but also create a risk of defeat covered grapes fungi and mold.

Pictured grapes

How to achieve full ripening of grape wood:

• choose varieties that have time to ripen well in your area;
• monitor the health of grape bushes;
• thin out grapes and remove unnecessary branches;
• support optimal load on vines (the more clusters, the later the wood will ripen);
• feed the vineyard with potash fertilizers and ash - potassium is very important for the ripening of the vine;
• eliminate nitrogen fertilizers from mid-summer so that the plant's strength does not go to the formation of unnecessary green mass;
• spend autumn chasing, cutting off the shoots above the 15th sheet.

It is necessary to carry out the chasing of shoots during the period of slowing down the growth of grapes. You can determine this period by the tops: if they are straightened, then the growth processes have begun to decline, and the curved tops indicate active growth. Start chasing when the bushes have both curved and straight tops.

In the photo, chasing grapes

So, during the summer, you diligently looked after the vineyard, keeping the plants in a healthy state. With the onset of autumn, it's time to prepare the grape bushes for shelter for the winter. To do this, you have to prune the shoots, cut the roots and carry out moisture-charging watering.

Immediately after the grape harvest, do not rush to cut off the branches that bear fruit, give the plants the opportunity to replenish their nutrient reserves a little and get stronger. Too early pruning will significantly reduce the winter hardiness of the grapes, so experienced growers are advised to start pruning with the onset of the first frost (usually at the end of October).

The main purpose of autumn pruning is to free the plant from vines that have already produced fruit. Instead, a fruit arrow and a replacement knot are left on each sleeve. All diseased, damaged, old sleeves and unripe vines are also removed. Learn more about the rules and important subtleties you can read on our website.

Photo of pruning grapes

The next step is to cut or destroy the dewy roots of grapes that grow near the surface of the earth, on the underground part of the grape trunk. Catharsis is necessary in order for the deep roots to become stronger and well rooted. The procedure is simple:

• around the trunk, dig a groove up to 20 cm deep;
• cut all the roots flush with the main root;
• treat the sections with copper sulphate;
• fill the groove with dry sand;
• spud the grape bush and water, as pruning the surface roots causes the plant to have a strong need for moisture.

Of particular importance for the successful wintering of grapes are moisture-charging irrigation. They are held in October or November, just before covering the bushes. However, the need for moisture-charging irrigation disappears if October turned out to be rainy.

In the photo one of the ways to shelter grapes

Immediately after pruning and rolling, without waiting for frost, you should start tying and bending down the vines. Calendar dates can vary greatly, because weather conditions change every year. The main thing is that the grapes survive the first frosts open, then the vines will harden and be more resistant to cold.

Remove the grape shoots trimmed and processed with copper sulfate from the trellis and lay on the ground, carefully pinned with staples. Under the vines, it is desirable to lay dry plant material (spruce branches, leaves, trimmings of branches). Place wooden boards on top of the vines to leave some free space around the stems. You can cover the shields with a tarpaulin, polyethylene, roofing felt or other waterproof material. And on top, additionally throw rags, or pour a small layer of earth.

Video about preparing grapes for winter

In autumn, gardeners and summer residents who grow grapes on their plots have to work hard.

After all, the quality and quantity of the future harvest depends on the complex of work carried out to prepare the grapes for wintering.

If you make a mistake with the timing of the procedures performed, then you can ruin the vine - it will either freeze or undergo dampening.

So, what is the care of grapes in the fall to prepare them for winter?

Watering and fertilizing

After harvest until October, the grapes may not be watered, except in dry weather. In October, watering is resumed - the grape bushes should be saturated with water.

A shallow groove is dug around the plant, into which watering is carried out. With this method, water flows directly to the roots of the vine and does not spread around. After watering, the earth is loosened.

In September, for the maturation of the vine, they are fertilized with phosphorus and potassium, as well as microelements, watering the plants under the root. To do this, you can use superphosphate (70-100g) and potassium magnesia (50-70g) per bucket of water for each bush. For young plantings, the rate of fertilizer is reduced by half. Feeding is repeated after 2-3 weeks.

You can also carry out foliar top dressing by spraying the leaves. Only in this case, the doses of fertilizers should be 10 times less than with root top dressing. Spraying is repeated after 7-14 days.

Pest and disease treatment

From the beginning of September until shelter, vine bushes must be treated for pests and diseases so that the plants "leave" for the winter healthy. After the harvest is harvested, the vines are sprayed with such preparations as Mospilan, Decis, Rovral, Topsin-M, etc. Before shelter, the plants and the ground around them are sprayed with solutions of copper (3%) or iron (4%) vitriol.

