Viticulture is an ancient occupation that provides us with fresh and dried grapes, and also provides raw materials for the confectionery and wine industry. What care is needed for grapes in spring and summer depends on many factors. First of all, these are climatic conditions, topography, varieties and purposes of cultivation. In the north, this thermophilic culture grows to 51 degrees north latitude, although some varieties have been cultivated, for example, in the Leningrad Region.
What cultivation features does grape have? Planting and care (pruning, watering, processing against pests) will give good results if the crop grows on soils of light composition (not acidic, not clay, not marshy) with enough sun. Such places on the planet are in areas of the Mediterranean, California. In Russian household plots, they plant this plant between buildings in original pockets, where the culture is protected from the winds.
Grapes are propagated in a vegetative way, through cuttings up to 0.3 meters long, which are harvested in the fall and stored until spring dug in sand or in cool rooms. And in the spring they germinate before the formation of root buds.
Before the stalks are placed in the ground (in late April - early May), the level of groundwater adherence is determined. If the water is less than a meter, then you need to increase this distance to one and a half meters. The plant is planted to a depth of 0.2-0.5 meters (depending on soil composition). Care for grapes after planting is that the earth is slightly tamped, spilled with heated water (about 30-40 degrees), and the upper part of the plant is spudded.
Grape care in spring and summer should be carried out on an ongoing basis. If the summer is cold, then the seedlings are covered with a film. With a large amount of rain, water from the landings must be diverted. One or two shoots are usually left on the plant, excess ones are cut off, and the rest are tied with twine to stakes. In the spring, you need to ensure that the eyes on the vine are not exposed to excessive temperature alternation. Therefore, the vine should be opened after the threat of frost disappears, and the soil after removal of protection should be treated with iron or copper sulfate (3-5% solution).
Care for grapes in spring and summer includes the introduction of a number of nutrients. Grapes favorably apply to feeding bird droppings (diluted with water 50x50, insist in a warm place for 14 days, breed 1: 5) and compost. It is also good to handle plantings with boric acid (0.1%) to prevent shedding of the ovaries.
Care for grapes in spring and summer will give the first results only in the third year after planting. This grape is considered the best, so the breeders strive to form a low vine (up to 1 meter), which in the middle of August is pinched at the level of the main stem, and in the middle of October (in dry weather) it is pruned. This is followed by two years of stem formation (pruning, pinching, selection of suitable sprouts), on which the first berries appear. If in the third year after proper wintering the fruit did not appear, it means that the variety was not suitable for cultivation in this region.