Blagovest grapes
Among the grape varieties bred by breeders, the Blagovest grape has gained the greatest popularity. This is a classic example of dining culture, with a host of impressive characteristics that are interesting to every winegrower.
Blagovest grapes
Variety characteristic
The Blagovest grape variety in Russia was bred by an amateur breeder Krainov by crossing the Talisman and Kishmish Radiant varieties. This is how a classic mid-early table look was obtained with the best qualities of the parents.
The culture is rarely damaged by garden diseases. Blagovest is highly resistant to frost. The bushes tolerate temperatures up to -22 ° C. The hybrid is often grown both in the south and in cooler climates - in the regions of the middle lane, as well as in the North. But you should not expect large indicators of productivity from the crop. With good care from one bush, it will be possible to collect up to 8 kg of berries.
Fruits ripen in 125-130 days from the beginning of the growing season. In temperate climates, the harvest takes place in early or mid-August.
Description of bushes
Like other hybrids of early and mid-early ripening, such a plant is rooted, vigorous. The flowers of the plant are bisexual.
According to the description of the Blagovest grape variety, the bush has a high fruitfulness of the buds, which is why it often suffers from overload. Therefore, novice winegrowers should not experiment with the cultivation of the Blagovest variety.
Description of fruits
- the shape of the brush is conical, conical-cylindrical;
- the berries are oval;
- the color of the berries is yellow, green-yellow;
- maximum hand weight - 3 kg, average weight - from 1.2 to 1.3 kg;
- the pulp is juicy, fleshy;
- the skin is thin, but does not lend itself to cracking;
- the taste is sweet, some berries have a slight sourness.
The popularity of Blagovest grapes is associated with the taste characteristics of its berries.
The variety is distinguished by an imbalance in the ripening of the brushes, due to which one berry can have a taste and aroma of nutmeg, while the other can have a classic sweet table grape.
Growing varieties
Caring for such a hybrid is not for beginners. It has its own characteristics and requires a person to have good knowledge of the agricultural technology of grape crops.
The most difficult care of the culture in the first 2 years of his life. This period is necessary for the plant to gain enough strength for fruiting in 3 years after planting. According to the description, the variety requires the removal of inflorescences, as well as the correct formation of the bush.
Planting a plant
For planting, lignified cuttings with a developed root system are used. The planting itself is carried out both in the spring (before the beginning of the growing season) and in the fall. The plant is unpretentious to temperature extremes. The main thing is that there is no frost at the time of planting.
After planting, water the plant with warm water
Before planting, it is important to prepare the planting material. The cuttings are shortened by 3-4 eyes, the root processes are cut. If there are 2 or more shoots, only one, the tallest, is left.Before planting, the cutting is placed in a mixture of mullein and clay. Planting a plant is done like this:
- A pit is being prepared. They pull it out 80 cm deep and 80 cm wide.
- 2/3 of the removed soil is mixed with fertilizer. Introduce 2 buckets of rotted manure, wood ash 300 g, superphosphate 150-200 g.
- The prepared soil mixture is placed on the bottom of a dug hole.
- The stalk is installed by gently spreading the root processes.
- Sprinkle the plant with earth.
After planting, the seedling is watered with warm, settled water. And the trunk circle is mulched with mown grass or straw.
Planted crop care
The first thing that will be important to take care of in the first year of the plant's life is the construction of a reliable support. Blagovest grapes are very vigorous, therefore they need to be tied up by the age of two. Other agrotechnical requirements:
- Watering is carried out 5-6 times per season. 5-7 buckets are brought under each bush.
- Loosening of the soil is carried out after each irrigation performed.
- Fertilizers are applied from 2 years of culture life, no more than 3 times per season. The culture loves mineral compounds.
- Pruning is done in the fall. Leave no more than 25 young shoots, cut into 8-9 buds.
The cuttings remaining after pruning are amenable to vegetative propagation. Cuttings are grafted to other vigorous phylloxera-resistant varieties.
Diseases and pests
According to the description, this hybrid has no tendency to contract garden diseases. Among all diseases, only gray rot, mildew and powdery mildew are dangerous. But if preventive treatments of the planted bushes with Bordeaux liquid are carried out (3-4 times per season), the likelihood of signs of the disease is minimized.
If signs of damage to the plant by one of the diseases appeared, this was due to an error in the care of the planted crop. Mildew and Oidium are those diseases that are actively developing in thickened vineyards. Therefore, the deciduous mass and unnecessary vines will have to be thinned out. And to restore the immunity of the plant, spraying with 1 or 2% solution of Bordeaux liquid is used.
Pests rarely attack the fruits and deciduous mass of the plant. The greatest danger is presented only by wasps, which often wind around ripe bunches of the planted culture. It is difficult to deal with them. The best methods of counteraction are timely harvesting (which is often impossible due to imbalance in the ripening of fruits on the bush) or the use of special nets in which clusters hanging on the shoots are placed.
Conclusion
Blagovest grapes are a versatile hybrid that can decorate vineyards both in the southern regions and in the middle climatic zone and even in the north. The main thing is to choose a healthy seedling, plant according to the instructions and comply with all agrotechnical requirements. If everything is done correctly, the culture will thank its owner with delicious and sweet amber grapes already 3 years after planting.