Grapes for the northern regions: description and characteristics of the Taiga variety

Today, there are many varieties of grapes that are equally well suited for fresh consumption and for winemaking. However, each of them has different characteristics, so before creating vineyards it is important to study the detailed description of the selected option. In the article we will talk about one of the most productive grape varieties called Taiga, and it should be noted right away that it is not particularly fastidious in terms of care and can easily be grown in almost any home environment.

Description of wild grapes

Of course, when describing grapes of any gardener, you will be more interested in the characteristics of clusters and yield, but in order to properly place the vineyards, you must also take into account the requirements of the bushes themselves. Therefore, let's consider the description of each component of the Taiga grape.

Bushes

This variety is distinguished by tall bushes, with an annual vine growth of 5-7 meters. On each shoot there are about three clusters, but before that there is a female type of flowering. With proper pruning and general care, about 100 kg of grapes per year can be harvested from one bush, although many do not believe in it.

Bunches

The brush of a cultivated taiga will not weigh more than 200-400 g, and its constituent parts are two-centimeter rounded berries, about 4 g each. By the way, they are very pleasant to the taste, although a bit sourish (there are only 20% of sugars here).

Characteristics of a variety

Choosing a variety that is most suitable for its growing conditions, many gardeners will probably be interested in the yield of the options, the ripening period of the grapes, their winter hardiness and the rules for caring for the vine. All of this we will discuss further on the example of the Taiga variety.

Yield

These 100 kg of crop can be obtained from the bush after 7-8 years of its cultivation., although especially demanding and attentive gardeners will certainly be able to get more bunches of berries. It is also worth noting that the year does not look like a year, so you may not get the desired result all the time.

Gestation period

The grapes of this variety ripen for three months, which means that in regions with a temperate climate, it will be possible to use sweet fruits by the end of summer. In some cases, the ripening period may be slightly shifted in any direction.

Winter hardiness

Despite the conditional terms of the harvest, he will retain all his qualities, even if the grapes are not cut. You can safely leave the brush in their places before the frost, because the plants of this variety are able to cope with the cold to -32 ° C. The fruits left for autumn will not rot under the torrential autumn rains, which is also worth noting when discussing the benefits of Taiga grapes.

Proper planting and selection of seedlings

The first and most important steps in the success of growing grapes are the choice of quality planting material (seedlings) and their proper placement on your site. We will understand what knowledge is needed here.

Landing time

The young saplings of the taiga are planted on the site with the arrival of spring, when both the earth and the air are warm enough for their good survival. This is not the only time for breeding grapes and some gardeners plant this grape in autumn.

Choice of bushes

As with the choice of other grape varieties, buying taiga bushes it is important to visually assess their condition, on which their survival rate directly depends on a new place. First of all, the root system of the bush deserves your attention. It should be well developed, with a sufficient number of branches and many threadlike endings.In suitable instances, the color of the roots on the cut will be light brown, but by no means black.

Bushes with torn, crumpled or rare roots should be ignored, since such material is unsuitable for further cultivation and will not be able to take root in a new place. Do not chase and for a large number of developed shoots. The upper and lower parts of the selected bushes should be balanced, that is, the total volume of the root system should not be less than the volume of above-ground green mass. If the instance you have chosen is all right, then it will be easier for them to take root in a new place.

Looking around the bush, look at the state of green young leaves. No deformations should be noted on them, and the leaf plate itself, in a good bush, will be smooth, bright-green and without yellow endings.

If you buy seedlings with a closed type of root system, try to still give it proper attention to make sure it is in good condition. To do this, remove a part of the earth coma and check the presence of filamentous, well-developed processes on the roots.

Landing pattern

Any grapes, as well as other crops in the garden plot, are planted according to specific placement requirements for the designated area. For the Taiga variety, an acceptable scheme would be 3 m free area between the rows and 1.5 m between bushes. The best place to do is on the south side of the site, which will be well illuminated by the rays of the sun. In the warm season, the land here should warm up as well as possible.

Immediately after marking the area, it is worthwhile to install supports for the vine, only after that to dig holes. Keep in mind: you will have to dig a lot, since at first the excavation in the ground should be about 1 m deep and about the same distance deep into the substrate. The first 20 cm of the bottom should be covered with sand or rubble, and then a 10-cm layer of wood chips should be put in as a drainage system.

