What and how to feed the grapes in the spring to get a good harvest?

Like all living things on earth, grapes require nutrients to grow and develop. With each harvest, it loses its stock of these properties and over time, the so-called soil depletion occurs. If you do not feed, the plant will not be able to recuperate, it will get sick year after year and will eventually cease to exist. It is especially important to properly prepare the plant in spring for a long period of vegetation.

Grapes are a berry, one of the first crops that people began to cultivate. Asia and the Middle East are considered the birthplace of grapes, where wild grape varieties still grow. This is a useful product and at the same time raw materials for the production of wine. There is a whole science of winemaking - enology, based on a scientific approach to the cultivation of this type of plant. With the help of breeding and genetics, I. N. I. Vavilov and I. V. Michurin made a great contribution to the domestic and world branches of viticulture.

Wine and vinegar were among the main products of the trade. The first mention of the wine industry refers to the sixth millennium BC. To date, the grape has more than seventy species, which are divided into groups and subgroups according to the growing area of ​​the eastern, Black Sea and West European grape species.

Grape culture has more than twenty thousand different varieties, most of which are hybrids. Breeders do not stop work on the cultivation of new varieties that are resistant to natural factors and are able to give abundant crops at any time of the year. Great importance is attached to the cultivation of wine varieties with a short growing season. So-called seedless grape varieties are becoming increasingly popular with gardeners. They do not contain pits in the berry, due to which the demand in the market for this product is always consistently high.

For a successful harvest, a vine must be prepared. Begin with pruning, which contributes to the proper formation and improvement of the crown of the bush. The procedure should begin in spring, before flowering and continue during the summer and autumn, adhering to the basic rules of debris, coinage, banding, and staining and thinning the crown. Here there are many ways and nuances, which can be described for a very long time.

It is surprising how many all sorts of tools and devices were invented by man for the sake of a long-term crop. The phase of fruiting is preceded by the most beautiful phase - flowering, when the flower crumbles onto stamens with pollen and fertilization takes place. Then ovules form and berries grow, peas and clusters form, and ripening occurs.

Agrotechnical measures, such as nutrition, which are a prerequisite for high yield of grapes, have a great influence on the formation and flowering of embryonic buds. Therefore, it is important to fertilize plants in a timely manner.

Fertilizers provide fertilizing and processing of plants in order to supply them with the necessary set of substances, macro- and microelements. Fertilizers are divided into simple minerals, such as nitrate, superphosphate and potassium salt, as well as multicomponent mixtures, for example, Florovit, Novofert, Kemira and Mortar. Their next gradation is organic compounds: manure, dung, compost and urea, as well as wood ash and peat.

In the first months of life, the plant gains strength and does not form fruits.Formed fruit-bearing grape bush annually pulls nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium out of the ground. Therefore, the plant is in dire need of mineral compositions with these elements, which are applied about once every three years, and on black-earth soils - once every five years. Fertilize the soil in autumn, in September, after the harvest. Nitrogen-containing fertilizers supply the plant twice: first during the growing season in the spring, and then - after harvest. Then the plants are treated with a solution of urea. Organic fertilizers (humus) in significant quantities are applied to the radical hole on the one hand. Stir, tamp and plenty of water.

This layer should be enough for at least five years. Next, dig a hole on the other side of the bush and create a soil bag with trace elements for the next five years. Thus, a layer of soil is formed that is able to provide the plant with root development and nutrition.

Before flowering, the vineyard needs additional feeding. The winter months de-energized the plant, and it still has a long period to come during which it will be collected and concentrated in its body. Grapes grow only on the soil, filled with trace elements. Therefore, it is necessary to fertilize the soil constantly, even in the case of its fertility.

Fertilizer in early spring and the further introduction of top dressing improves the nourishment of the bush and its growth. This is especially important when planting grapes on a permanent place. The formation of young shoots of the vine and the entry of the bush into the productive phase of fruiting depend on the set of soil substances that saturate the roots of the plant.

Long-term studies have established that in the initial period of life, grapes must be stably supplied with a mixed composition of ammonium sulphate, manure and superphosphate. This contributes not only to its growth, but also to the formation of embryonic ocelli - fruit buds, due to which the grapes begin to bear fruit in the second year of life.

You need to make them in the liquid state, for which in 10 liters of water dilute 30 grams of ammonium nitrate. It is better to carry out the operation through a pipe or a well half a meter deep, which must be constructed near the bush in advance. Then this structure can be removed and further fertilizing is carried out through the root trenches.

