The process of growing grapes in Siberia

Grapes are considered such a heat-loving plant, which requires a large amount of sun and heat. For this reason, growing grapes in the north of the Siberian region, where lower temperatures are permanent, and the summer period is short, is considered very difficult. Despite this, due to the success in long-term breeding, grape varieties resistant to severe frosts were developed.

The frost-resistant grapevine in itself does not mean that it is not necessary to look after it in the winter. Ural spaces are not quite created for such a culture. In winter and spring, low temperatures did not have the most favorable effect on the buds of the blossoming buds, and the autumn cold affected the plants that grew over the summer.

To date, by breeding, it has been possible to develop grape varieties that can tolerate such low temperatures. In any case, the gardener needs to harden the grape bushes and organize shelter for the vine for the period of winter. As a result of breeding, such advantages as good resistance to pests and diseases appeared: specifically, they are not affected by phylloxera and downy mildew.

Since the main problem in the cultivation of grapevine in the Siberian territories is the spring and autumn temperature drops, as well as the frosty weather in winter, it is necessary to choose frost-resistant varieties. For this reason, you need to plant those species that were bred for a particular location. Here are some varieties of varieties that are able to withstand the lowest temperatures: Alpha, Amirkhan and others.

We can safely say, for example, that the variety Vostorg can tolerate temperatures down to -25 ° C, even if it is not covered.

According to the specific climatic conditions for planting vines in Siberian conditions, good preparation is necessary. In addition, it is necessary to choose a suitable variety, you must first select the location for the vine, and also the processing of this place is necessary before planting. Grapes are advised to plant where it will be available a lot of sunlight and provided protection from the weather. Each vine must have a certain amount of space, since the root systems of the vine tend to grow.

Cultivation of grapes in the Urals and in Siberia in greenhouse conditions can be called the only way to get a useful product with high taste properties, grown personally. When planting a large number of bushes, you should observe the distance between the seats, at least 2.5 m, rows should be no less than 2 m apart.

The grapes are advised to be planted in warm land during the spring months: mid-April - late May. This contributes to the rapid adaptation of the bushes. If possible, you should try not to plant grapes in the lowlands because of the likelihood of freezing.

Regardless of the type of soil, it is advised to plant in the southern and eastern directions. The soil moisture should not be very high. If there is a chance that groundwater may rise, you will need to think about a drainage system. Planting in the pits where the bushes will be planted should be preceded by the addition of nutrient fertilizers for plants. Grapes are recommended to be planted in light and fertile soil.

East Siberian soil types are formed with the influence of deep layers of permafrost.The West Siberian territory contains a great variety (it concerns mostly the south) of soil types. Tundra mainly consists of tundra-gley, taiga - from podzolic and sod-podzolic, much more rarely you can find frozen-taiga soil.

Forest-steppe and steppe regions contain chernozem along with meadow chernozem. For chernozem accumulations of organic matter are characteristic, they contain a large amount of humus, have a well-expressed lumpy and granular structure, are potentially fertile. West and East Siberian black soils can be deeply frozen, and they require a large amount of time for thawing.

When landing, it is preferable to choose the south side. The grapes in our climate are planted as seedlings and cuttings. Three methods are possible - in a pit, in a trench or in a box. To grow successfully, the correct preparation of seedlings is necessary.

The trench should be dug, going deeper by 30-55 cm, with the side wall inclined so that the bottom is 1 m wide and 1.3 m wide between the upper sides. The side (side wall) should be made of slate / asbestos cement , from sheet metal or oiled wooden boards. In addition, they will need additional gain. Using this method, we must bear in mind the design itself.

The pallet must be lifted above the ground to avoid rain or melted snow flowing over the skin. The advantage of this design is that when the temperature drops below minus 20 ° C and there is no snow cover, the grapes are better protected from cold damage. This "trench" technology is also distinguished by the fact that it is an excellent protection of the grape bush and from damage by mice.

Boxes are made by the type of trenches, but not going deep into the ground. The wall is embanked with clay. This is done in order to keep heat in the ground during the winter period. The advantage of boxes is that the vegetation period of plants begins earlier by one and a half to two weeks. So it turns out, because the soil inside the box warms up in a shorter period.

In the presence of a clay layer at the bottom of the pit, it is replaced with black soil, since its fertility is much higher. The depth of the pit is not less than 80 cm. A drainage mixture of gravel or large slag, a small amount of brushwood, 20-30 cm — a layer of soil nutrient mixtures is placed on the bottom. The mixtures are prepared from rotted residues and fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium (about a kilogram of such a phosphorus-potassium mixture), adding ash is recommended (about half a bucket per 1 sq. M).