Vine pruning (photo)

In autumn, the formation of a grape bush is carried out. Do this 2 weeks after the leaves fall from the plant, so that it has time to accumulate nutrients before winter. If you cut off the shoots immediately after harvesting, then the plant will “leave” weakened for the winter. Also, do not delay with pruning, otherwise the vine becomes brittle under the influence of frost, as a result of which breaks in the shoots are possible. When pruning, diseased, old shoots, as well as unripened green lashes are removed. They will not only die in the winter, but will also create an additional threat of mold development for the entire plant under cover. For insurance in case of freezing, one third of the branches are left that could be cut in the fall.

Basic pruning rules:

The old sleeve (main branch) with underdeveloped shoots is cut out entirely into a ring (without hemp) to a vine chosen closer to the head of the bush;

Branches with a diameter not thicker than 2-3 cm are shortened with secateurs, thicker ones with a garden hacksaw;

In any case, they try to make the wounds as small as possible in diameter (adjacent tissues die off near each - this disrupts the functions of both parts of the plant and its entirety);

Slice on annual escape do 1-2 cm above the kidney;

Selected vines are shortened depending on the variety. For insurance, it is better to leave a little more quantity buds than recommended in the characteristics of the variety (for example, instead of 6-8 buds, leave 10-12 buds). In the spring, excess shoots from such buds are simply removed.

When pruning, they try not to leave hemp (cut into a ring), as shoots from the corner eyes will begin to grow.

Cut shoots can be used for autumn cuttings.

Grape pruning scheme

How to help the vine ripen?

Mature vines with a thickness of 6-13 mm, in which the core occupies less than 1/3 of the entire thickness, successfully endure the winter. Such a vine can be identified by the following features:

She has a brown wood color;

When frost sets in, it is warm to the touch;

When bent, it makes a crack, but does not break.

Its aging depends on the load on the wood, nutrition, proper sanitization(a diseased vine will mature for a long time, and most likely will die).

For the ripening of branches, a grape bush needs potash fertilizers(30 g / 10 l of water). You can use ash infusion: 1 l wood ash insist 24 hours in 10 liters of water. Consumption - 1 bucket of infusion per bush.

Also, such a procedure as chasing will help the grape shoots to ripen - this is cutting the shoot over the 15th sheet. As a result of this procedure, the shoot stops growing, and the nutrients are directed to the maturation of the wood. This procedure should be carried out when the growth of shoots is inhibited. If you do this earlier, then the reverse process will begin - stepchildren will begin to grow. The period of minting is determined by the shape of the shoots: curved ones indicate growth, straight lines indicate a suspension of development.

Katharovka

After pruning, the next step in preparing the grapes for winter is katarovka, i.e. pruning of the so-called dew roots (they grow near the surface of the earth on the underground part of the stem of grapes).

Dewy roots of grapes (number 4 in the figure) must be subjected to katar /

This procedure strengthens the main calcaneal roots located at a depth. Carry out this procedure in the following sequence:

A groove is dug around the trunk to a depth of 20 cm;

All roots in this section of the trunk are cut flush with the main root;

The cut is treated with a fungicidal preparation, for example, copper sulfate;

The groove is covered with dry sand;

Water the bush, and then spud.

Ways to shelter grapes for the winter (photo)

In the northern regions, the grapes of most varieties must be covered for the winter. After pruning and rolling, they begin to bind and cover the vines. The timing of this work varies from year to year depending on weather conditions. At the onset of -3-5 ° C, it is time to cover the grape bushes. There are several ways to hide.

The easiest option is to dig in the ground. It is used mainly in the southern regions, as well as for sheltering young vines. In the northern regions, this method has not gained popularity due to the fact that the abundance of precipitation in winter causes the vines to get wet and it freezes in the ground.

Execute it like this:

A groove 15-20 cm deep is dug along a row of plants;

The vine is removed from the trellis, after having been sprayed with preparations for pests and diseases (Khom, Rovral, Rovikurt, etc.);

The vines are bandaged and laid in a groove, sprinkled on top with a layer of earth (20-30 cm);

Shelter places are marked with sticks or pegs to make it easy to find in the spring.

Shelter of grapes by digging in the ground

The second method of sheltering grapes is called dry. Grape vines are laid on a layer of mulch (straw, sawdust, hay), wrapped with moisture-proof materials (polyethylene film, nylon bags, roofing felt, tarpaulins, etc.) and fixed with staples or wooden gratings.

Dry method of sheltering grapes

Under the covering material, it is necessary to put poison against rodents, one brood of which can destroy buds or young vines on a bush during the winter.

The disadvantages of this method are that when a thaw occurs, humidity rises under the film. Because of her, on the vines develop molds. The same situation happens when sheltering with sawdust or leaves. best material spruce branches are used to insulate vines: it protects from frost, retains snow cover, and air circulates through it.