Today, our focus is on protecting grapes from pests and diseases. In fact, this is a very important point, because most gardeners are faced with the fact that they have a huge vine growing on the site, which takes a huge amount of free space, time and effort, and as a result you do not get the proper harvest from it. After a few years, everyone has the idea to throw away a useless plant and buy berries on the market. However, everything is not so hopeless, you just need to figure out what prevents the growth and development of the vine. In addition, it will be useful to learn how modern grapes are protected from pests and diseases. Only with such an arsenal of knowledge can you get a decent result.
Vine Care: Spring Pruning
The hot season begins ... You need to plant a young vine in the garden, or deploy and tie up the already wintered. In order to provide decent conditions for the growth and development of grapes, it is necessary to install a picket fence, on which we will tie the lashes, and it is also advisable to check the young shoots. To grow a strong and healthy bush, you need to leave 1-2 of the strongest shoots. Everyone else needs to break out. Shoots need to be tied upright, pulling slightly to activate their growth. In order for the vine to grow strong and healthy, you need to remove stepsons throughout the season, otherwise you will have a lot of greenery and few fruits. This is especially true for double and triple, growing from one sinus. The goal is this: by the fall, the young bush should have three or four powerful shoots, and not a huge bunch of stunted and weak. At the same time, you must break off all the antennae (anyway, you tie the vine), and on the bush younger than three years, the entire ovary is also removed. No need to strive to preserve the crop: while the bush has one task - to grow big and strong. These are the basics of vine care, but in addition to this you need to know how grapes are protected from pests and diseases. The choice of drugs for chemical treatment is huge today.
Basic knowledge
Grapes are loved not only by people. A huge number of different fungi, microorganisms and insects do not mind eating the green part or juicy fruits. That is why the protection of grapes from pests and diseases is so important. The most important "enemies" can be called fungal diseases, which can lead to a complete loss of the crop; in the most severe cases, the bush itself can die. Therefore, regular processing is necessary. Grapes in spring are very susceptible to attack by various microorganisms, and it was precisely at this time that the beginnings of future clusters were laid.
Today, new grape varieties have already appeared that are more resistant to fungal diseases. This is the Talisman, Arcadia, Kodryanka. However, in certain years, increased activity of bacteria and microorganisms is observed, and then even these hybrids are successfully affected by them, even to a lesser extent. Usually the result is a partial loss of crop and a slight damage to the bushes. That is why grapes in the spring should be processed with special preparations that prevent the development of harmful bacteria.
The most dangerous fungal diseases
The first in a squeak is mildew. The most dangerous and harmful fungal disease of European grape varieties. The lesion is very easy to recognize: leaf tissue brightens, yellow, almost transparent spots appear on them. If the development of the disease stops in dry and hot weather, then in humid and warm weather a fluff appears on the underside of the leaf. In a short time, the entire plant is affected, including antennae, inflorescences, combs and young berries. Infected inflorescences change color, become brown, twist and dry. The affected berries first turn blue, then turn brown, wrinkle and dry. Grapes are processed in the spring primarily in order to avoid this disease. Move on.
The second dangerous disease is called oidium. Varieties and hybrids do not matter here, rootstocks are also susceptible to the disease. Moreover, its signs are not so obvious. Plants affected by the fungus develop poorly, lag behind in growth. Then, a change in the leaf plate begins to appear: it shrinks, becomes stained, grayish-white bloom. Around June, the development of the disease reaches its climax: the leaves dry out, the shoots are covered with dark spots. Affected inflorescences die, the berries shrink and dry. If the diseased vine leaves before winter, then it usually freezes very much, and next year the buds on it may not blossom at all. To avoid such troubles, grape processing should be done in early spring.
Another common disease is grape anthracnose. It affects the entire bush: leaves, stems, antennae and ridges. Dark brown spots appear on them, later in these places the tissue dies and sprinkles. A strong spread, like an outbreak of the disease, occurs in rainy, damp weather.