The composition of the uppermost layer is made of special soil substrates. Such a substrate is composed of three parts of the earth, one part of sand, one part of humus soil, and a universal complex fertilizer (100 g per 1 sq. M).

For Siberian climatic conditions, grape seedlings need re-growing before they are transplanted to open beds. Thus, the seedlings have time to strengthen and form their developed root systems. Under the condition of purchase of seedlings in the autumn or summer period, rearing begins after January, in February. For this purpose, use either five - or ten-liter containers. They add a sufficient amount of nutrients to the plant to develop, and place such containers necessarily in such places that they have enough sunlight. Planting material is advised to purchase in a specialized nursery.

Most often, the grapes are planted in the open field.Although taking into account the climatic conditions that are relatively unfavorable for such a culture, in our regions grape saplings are advised to be planted in greenhouses. If planting occurs on protected soil, the chance that the plant adapts quickly is increased, on the other hand, greenhouses will require additional costs. It is necessary to make a preliminary decision on how and where the grapes will be planted, since there are significant differences between open and closed ground when planted.

Planting materials are planted vertically in open ground. If planting occurs in the pits, the seedlings are slightly buried, but when trenching, their deepening is not recommended, since the root can be supercooled. When the seedling is placed, it is necessary to smooth the root with care, then it is sprinkled with substrates and watered abundantly - on average, two buckets per bush.

Another feature of planting grape seedlings in Siberia is the hardening process. Bushes in the Siberian conditions are provided with minimal care to adapt to the harsh features of Siberia. This is a method of hardening a bush of grapes.

In greenhouses, such planting is beneficial where there is a high probability of frost in the spring, and the summer season is short. Planting in closed ground is different from planting in unprotected soil. For the greenhouse there are certain patterns.

The design for grape saplings is made not less than three meters high. If possible, choose durable, well-lit designs with good heating. Having a high-quality heating system, you will have to resort to adjusting the humidity in the greenhouse and systematically ventilate it. Although the adaptation of some grape varieties has a high degree, they will need to produce manual pollination on closed ground. There is a need for timely feeding and feeding of the vine. Even taking into account the fact that the construction of the greenhouse has a closeness, and this helps reduce the likelihood of diseases, it is necessary to process growing vines for prevention.

A couple of years the grapes grow freely, it develops roots and creates useful reserves for further growth. When it is time for fruiting, the bushes for the summer are left with no more than 12 eyes in the first 12 months - these are future clusters. For the next year period, the load increases (20-40 clusters). For the third year - up to 40-60 bunches. In the fourth year, it still increases to eighty bunches. An adult vine, depending on the development of a plant, can be loaded up to one hundred and fifty bunches. Referring to this data, it is easy to determine how many clusters and at what time it will be possible to “demand” from a grape bush. Small-fruited species advise loading more, large-fruited varieties less.

Pruning is usually done in the fall, although in Siberian conditions it is much shorter than in European countries. Pruning is done twice: when the harvest is already gathered, but the green leaves of the plants have not yet fallen. This is the middle of August - the last days of September. Remove loose, old, frozen, damaged parts of the plant.

Most of the grape varieties are unpretentious, but with the Siberian realities, they still require additional care. For the reason that the climate of Siberia does not correspond to the climate in which the vine is traditionally grown, it is necessary to try to provide maximum support to the plant during planting and in the process of its development. The grape needs additional nutrition, watering, pruning and the prevention of possible diseases.

Virtually every grape variety tends to grow, and many bring uncontrolled yields. For this reason, in order to avoid problems, timely pruning is necessary, and there is a need to form vines. In general, the care of grapevines in the Siberian expanses has cardinal differences from the same process, for example, in the territory of Moldova or Italy, which are much further south.

In order to constantly support the growth and development of grapes, the soil in the places of planting requires frequent fertilizer, and taking into account agrotechnics in Siberian conditions, a large amount of top dressing, which contains nitrogen, is excluded. When such fertilizer is abandoned, the vineyards are given a chance to ripen sooner, and its fruits get good taste. The dosage is chosen for each variety individually, it depends on many factors - the type of vineyard, the nature and chemical composition of the soil, and the like.

At the beginning, immediately after planting, it is recommended to water the seedlings 1 time in 7 days, heating the water with the addition of complex fertilizers. After a month, reduce the frequency of watering twice. When pollinating and pouring grapes, watering is not recommended at all, because the bush, on the one hand, needs moisture, but on the other, it does not tolerate excessive waterlogging. For this reason, you need to constantly monitor the degree of moisture of the earth's surface at the base of the vine. Excess moisture will almost certainly lead to the emergence of specific diseases of the vine.

Due to the harsh climate in the Siberian regions, most of the causative agents of diseases of the vine are almost absent, greatly simplifying the problem of treating diseases of the vine.