It is necessary to carry out top dressing only from the second year of life, when the properties of the grapes are formed and it grows.

To get a good harvest you need to study all the properties of the substances and chemical compounds needed by the plant during different periods of vegetation.

Nitrogen is a chemical element that regulates the growth of foliage and plant shoots. It is advisable to make it in early spring during the recovery period of the plant, since then nitrogen will postpone the periods of fruiting and the formation of wood cover required by the plant in winter. The lack of this element leads to a slower rate of growth of the shoots of grapes, followed by the death of the leaf crown. The vine grows bald first and then dries.

If in the spring nitrogen is necessary, then in the summer months nitrogen fertilization is unacceptable, as it will contribute to the enhanced growth of shoots, and fruit brushes will not be able to develop fully, lose their properties, becoming tasteless. Nitrogen contributes to the kronirovanie and growth of woody and green parts of grapes, but does not contribute to an increase in its yield. It is extremely important to know novice growers.

A substance that increases the ripening of grapes - potassium. Thanks to him, the concentration of sucrose occurs, and the berries acquire their sweet taste. It is also used at the stage of vegetation to improve the plant's immunity to various diseases, gives the plant resistance to the absence of moisture. Potassium fertilizers are laid in the soil in the fall. Potassium deficiency is diagnosed by the presence of white spots on the leaves of the plant. And over time, they whiten completely and fall off.

Copper gives the plant the quality of frost resistance, strengthens the immune system and the development of the plant. Due to the presence of boron, the plant significantly increases the content of the ovaries, prevents their fall. Stems and roots also need this element, which also contributes to an increase in the percentage of sugar in fruits, as well as resistance to disease.

The element zinc is involved in the formation of qualitative and quantitative indicators of the fruit. Magnesium promotes the absorption of phosphate by the plant, takes part in the process of photosynthesis, the formation of proteins and organic acids, and also contributes to the good taste characteristics of grapes.

Additional elements - calcium, sulfur, magnesium and iron are contained in the earth and are additionally added only when necessary. Mineral feed produced in solutions and mixtures are simple and consisting of complex compounds. Simple consist of 1-2 elements; complex - from several.

Before flowering, it is recommended to use for fertilizer a single-component composition containing vitamin K, among which is potassium salt, superphosphate, ammonium nitrate and potassium chloride.

Mineral compositions are good, but they do not prepare the soil for growing grapes properly, so the plant may additionally need organic fertilizers. These include humus, chicken droppings and manure. They help to maintain a high concentration and microcirculation of nutrients in the soil, filling it with nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements, creating a soil structure.

The dates when fertilizers should be applied are determined taking into account the needs of the plant individually for each variety in this particular case. It is accepted to apply fertilizers:

• fall or early spring;
• when preparing the soil for planting (for several years);
• together with planting seedlings (pre-plant fertilizer).

In addition, during the entire growing season the plant is additionally fed.

It is best to fertilize the soil with organic matter in the fall, so that during the winter it will have time to form into a ready rotten mixture that is easy to absorb by the vine. Spring application of organic fertilizers is often ineffective, as the substances do not have time to go through the phase of release of trace elements. With a lack of moisture and heat, toxic ammonia compounds begin to be released from them, which is completely undesirable for a plant. It is worth making humus in poor soil. This is best done in early spring before the opening of the bush.

Top dressing of grapes should be carried out during flowering, in May. It takes place about a week before the start of flowering by applying nitrogen-potassium fertilizers to the soil with the addition of boron. Such compositions can be made by adding an element of boron to any basis, or you can buy ready-made fertilizers.It is boron that promotes the formation of pollen and the fertilization of flowers. Saltpetre is better to make in the spring during the growing season of the plant, as it is a fast-acting tool. Long-acting fertilizers need to be applied by the end of winter.

In determining the timing take into account the phases of the growing season of grapes. So, at the very beginning, when new elements of the bush are just being formed, the plant needs nitrogen. During the flowering period - phosphorus, and in the fruiting phase the plant needs potassium.

Fertilizers begin to enter when the plant has reached the second year of life. Need to adhere to the basic rules:

• top dressing should be carried out on well-irrigated soils;
• their rate should be ⅓ of the principal;
• the inclusion of certain substances in the composition of the fertilizer should be applied as needed.

