Growing northern grapes
Northern grapes do not differ in taste or other qualities from southern berries. Its cultivation in the north requires increased attention to the culture and its care.
Growing northern grapes
Where berries are grown in Russia
Viticulture is developed not only in the south, but also in the north of Russia.
In the Nilovaya Pustyn on the territory of the monastery, the area of the vineyard reaches 10 hectares, about 10 tons of the crop are harvested there. Northern grape varieties successfully take root in the Moscow region, Krasnodar Territory and even in Siberia.
Varieties for the northern regions can withstand temperatures down to -46 ° C.
Berry varieties for temperate climates
Previously, only the gooseberry called the northern grape was available for northern latitudes.
Today, thanks to selection, special plant species and hybrids have been bred for temperate regions:
- very early or early;
- frost resistant;
- having immunity to fungi and diseases;
- self-pollinated;
- non-covering or covering.
During the snowy winter, the culture can withstand temperatures from -25 ° C to -45 ° C. If there is no protection in the form of snow, the maximum is -12 ° C. Even frost-resistant species are recommended to be sheltered for the winter.
This description gives a suitable list of types of berries:
- Agat Donskoy;
- Beauty of the North;
- Welliant;
- Aleshenkin;
- Alpha.
Each variety is sweet, some contain a slight sourness.
Culture care
Bushes need to be protected from the weather
Planting, pruning, and harvesting are important points in berry care.
Planting of resistant varieties is carried out in open ground. Cuttings are prepared in advance and planted in loose soil rich in nitrogen, manganese, boron. General rules for planting and care:
- Choose an unwind area, remote from wet soils. The planting scheme for bushes is no more than 1 m from each other.
- Pruning and shaping of bushes is carried out 2 times a year: in spring and autumn. In the spring, this helps to prevent unnecessary stress on the bush with fruits, and in the fall, cutting the vine, it is prepared for wintering.
- Only healthy plants are allowed to winter. There are several ways to shelter the culture from the weather: earthen shelter, agrofibre, roofing material, coniferous branches. The bushes are opened in the first week of April, having prepared protective smoke heaps.
- Harvesting is carried out as the bunches ripen in dry weather. Then it is sorted out, stored or recycled.
Features of berry care in temperate climates
Due to high humidity and temperature changes, the culture requires attention when carrying out:
- treatment against fungi and pests.
- protecting the bush from weather conditions.
- harvesting.
High humidity threatens the appearance of mildew and powdery mildew. From them, leaves and roots are treated with self-prepared solutions or chemicals.
The bush is protected from temperature extremes in different ways. In the spring, after opening, the branches are sprayed with water. The ice crust protects the branches from freezing. At night, it is advised to cover the bushes with foil or agrofibre if there is a threat of frost.
Harvesting for temperate regions should not be slow. Due to moisture, the bunches deteriorate right on the branches. For such regions, berries are chosen with the highest sugar content in fruits during ripeness.
Northern grapes of any variety are sweet. Do not worry that due to the temperatures it will give sour fruits. In unfavorable conditions, the number of bunches decreases, but not their quality. Even in the north, up to 25 kg of berries are harvested from one bush.
Conclusion
Sweet northern grapes are quite real to get. For the productivity of the culture, an early, frost and disease resistant species is chosen. Correctly care for the bush, process it, prune it and cover it for the winter.
The southern culture is grown in the Moscow region, in the Nilovaya desert: there is a vineyard there. Culture is available even in Siberia and the Urals.
Northern sweet grapes are suitable for all types of processing.