Grapes in the Leningrad region: planting and care in the greenhouse and open field

Gardeners in the Leningrad region know a lot of subtleties about planting and caring for grapes. They harvest their crops earlier than winegrowers of the Crimea and the Caucasus. Success largely depends on the choice of variety (hybrid form). In a short summer, only early-ripening varieties of culture have time to ripen. The short growing season virtually eliminates disease, which is why most gardeners grow crops without the use of chemicals.

Features of cultivation

In the Leningrad region, where the summer is short, grapes grow not only in greenhouses.It can be easily grown outdoors. The soils in this region are acidic, so ash and dolomite flour must be applied annually, starting from the year of planting. The vine begins to bear fruit 3 years after planting. Clusters pick up more sugar if the grapes grow in a well-lit area of the garden. Cover the vine only for the winter. Grapes are afraid of thaws and January rain.

Covering material is removed from the bushes immediately after the snow has melted. A delay in harvesting polyethylene can lead to freezing of shoots. The sheltered vine grows until the onset of consistently warm weather, return frosts are dangerous for it. Ahead of time, awakened grapes of any variety are recommended to be sprayed with immunity boosters if there is a threat of low temperatures:

"Cytovit", "Epin", "Extrasol";
Epinom together with Ecofus.

After processing, the grape bushes are covered with a non-woven fabric (spunbond). To restore frozen grape vines, they are sprayed with Zircon.

The best grape varieties for the Leningrad region

The practice of winegrowers of the Leningrad region is great. You can safely choose varieties that they have already tested in their vineyards. It is worth planting proven non-covering varieties with early maturation.

The Latvian hybrid Zilga is always popular. Bushes withstand 30-degree frosts. Ripened bunches can hang for a long time without losing their presentation. There are no problems with pollination, the variety is self-pollinating.

Ripe berries take on a dark blue color, notes of nutmeg are formed in their taste. One bush gives berries up to 12 kg.

Express Early tolerates frost up to 32 °C. Dark ripe fruits contain up to 28% sugars, which explains their good taste.They make excellent house wines. The weight of one bunch can reach up to 300 g. The crop is harvested from late July to mid-August. Harvest does not decrease due to bad weather.

The Supaga variety is suitable for the Leningrad region in terms of frost resistance. Frosts down to -25 ° C are not afraid of him. Clusters are poured early, weighing from 300 to 600 g. Berries weighing up to 5 g have a simple taste without frills. Their color is amber. The variety has a weak resistance to phylloxera, but it rarely undergoes rot, mildew, oidium.

Cognac lovers plant Vandal Cliche. This is a wine variety from Canada. It ripens early, is very resistant to diseases, and is very productive. The size of the berries is medium, the color is white, the aroma is apple-pear. Not quite ripe bunches are cut for wine. This rids the drink of Isabella notes.

Violet early bred in the Rostov region. Berries are used in many ways (wine, juice, fresh consumption).Clusters ripen in 130 days. They start harvesting at the beginning of September. The load on the bush is normalized. The berries are not large (up to 3 g), purple with a wax coating. They are collected in small clusters weighing about 200 g. The second wave of fruiting comes on stepchildren.

Hybrid form Veres bred in Ukraine, author VV Zagorulko. Grapes do not have seeds. They ripen early (90-100 days). Clusters are cone-shaped, large, weighing from 600 g. Muscat is present in the taste of the pulp.

Solaris is a wine variety, bred in Germany. Ripens early. The fruits are white, round, contain up to 22% sugars in the pulp. The variety has good resistance to mildew, oidium, but the berries suffer from wasps.

Black Pearl variety ripens in September. The bunch size is average. The berries are dark blue, medium-sized, rounded conical. The pulp has a pronounced aroma of nutmeg, the taste is harmonious, rich. Frost resistance at -26 ° C. The immunity to mildew, oidium in the variety is average.

Other outdoor varieties:

Khasanskiy Sweet;
Galant;
Regent;
First Michurinsky;
P34;
P33;
Danko;
Muscat Blau.

Other varieties are suitable for greenhouses. For example, Laura grapes are grown near St. Petersburg. This is the culture of the dining destination. Clusters are large, conical, dense. The ripening period lasts at least 120 days. Frost resistance is not bad (-23 °C).

Kishmish Radiant - an old Moldavian variety, clusters ripen for 130 days. It is also successfully grown indoors. Ripe berries are pink in color. The shape of the fruit is oval, elongated. There is a hint of muscat on the palate. The plant is susceptible to mildew, oidium.