Often on the bushes you can find signs of a disease such as gray rot. Processing grapes will help protect the vine from this scourge. It is very rare in dry and hot weather, but when it rains frequently, it begins to spread at a fantastic speed. All green parts of the plant are affected by it, but the gray rot deals the greatest damage to the crop. Affected inflorescences become brown and die. It should be noted that whole, green berries from the fungus practically do not suffer. However, clusters beaten by hail or damaged by insects are subject to its effects. But as they ripen, the fruits soften and begin to be affected by bacteria in droves, so you are unlikely to be able to harvest. Gray rot is a widespread fungus, so spring treatment becomes the only way to protect the vines from this infection. Black and white rot also manifests itself in a similar way.
Infectious lesions
Often you can observe in the garden plot a widespread and extremely dangerous disease, known as infectious drying of bushes caused by a group of parasitic fungi. Plants are stunted in growth and development, later release leaves. Most often, with increasing ambient temperature, the disease begins to progress with a vengeance. This leads to the complete destruction of the bush.
Bacterial cancer is another serious disease that causes the growth of growths on the body of the vine. Destruction of tissue gradually occurs, while falling off the plant, spores of growths remain viable in the ground for a long time. There are no methods of struggle, it is necessary to uproot the plant.
Fungicides
To combat mildew use copper-containing preparations, for example, Bordeaux mixture, as well as systemic fungicides for plants. This may be Ridomil Gold, Carbio Top and many others. The fight against oidium includes a number of measures for the prevention and treatment of the disease. You should start with preventive measures, namely by spraying powdered sulfur in dry, calm weather. It is advisable that it be morning or evening hours. However, today there are effective fungicides for plants, which can be combined with drugs that protect plants from mildew. These are drugs such as Strobi, Alto Super Topaz, Vectra, Falcon, Fundazol and many others. In this case, the processing time may vary depending on the degree of damage. A heavily damaged bush must be treated literally with the appearance of the first buds, that is, immediately after hanging. If there are no lesions or they are weak, it is possible to carry out processing in accordance with the scheme, which we will give a little below.
The fight against anthracnose is carried out in the spring with the help of a Bordeaux mixture. Subsequent treatment occurs along with spraying with mildew, that is, fungicides are added to copper-containing preparations. Gray rot is the trouble of many horticultural farms, and fungicides such as Ronilan, Rovlan, Euparen, Topsin, Sumylex are used to combat it. The maximum allowable 4 treatments per season. If there is little rainfall, then two or three sprays can be dispensed with. Such systemic fungicides as Kaptan, Ftalon, Tsinebom very well help with white rot. It is especially important to process after the hail has passed and the berries have been beaten. Against black rot, Bayleton, Baytan and Topaz work fine.
Systemic and contact fungicides
Today on the market there is a sufficiently large selection of funds so that everyone can choose the suitable fungicides. Feedback from leading experts in the field of agricultural technology confirms that their use allows you to completely protect the vine. These are chemicals that destroy or prevent the development of fungal diseases. There are treating and protective fungicides. The former are used to prevent infection, and the latter are already used to suppress the development of the disease.
All preparations for grapes are divided into contact and systemic. The former are able to penetrate into the plant and move freely through its tissues, suppressing the penetrated infection. These are such tools as Ridomil Gold, Quadris, Folpan and Mancozeb. They are more active against mildew. Vektra, Strobi, Topaz and Falcon work perfectly against the oidium. Systemic fungicides are used for prevention and treatment, and there is no need to repeat the treatment many times, because after a short period of time the drug penetrates the plant and continues to act from the inside for a long time. It is enough to treat the garden before and after flowering, as well as before ripening berries - and the disease will bypass your garden.
However, the protection of grapes in the spring is most often carried out using contact fungicides. This is the famous Bordeaux liquid, sulfur, Tiovit Jet and many others. It is very important to apply the composition on the leaves in a quality manner, and after the rain the treatment must be repeated. Repeated spraying is performed up to 10 times per season. These funds are more used to prevent the disease, however, if the lesion is already obvious, then it is urgent to treat systemic fungicides.