To grow grapes in Siberian conditions, it is necessary to prepare the plant for low temperatures, that is, to carry out work on hardening. Most of the southern varieties are grown in our conditions (both beginners and already experienced gardeners) with the use of insulating material, since the effect of sudden temperature differences on not strong seedlings is destructive. After some time, the vines will become more resistant to temperature changes and easier to survive the winter period.

But it is also necessary to attach great importance to the dressing of the vine and the treatment of seedlings with the help of special preparations. Usually, after pruning, the removed parts of the vine are laid out near the rows of vines. Cover only the already cut vineyard. Weather during trimming should be chosen so that it was windy and warm. Cover the bushes in such a way that there is no moisture under the shelter, as this can lead to infection and disease of the vine.

From above bushes cover with the help of a special material. And you can also use fabric, tape, lapnik, and pour it over with soil. It is very advised to sprinkle a lot of snow, this will also help protect the bushes from freezing, but if there is too much snow, it is better to fence the section with bushes.

When the spring period comes, the upper protection of the bushes is removed, and the removal of insulation material should occur, carrying the passage of oxygen to the seedlings.

It is impossible to allow young bushes to produce a large number of shoots. During the first 12 months it is enough if there are a couple of the most developed shoots, everything else must be cut to the extent that everyone has only two leaves. In the autumn period, when the first frosts appear, grapes should be removed from the stands and cut off all the parts that did not have time to ripen. As already mentioned, the vines are laid along the rows and insulated.

Ways of insulation are different: either they dig up small trenches and sprinkle the vines into them with soil, and you can also use sawdust, pine needles, and straw for filling. It should be noted that some of the buds during the winter period will begin to sweep in this case. It is preferable to make a plank long box / gutter with a wall height of about a quarter of a meter, and after laying the vine cover the top with the same boards / shields. This will give excellent thermal insulation, and if the whole structure is covered with a large amount of snow, even the lowest temperature will not affect the grapes.

With the onset of spring months, you can open the vines, remove the cover from the gutters / boxes, but do not immediately remove the vines, but temporarily close them with a film to provide them with comfort so that they can be opened safely in the spring.

The difference of the “Maiden” variety is that it can well winter without shelter, right in the ground, it does not need shelter either from low temperatures or frost in spring.

When cultivating grapes in open ground in the conditions of the Siberian climate, extreme situations are quite possible. The beginning of the summer period may well be accompanied by such frosts, that neither raising fires, nor excellent feeding will help. In this case, the harvest in this year will be impossible to obtain, but to save the vine itself is quite capable to get the harvest in the next season.

Experts recommend an approximate scheme of feeding.

• For the first top dressing - 25-35 g of complex fertilizer and 25 g of nitrogen fertilizer are taken for 1 bucket of water.
• For the second, half a liter of bird droppings and about two kilograms of manure fertilizer are taken for 1 bucket of water. The alternation of these two dressings is done until mid-summer.
• After the appearance of the foliage, spraying is performed - dissolve 40-50 g of nitrogen fertilizer in 1 bucket of water, the spraying is repeated after 9-11 days.

• In the last summer month, feed up as follows: 25-35 g of fertilizer containing phosphorus and potassium are added to a bucket of water, and nitrogen and organic fertilizers must be removed from the composition.
• In the middle of summer, the first stepchildren should appear. Since the tip has been removed, each vine will produce a large number of shoots on the sides. It should leave only the highest located, everything else pinch, leaving only two leaves. This will help the plant through photosynthesis, which provides additional energy to the vine. Usually these shoots are removed in the autumn, because the need for them is eliminated.

To get useful experience with a relatively small risk, cultivating the grapes in our conditions, it is recommended to start with winter-hardy varieties, for example, with the planting of “Girl's” grapes. This is a variety with inedible fruits, but it is very unpretentious, and also looks very attractive, and can be an excellent design element in areas such as landscape design, for example. They can make out hedges, green arbors, huts and so on. And also this variety is quite suitable for obtaining skills, having mastered which you can already safely move on to the grape varieties that are more difficult to grow.

You can make a general conclusion: the regions of Siberia and the Urals are suitable for the cultivation of grape crops on their territories. At the same time, in order to obtain an acceptable result, it is necessary to make much greater efforts than those that are spent in more southern regions.Siberia has the advantage of the almost complete absence of pathogens of vines, it also causes low bacterial activity.

Constantly taking into account the high probability of a sudden drop in temperature, it is preferable to grow a vine in protected ground, in this case the risk of destruction of the bush is leveled.

If a decision is made to plant the grapes in atmospheric conditions, its additional protection becomes obligatory (covering and warming the places of planting).

About cold-resistant grapes described in the next video.