And such a need exists constantly, as there are many factors that have a direct and indirect impact on the growth and fruiting of the plant. So, for example, summer can be rainy, and spring be given arid and vice versa. There are also geographical climatic features of the growing zones of grapes, its varieties and varieties, soil features: sandy, clay and others.

There are varieties of dressings for increasing the yield, growth and development of grapes, which everyone needs to know. These are root and foliar, pipe and nesting fertilizers, as well as fertilizer application through perforated wells. Feeding under the root should be carried out in the root area to improve the supply of trace elements to the roots, which, in turn, will contribute to better nutrition of the stems, fruits and leaves of the vine.

In the first years of life, a grape sapling has not yet been formed, its root system, too. He can hardly pull the necessary elements from the soil. To facilitate the entry of nutrients to the roots and the necessary substances during planting, they construct a special tube - a well, to which portions of the necessary fertilizers are added.

With age, the young plant such a need is eliminated. The plant goes to the root feeding method. Foliar top dressing of grapes is carried out through the irrigation of the green parts - leaves and stems of the plant with special nutrients. Nesting dressing is carried out by digging near the bush a recess of 25 centimeters, where water solutions of fertilizers are poured. After the solution is absorbed, the hole is instilled.

There is another way to fertilize. With the help of scrap or another iron core in the soil near the grape bush make several holes half a meter. In these holes make water solutions of fertilizers, as if sprinkling the soil, stuffing it with useful substances. This type of fertilizer is widely used in France - a country famous for its selected wines and the best vineyards.

After fertilization, the roots of the plants are pulled to the place of accumulation of the necessary substances, they are woven and absorbed by them, they branch and grow. Thus, the root system develops. It is adapted to absorb water and soil solutions. The pressure of 1.5 Atmospheres causes the fluid to rise over the roots to the above-ground part of the plant, providing the necessary nutrients.

Root fertilizers are carried out in several stages. The first portion of the necessary substances and trace elements is made before removing the protective screen. If fertilization was carried out in the fall, then the very first feeding can be avoided.First, prepare a trench, digging around a bush of grapes within a radius of 80 centimeters and in depth - half a meter. Then the necessary nitrogen-containing compounds are laid in the root area of ​​the bush, then the trench is instilled and watered.

The following feeding is carried out a few weeks before flowering. A mixture of nitrogen, superphosphate and potassium is added to the hole in special proportions, after which the groove is covered with a layer of soil. You can also fertilize with water-soluble compounds such as nitrophoska, “Masters” and “Mortar”. Prepare the solution according to the scheme: 50 grams per 10 liters of water and poured into the hole. After drying, loosen the top layer of soil.

We should not forget about organic matter, which is necessary for the development of inflorescences and reduce their loss. Manure or litter is bred in proportion: 1 kilogram of manure or 40 grams of bird droppings per square meter of land. Organic fertilizers are used in the same way as mineral fertilizers. The following dressing should be done at the end of spring, about a few days before flowering. Prepare a mixture of the mineral composition of nitrogen, superphosphate and potassium in the proportions of one to one.

The third dressing is needed immediately after the flowering of the grapes, a week before the fruit ovary. During this period, you need to supply the grapes with nitrogen to get a good harvest, for which 20 grams of saltpeter and 10 grams of potassium are taken for 10 liters of water.

The next feeding is carried out before harvest, about a week. It has a positive effect on the taste of fruits, while increasing their weight. At this time, the plant should not be given nitrogen-containing fertilizers. The need for potash and phosphorus compounds increases: 20 grams of superphosphate and the same amount of potassium is diluted in 10 liters of water. When the harvest is removed, in addition the plant is fed with potash fertilizers to replenish the spent forces.

Another additional feeding is done in the autumn months. She prepares the plant for hibernation, creating a supply of necessary substances. To do this, it is best to use rotted organic matter, which will create humus. At the same time, grapes need potassium and phosphorus, and they also need sulfur, boron, manganese and zinc. In some cases, iodine is added.

For chernozem regions, the prewinter feeding can be omitted For other regions with depleted soil, the mineral composition is prepared from superphosphate and potassium salts 10 grams each, with the addition of boric acid and iodine one gram each, and zinc and manganese sulfate two grams each.

Foliar application gives the maximum effect, coupled with root fertilization. Plants are processed in the evening or in the morning in quiet, calm weather to ensure good absorption of nutrients by the leaves. Then the solution does not evaporate, evenly distributed over the surface of the crown of the bush. Spray need the bottom of the sheet. This is where the susceptible pores of the plant are located. Sometimes it is better to replace the mechanical spraying in a simple way, irrigating the leaves of the grapes manually.