After performing these manipulations, it is desirable to cover all this with a film so that the layers are well warmed.To the soil that will remain with you after digging out the pit, you must add a glass of oats, wood ash and humus, mixing all the components together. The resulting mixture should be uniform in composition. After the substrate warms up under sunlight, it must be poured back into the pit. Together with the previous layers of sand and chips, the soil forms a mound that will rise above the ground. It is necessary to make a hole in it, place the seedling in it and cover it with the rest of the earth. Planting in this way all the seedlings be sure to water them.

How to care for a grade

From the moment of planting begins the period of care for new "residents" of your site, which provides for timely watering, fertilizer, pruning grapes, as well as its treatment from typical diseases and pests.

Watering

Grapes can be called a moisture-loving plant, Taiga variety is no exception in this matter. Like many other varieties, it needs timely and regular watering, especially in the first few months after landing on the site. When the weather is sunny and hot outside the window, watering is done every other day, and the rainy the weather, the rarer they will be. In case of prolonged rains and dampness, it is necessary to water the plantings once every 7 days, and it is necessary to constantly monitor the moderation of moisture in the soil. In the future, about a year after planting, irrigation will be carried out less and less, and sometimes only natural precipitation will suffice. The optimal time to perform the procedure is early morning or late evening, when there is no sweltering heat outside.

Fertilizer

No special formulations for taiga grapes you will need. Like other varieties, it favorably responds to mineral and organic supplements, which include bird droppings, peat, slurry and compost. The main nutrient composition for vineyards is manure, because it contains all the nutrients trace elements necessary for the plant.

Top-dressing is often introduced into grooves of about 40 cm depth, specially excavated in a circle, departing from a bole not less than 50 cm. If you combine nutrients with irrigation of grapes, then using these dimples will get plant roots much more important for them trace elements. Feeding grapes perform several times per season:

• In the spring, as soon as the earth thaws, you can use mineral mixtures: for example, 10 g of superphosphate, 10 g of ammonium nitrate and 5 g of potassium salt are diluted in 10 liters of water, which will be enough to fertilize a single bush. A few weeks before flowering "taiga" feeding repeated.
• Before the ripening of the grapes, the soil must be fertilized with potash fertilizers and superphosphate, but in this case nitrogen is not used.
• After harvesting, plants are fed with potash mixtures to increase the bush's winter hardiness.

Once every three years, in autumn, the vineyard must be fertilized with a mixture of manure, superphosphate, ash, and ammonium sulphate. Such a composition is evenly distributed over the surface of the soil, after which a deep digging of the plot with plantings is performed. If in the territory of the vineyard there are mainly sandy-type soils, then it is necessary to apply fertilizers for digging a year later, but on sandy areas - every year.

Pruning

Formative and sanitary pruning are essential attributes of care for Taiga grapes, on which the quality and abundance of the crop largely depend.In this case, such procedures can be performed twice a year: in spring and autumn, of course, in each case, you need to know about some of the features. If you are going to prune the grapes in autumn, decide for yourself exactly what you want to see in the spring, because the way the procedure will be performed will depend on it. With long-term cultivation of grapes and considerable experience in caring for them there should be no problems.

However, if for any reason the taiga is in an abandoned state or its pruning was carried out improperly, then it will take longer to work on such a bush. Young and green shoots that appear on the old branches need to be cleaned regularly: from spring to autumn. This procedure is performed annually, paying attention to each bush.

For all the above manipulations, you need to select no more than three branches on the main arm. Unlike pruning in the fall, performing this procedure in springtime will not take much energy from you. Work is performed in the first warm month, as soon as the frosts recede. All excess sleeves and branches that have fallen off are removed from the plant, and instead they are left only suitable for fruiting. It must be said that in the case of the Taiga variety, which does not need winter shelter, it will be more rational to carry out spring pruning, since the "trimmed" plant in severe winters can simply freeze.

Diseases and pests of taiga grapes

When choosing the Taiga variety for breeding on your plot, you should know that it is a very strong plant, little susceptible to diseases and attacks of pests. The main problem in this case is mildew, affecting vineyards in the first year of their growth. This is a fairly common disease caused by a fungus. Outwardly, it is expressed in the appearance of yellow spots, although in the case with the described variety these specks are small, and the leaf acquires an oily luster.

The spots on the berries lead to the fact that the latter quickly blacken and fall off, so in the first year after planting it is desirable to protect the culture by timely treatment with special chemical or folk remedies.

Taiga grapes are great for making juice or wine, and its thick leaves will cover well from the scorching rays of the sun. If we add to this high yields and relatively low demands in care, then it becomes clear why more and more gardeners prefer this particular plant.