Greenhouse or open ground?

Early varieties grow well outdoors. The main care for them comes down to pruning and sheltering the vines for the winter with cellophane. In the greenhouse, the berries ripen earlier, but from the observations of growers, in greenhouses you have to spend time fighting pests and diseases.

The berries of greenhouse grapes are more fleshy, large, ripen by mid-July. In the soil, the brushes are noticeably smaller, the berry is medium in size. In a warm summer, bunches ripen by mid-August, in a cool season - by mid-September.

Cons of a greenhouse:

there is less snow than outside, the soil freezes deeper;
in the spring, due to early awakening, the vine may suffer from frost;
for good growth and disease prevention, it is necessary to apply chemistry (growth stimulants, fungicides);
in the summer, frequent, abundant watering is needed.

The advantages of greenhouse grapes include a wider list of varieties that can be grown in the conditions of the Leningrad region, and ripening time. The berry gains sugar 3 weeks earlier than in the open field. Supporters of an environmentally friendly crop, simple care choose open ground.

Timing and planting tips

You need to plant grapes on a pre-prepared site. At least 1 m² of land must be allocated to one bush - 2 x 0.5 m. A deep pit is not needed. It is enough to deepen it by 60 cm. In places with high soil moisture, drainage is poured into the bottom in the form of broken bricks, gravel, crushed stone.

In clay soil, the root system develops poorly, therefore, in addition to organic matter, mineral fertilizers, ash, sand is added to the soil mixture to fill the pit. Seedlings are planted in the spring immediately after the soil has completely warmed up. In summer, the plant takes root, winters without problems.

In the summer months, seedlings with a closed root system can be planted; with good care, they take root no worse than grapes planted in spring. Winegrowers of the Leningrad region also practice autumn planting, but the seedling is spudded and well covered for the winter.

How to properly care?

Shaping pruning is the main element of care. It starts from the second year of the life of the vine. Spend in the fall throughout the life of the bush. After harvesting, cut out almost the entire above-ground part. First of all, all fruiting shoots are removed. The vine that is not ripe is also cut out. She won't survive the winter anyway. The main thing is to start the formation of the bush correctly. Vine growers of the Leningrad region are supporters of fan pruning. Lay 4 sleeves.

When autumn pruning, both methods are used:

with replacement knot;
no substitution knot.

The most powerful branches with mature wood are selected as a fruiting shoot, shortened by 5-6 buds.

After pruning, a small above-ground part remains, it is not difficult to cover it for the winter. Plastic arcs are installed, cellophane is stretched over them.It turns out a tunnel, the ends of which are open. Shelter protects not from frost, but from thaws, which often occur in January due to the specifics of the climate.

During the season, the vine is watered 4 to 5 times. In wet seasons, the volume of irrigation water is reduced. Starting from the 3rd year of life, they begin to make under the bushes:

ash;
dolomite flour;
humus;
mineral fertilizers.

Propagation of grapes

A new bush of the variety you like can be obtained using layering and cuttings. Harvesting of the latter is carried out in the fall during pruning. Completely lignified shoots are selected for reproduction. The core on the cutting cut should be green. Until the roots appear, the shoots are kept in water. For better germination, maintain the room temperature from 20 to 23 ° C. Prepare containers with fertile soil.They grow seedlings in them before planting in a permanent place.

For layering in the fall, they take a he althy lash, break out all the stepchildren, remove all the leaves. The middle part of the shoot is sprinkled with fertile soil, leaving the crown above the ground. Vine shoot growth starts next spring. From the layering begin to form a new bush. It is separated from the mother bush after 3 years.

Diseases and pests

Most grape varieties grown in the Leningrad region are disease resistant. It is not worth excluding their possibility. Therefore, the prevention of mildew, oidium, gray rot is needed. The topic of diseases is especially relevant for greenhouse grapes. To prevent fungal diseases, they control the level of humidity, spray the soil, shoots with fungicides.

Of the pests, they are dangerous:

spider mite;
leaflet (grape);
grape itch;
phylloxera.

They also apply fungicides throughout the season. It is possible and necessary to engage in viticulture in the climate of the Leningrad Region, despite the short summer, to receive decent harvests of berries. Success is achieved by gardeners who choose the right varieties, taking into account the peculiarities of the local climate when growing grapes.