How to fertilize grapes in autumn
The grape culture is demanding on the composition of the soil. Autumn feeding of grapes helps the bushes to survive the winter and enter the growing season in time. The plant needs a balanced composition of minerals and organics in the soil. It is imperative to carry out root feeding, sometimes foliar feeding, which is auxiliary.
Fertilizing grapes in autumn
Why do you need top dressing in the fall
In one season, 5 dressings are made under the grape bushes. The last one is autumn. It is not always necessary. Fertile chernozem soils are depleted slowly - autumn cultivation is carried out every 3 years. Light sandy loam and sandy soils need annual preparation for winter.
Fertilization of grapes in the fall is necessary for its normal wintering. If there are enough minerals and organics in the soil, the plant will tolerate frosts well, it will be able to bloom and set fruits in spring. Root feeding involves the introduction of nutrients into the soil, foliar - spraying plants. The last foliar dressing is applied 2-3 days before harvest.
Preparation for winter includes 2 stages: feeding and mulching. Mulching protects the root system from cold weather, the soil from washing away.
Typical mistakes gardeners
Novice growers often make mistakes when applying fall fertilizer for grapes. The most typical:
- feed young seedlings, not adult plants;
- make only complex preparations;
- bring in an increased amount of nutrients.
Grape bushes 1-2 years old do not need additional feeding in the fall: the vines do not bear fruit or give them in a minimal amount. Plants have enough soil minerals, they do not have time to deplete it. Active mature bushes quickly take nutrients from the soil.
Complex preparations contain a standard set of minerals: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. The grape culture needs these elements, but besides them magnesium, zinc, boron, sulfur, calcium are required, which are absent in conventional complexes.
An excess of fertilizing and its random introduction into the soil leads to root burns, a decrease in plant immunity. Fertilizing the grape crop is recommended according to a strict scheme.
How the culture is fed
Various minerals have an impact on the vital functions of grape bushes. Nitrogen stimulates the growth of green parts of the plant. Phosphorus provides a healthy and abundant flowering and fruit setting. Without magnesium, photosynthesis and protein formation do not occur. Zinc increases the abundance of fruiting, and boron accelerates the ripening of fruits, affects their weight and taste. Potassium increases resistance to frost and temperature extremes.
Grapes require less nitrogen than other horticultural crops. Other elements are much more important for the plant.
Root and foliar feeding is carried out with minerals throughout the year. Organic matter is applied less often when there is a need to improve the structure and fertility of the soil.
Mineral dressing
Before wintering, grape bushes must be treated with phosphoric and potash dressings. You can use a complex preparation, which also includes magnesium, zinc and sulfur. The top dressing should not contain chloride ions: the plant does not tolerate chlorine ions.
Autumn feeding of grapes in winter is carried out with chemicals in the following proportions:
- 10 g of potassium salt;
- 20 g of superphosphate granules;
- 2 g zinc sulfate;
- 2 g of manganese sulfate;
- 1 g of boric acid;
- 1 g of potassium iodide.
This composition fully provides the plant with nutrition. A large amount of potassium prepares the vines for the cold weather. Superphosphate treatment guarantees a rich harvest.
Organic feed
Organic fertilizers should be used with caution
Organic matter affects the composition of the soil, increases overall fertility. When feeding a grape crop with organic matter, it is recommended to strictly follow the rules so as not to harm the bushes.
How to feed grapes in autumn:
- for 1 sq. m. of soil is applied 2 kg of manure in dry or liquid form;
- for 1 sq. m. soil 1 kg of poultry droppings is dissolved in 1 liter.
Only rotted manure and droppings are used. Fresh biomaterials harm the plant in the autumn. The droppings are applied only in dissolved form to avoid root burns.
Ash feeding
Wood ash is rich in phosphorus, calcium, magnesium in a form readily available to plants. The substrate is alkaline and is used to stabilize the pH of acidic soils. Also, there is no chlorine in the ash, which the grape culture does not like.
Ash improves the composition of the soil, creates a healthy microflora. The effect of feeding lasts 3-4 years. Ash is introduced in the form of an aqueous solution - 30 g per 10 liters of water under one bush. The plant is fed in wet weather after watering.
Ash must not be combined with manure, droppings, ammonium sulfate. It is not recommended to prepare mixtures of ash with superphosphate, phosphorus from such a mixture is poorly absorbed by the plant.
Ash is stored in dry, well-ventilated rooms. The product quickly absorbs moisture and becomes unsuitable for gardening work.
Feeding scheme
A common mistake made by winegrowers is to combine top dressing with watering (fertilize the soil and immediately water it), as well as laying mineral fertilizers in the surface layers of the soil.
If fertilizers are laid high, the bushes will develop only the upper roots, which are most vulnerable to cold weather, and the strong inner roots will be deprived of nutrition. The same happens if you combine fertilization with irrigation.
For effective feeding around the bushes, trenches with a diameter of 35-75 cm and a depth of 20-35 cm are dug for a three-year vine, 35-50 cm for older bushes. Mineral fertilizers are laid in the trenches, buried and tamped.
It is recommended to fertilize the soil with organic matter in early autumn. The earth is dug up and mixed with manure or liquid chicken droppings are introduced. Chemical fertilizers or ash are applied 2-3 weeks after organic matter.
Mulching
The soil in the vineyard is covered with mulch until the first frost. Mulch protects the soil from being washed out by rain and melted snow, creates a protective layer for the upper roots. Also, the components of the composition enrich the upper layers of the soil with additional nutrients.
The most affordable is organic mulch: sawdust, hay, pine needles, last year's compost. Mulching is carried out in a small layer around the bushes. The material is carefully leveled and tamped.
Conclusion
Top dressing of grapes in the fall is an important preparation stage before the cold winter. On fertile soils, it is carried out every 3 years. It is recommended to fertilize plants with one-component, complex mineral fertilizers or ash, as well as organic matter.
Top dressing is applied in stages. The principle "the more the better" does not work with the grape crop. Only a moderate amount of nutrition will ensure a healthy wintering of plants, a good harvest for the next season.