Foliar fertilizing is carried out in several stages. To process one plant, take a bucket of water, which is diluted with five grams of boric acid.Then the green parts of the plant are irrigated with this compound several days before flowering. It is important not to overdo it, since an excess of boron can damage the plant. The next step is to prepare compounds with phosphorus. And to stimulate pollination after the plant enters the flowering phase, it is sprayed with potassium humate or humisol.

In the flowering phase, grapes are sprayed with superphosphate, which is pre-infused. Then the top layer of the infusion is drained, and sulfuric compounds of manganese and iron are added to the sediment, one gram of boric acid and zinc.

From folk remedies, an infusion of hay is used as a top dressing, for which grass is placed in a container, left to ferment for two weeks, and then diluted per liter per water. This composition is treated with grape leaves.

As an additional nutrient, a watering solution can be made from wood ash. Prepare it like this: 500 grams of ash is diluted in a bucket of water. Ash in the form of powder is used to irrigate the surface of vines during the period when the inflorescences appear.

In the flowering phase also need a good foliar dressing. It is held a week after this phase. To supply the plant with boron it is recommended to irrigate the grapes with compounds like “Vuksal Kombib”. It contributes to the fertilization of flowers and prevents their fall.

For irrigation, experts advise the use of complex drugs such as "Akvarin", "Plantafol", "Novofert", "Valagro" and others. After the formation of ovules and ovary, it is recommended to treat the plant with a solution of various kinds of pests and diseases, a special fungicide. Approximately two weeks before the full ripening of the berries, it is necessary to spray the potash-phosphate fertilizers. This will help the vine to prepare for the cold.

Properly foliar top dressing significantly increases the plant immunity, contributes to its proper formation and abundant fruiting.

In order to avoid excess of insoluble salts and harmful compounds, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the schedule for the introduction of foliar and root fertilizers, as well as the necessary combination of elements and mineral substances.

Among the folk means of fertilizing grape bush use bird droppings, manure, ash, peat and urea.

Manure is rich in potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. It creates the structure of the soil, filling it with the necessary micro-and macro-elements, is the basis for any mixtures. Dry mixes need time to assimilate, and slurry quickly fits into the roots. It is introduced as the main fertilizer in the fall or in the spring. A portion of manure is introduced into the prepared container, half-filled with water.

After a few days, the liquid is further diluted with water by half. To feed one plant of grapes, you need a bucket of manure.

Chicken droppings are used as organic compounds. One liter of litter is diluted in four liters of water. The solution must ferment, after which the finished fertilizer is filled up with water to 10 liters. This amount is enough to fertilize ten vines: one liter for each vine.

Litter contains a large amount of urea, so it is not used in concentrate, trying to dilute it with water, otherwise you can destroy the grape roots. To remove excess urea from the litter, it is soaked. Bird droppings are added to the water, then every two days the settled water is drained, adding a new batch. To fertilizer acquired the desired concentration, you need three such soaking. Watering the roots of plants with organic fertilizer from the litter is not recommended.

It is best to use compost as a fertilizer after rains. It must be remembered that plants treated with any organic fertilizer need watering.

Urea (carbamide) is also used to fertilize grapes. It is used in solutions, for example, with magnesium, potassium and superphosphate. Ammonium salts contribute to better absorption of phosphorus and potassium elements. The high nitrogen content makes urea an indispensable aid in the spring when the plant needs strength for the upcoming growing season. Urea is also recommended to increase the acid-base balance of the soil.

Ash is used to fertilize grapes in the form of a solution. It is a source of potassium, lime, manganese, boron and phosphorus, does not contain chlorine. Ash creates the organic structure of the soil, changes its acidity, and also promotes the development of microorganisms in it. And wood ash differs from the ash from the husks of sunflower and Jerusalem artichoke in its chemical composition. One of the valuable is ash from burnt birch wood. It is advisable to inject ash into the soil along with humus or peat. But to use it with nitrogen-containing mineral compounds is not recommended, as there will be a loss of nitrogen. Ash is also used as a preventive measure against insects and pests. For these purposes, the leaf surface of a grape bush is pollinated with ash powder.

Peat is used as an organic fertilizer. This is a highly nourishing composition of organic remains. It is formed in swampy areas by rotting off organic matter. It takes a long time to form it, so it is best to buy peat formulations in finished form. Use peat in dry form, diluted with water and as a peat slurry.

