Growing grapes Sofia
The Sofia grape is characterized by a large number of advantages. They note the pleasant taste of the fruit, the beauty of the berries and the power of the liquid bunches. The only drawback is the exactingness of care.
Growing grapes Sofia
Main characteristics
The Sofia grape is considered a dining culture. It is characterized by early ripening (approximately 110 days after flowering). Harvesting is in August.
Flowering is predominantly female, therefore, for maximum pollination and fruiting, hermaphrodite varieties of grape crops are grown near this crop. The best option would be Arcadia.
Description of the bush
Bushes are tall, reaching 4-5 m. According to the description, the leaf blade is characterized by a minimal dissection of the base. There are small wavy areas along the edges of the leaf, which do not appear on all bushes.
Features of the fetus
The grapes of the Sofia variety are characterized by large sizes. Their weight is 15 g. Under the condition of maximum care, the weight of the berries reaches 20 g. The peel is light red and slightly transparent. The shape is ovoid.
Description of bunches of Sofia grape variety:
- large dimensions - 900-1300 g;
- cylindrical shape;
- density and resistance to fruit cracking;
- unusual sweet nutmeg taste with notes of acid;
- high yield rates: gardeners collect 16-20 kg of products from 1 bush.
The pulp is juicy, not watery. Inside each there are 3-5 small seeds that are easy to remove.
Growing
Sophia grapes are planted in spring, when there is no risk of winter frosts. By this time, the soil temperature should warm up to 13 ° C-15 ° C. Saplings are planted in well-lit areas, so they choose places where there are no fences or other buildings that shade the garden.
The yield of plants depends on the quality of care.
The best place for planting is the southern part of the garden. It has the warmest temperatures and the best lighting during the day. New seedlings are grafted in elevated areas so that nearby groundwater does not disrupt the development of the root system.
Suitable for planting seedlings of Sofia grapes must be up to 1 m high. The length of the roots must be 20 cm. Be sure to buy healthy planting material.
Fertile loamy soils are suitable for growing raisins Sofia raisins. If dense soil prevails on the site, a small amount of sand is added to it. Under the condition of a high concentration of acid in the ground, lime is scattered throughout the site (2 tbsp. L. For each bush).
Prepare the landing pit in advance. It should be 80 cm in diameter, and the depth should be 100 cm. A drainage system is installed at the bottom using ordinary gravel. After that, a small mound up to 30 cm high is made and sprinkled with organic fertilizers (1 kg of humus, peat or compost).
After 2 months, a seedling is placed in the prepared hole and sprinkled with the remaining earth.
The seedlings are watered with 25 liters of warm water.Because of the tall and powerful bush, it is imperative to tie the bush to a metal support. Planting holes should be located at a distance of 3 m from each other. The distance between the rows should be 2 m.
Care
The Sofia grape variety is whimsical to care for.
- It is provided with quality watering, which allows the plant to grow and will not lead to root rot. The interval between watering is 15-18 days. To grow this plant in the southern part of the country, the temporary distance between waterings should be 7-10 days.
- It is important to normalize the fertilization process. In the spring, the next year after planting, 2 tbsp is applied at the root. l. ammonium nitrate. It is important not to overdo it with nitrogen fertilizers: this will lead to rotting of the bush. In the summer, at the beginning of June, the plants are fed with a potassium nitrate solution (20 g per 5 L of water). To improve the yield, the bushes are fertilized with a superphosphate solution (70 g per 7 l of water). Pour 20 liters of water under each bush.
- Kishmish Sofia bears fruit well only when it is properly pruned. Pruning is carried out on 5 eyes. According to the description, cuttings are able to quickly adapt to climate change. It is important to have a good vaccination. For this, the best grapes are used, which are characterized by the same number of advantages as the Sofia grape variety.
Disease and pest control
The Sofia grape variety belongs to resistant crops. This grape variety is not susceptible to diseases such as powdery mildew, downy mildew or root rot.
The Sophia variety is attacked by fruit rot. Dark spots appear on the surface of the fruit, which then begin to rot and disrupt the structure of the berry. After a few weeks, the crop completely dies, the plant almost does not bear fruit the next year. Ridomil solution (30 g per 5 liters of water) helps to get rid of the disease. The bushes are sprayed regularly, at intervals of 10 days.
Frequent damage to grapes by wasps, birds, ticks and flea beetles is noted. Special sweet traps help to get rid of wasps, to which the parasites stick and die. Special covering materials (agrofibre or mosquito net) help to fight birds. Tincture of cayenne pepper (2 g per 5 liters of water) is considered an effective remedy for ticks. A copper-containing preparation Oxyhom (20 g per 5 liters of water) saves from fleas.
Conclusion
The Sophia variety belongs to high-yielding early crops. Not every gardener will be able to grow it: it has a special whimsy in care.