Peat masses are divided into upper, lowland and intermediate. Each of them corresponds to a certain qualitative composition. For example, the upper layer of peat is not used for introduction into the soil with high acidity. Peat contains few nutrients, but is rich in nitrogen. It well mulch the soil, contributes to its formation and restoration.

Viticulture is not an easy science, which is unlikely to be mastered quickly and without problems. It happens to make various mistakes. Therefore, in this case, experience comes only with time, and to grow a healthy grape vine is worth it.

Wrong actions of gardeners in the implementation of fertilizing grapes is that mineral compounds are not dig deep enough, and are scattered over the soil. Adding to a shallow depth deprives the plant of the possibility of obtaining the necessary nutrition in full. Simply put, fertilizer formulations do not reach the roots. Nitrogen is washed out, and phosphorus and potassium do not enter the soil to a sufficient depth.

This is especially noticeable with insufficient watering. It is necessary to fertilize the bushes of grapes to a sufficient depth, right in the heart of the root system, in order to allow the plant to use the full energy potential to the full.

From organics deeply dig in should be well-rotted manure. Fertilize need special grooves in the aisle. Mineral mixtures should be laid in one furrow, and organic - in both. Mineral fertilizers are used on top of organic, and not vice versa.

If you constantly put fertilizing on the surface, while providing regular watering in small portions, then the surface root system will develop, which will lead to atrophy of deep roots.

To speed up the appearance of fruit brushes, some gardeners add to the soil an intentional amount of various fertilizers. This should not be done, since the elements enter into chemical reactions and can simply burn the plant. It is necessary to adhere to the rules of fertilizer application, and also not to exceed their quantitative composition, which is calculated individually for each plant. A plant saturated with fertilizer loses its immunity, it becomes sick and may eventually die.

It is necessary to feed the grapes, if during planting a capsule of necessary substances was not laid. With proper planting, the plant does not need to be fed for two years from the time it was planted.

For successful fruiting, adult grape plants should be fertilized abundantly in spring in order to supply the vine with all the necessary elements and minerals. This should be done strictly according to the rules, listening to the advice of experienced gardeners.

For example, experts believe that in the spring fertilizers should be applied in liquid form, having been watered abundantly beforehand. Such aqueous formulations are easily and safely absorbed by the roots. In the fall, you can use dry mixes. After laying the fertilizer, the trench or groove must be carefully tamped and additionally poured with water.

To use ash-based fertilizers, you must follow the necessary rules so that the plant does not receive root burns. So, before making the ash solution, the plant should be watered abundantly.

You can learn viticulture on your own experience of trial and error. And it is possible, knowing all the subtleties and nuances of growing grape crops, to avoid major mistakes and become a real ace in their field.

Following simple tips for the care and cultivation of grapes, you can avoid many unpleasant surprises, as well as get a good harvest.

Fertilizers are made strictly according to the specified norms. It is not necessary to carry out dressing grapes unnecessarily. Excessive diligence can adversely affect the life of the plant and leave you without a crop.

In early spring fertilizing should be made only in the form of solutions. At other times, the plant can be fertilized with dry mixtures.

During the year it is better to adhere to the exact schedule for making supplements. This will inform the plant of cyclicality, discipline and ensure a good harvest on time.

In the implementation of foliar feeding in the finished solution with substances add about half a cup of granulated sugar. So the necessary elements will stick to the surface of the sheet and effectively absorbed. Then it is enough to irrigate the bush every day with water for the best absorption of the settled particles of the solution.

When preparing compounds for fertilizing grapes, rubber gloves and a respirator should be used so that particles of concentrated mixtures do not get on the skin or in the respiratory tract.

Boron in large quantities is harmful to grapes. Care should be taken when applying this element as a fertilizer and not to exceed the specified dose.

To feed the grapes in the spring, you need to know a lot about the plant, its properties, phases and life cycles. From all this it follows that the spring dressing is needed by the plant for vegetation and fruiting. It improves nutrition, prevents the loss of flowers, preserves the varietal qualities of grapes.

It should be remembered that the first feeding should be done in the case when the plant is not fertilized in the fall.Otherwise, the bush may receive an excess of nutrients, which will adversely affect its livelihoods. It is necessary to strictly follow the specified dosages according to the recommended norms and standards of cultivation of this culture. Then every year will be fruitful for you!

See how and how to feed the grapes in the spring for a good harvest, see the following video.