Syngenta: grape protection scheme
So that the gardener does not have to draw up a scheme for processing the treatments himself, by trial and error, we will present an already tested version, which you can safely adhere to. In the spring, before the swelling of the kidneys, the culture should be protected from wintering ticks and black spotting. An excellent choice would be Nitrafen Dnok. Its concentration can be 1-2%. As soon as the green mass begins to grow, you need to repeat the treatment. For these purposes, Bordeaux liquid is taken, to which Fozalon is added. This procedure helps to protect against black spotting and eutiposis, and also drives away pests such as scythe-scoops and moths. When 4-5 leaves appear, another treatment is carried out, at which time fungicides are taken to protect the grapes such as Khometsin and Polykhom. For protection against pests, various leafworms, choose "Chlorophos" or "Fozalon".
After flowering, the likelihood of infection by fungal diseases remains, so you need to make another treatment with sulfur from oidium, Euparen from gray rot, Khometsin or Polychome from mildew and black spotting. In addition, it is not superfluous to spray grapes from ticks with the Rogor preparation. Closer to the fall, it is good to treat the vine with a solution of hexachloran. This is the most famous, although not the only system. There are other schemes for protecting grapes, the use of which will forget about such a problem as diseases of the vine.
Vineyard Herbicides
Grass in the vineyard is not the biggest trouble, but if the area is large, then you should use the achievements of science. One of the safest means is the Tornado herbicide. It completely eliminates the need for weeding. In this case, the tool is absolutely safe and acceptable when used in crop rotation. Effective at any temperature range.
Biological preparations, insecticides
As you know, pests are not only fungi and viruses - insects also contribute to damage to the vine. Since our task is to preserve the bush completely, we must also know about a company such as Syngenta, which produces the highest quality insecticide. In particular, we can distinguish the drug "Proclame" - it protects against lepidopteran pests. Effective against caterpillars scoops, moths and whites. The second drug of this manufacturer is Vertimek. It is also of biological origin, and the active substance is a waste product of the soil microorganism.
What is interesting about Proclame? It penetrates the plant tissue in just a few minutes, and after an hour it is destroyed on the surface. Suppresses any Lepidoptera, and also enhances the effect of other drugs that are aimed at combating thrips and medunica. How do these grape remedies work? The main action is intestinal, that is, the caterpillar absorbs plant pieces, after an hour it ceases to feed, and after a few hours it dies.
There is another important point. The drug also acts on larvae. The egg, on which the product fell, either completely freezes, or the larva dies after gnawing the shell. "Proclame" is a drug that can be used once, but at the same time you protect the vine immediately from three generations of insects. Agree, this is a great result! All these grape remedies are designed for maximum convenience and at the same time require minimal costs.
Winged pests
There is another category of insects that loves to enjoy sweet berries. By the time the clusters are poured with juices, wasps, bees and birds flock to them. In this case, the biggest problem is the protection of grapes from wasps. All summer these predatory insects reliably protect the garden from pests, experiencing the need for protein food. However, closer to fall, they become real agricultural pests, as they can spoil a lot of juicy berries, and painful bites can be a real problem for those who are suitable for harvesting.
During this period, it is already extremely undesirable to use chemicals, since the berries are ready for use, and all chemicals can remain in the juicy pulp. In fact, such grapes are no longer suitable for food. Mechanical extermination will not help if a large insect colony lives nearby. Therefore, gardeners have to come up with various traps, use smoke bombs and other devices. This is how grapes are protected from wasps. In this case, it is best to find a nest and at night, when they are all inside, spray a suitable insecticide. Empty nest must be removed and destroyed.
If you cannot locate the wasps, try at least setting traps. To do this, plastic bottles are suitable, the walls of which can be smeared with jam or honey, and pour soapy water on the bottom, in which persistent insects will sink. If you have old jam, you can pour it into a bottle by mixing it with water. Having stuck in a sticky solution, wasps will also die. Another method that gardeners have successfully used is protective nets that are worn on bunches. The same option will protect the crop from birds.
Protection of grapes folk remedies
Grapes can also be treated using folk methods, namely decoctions of various herbs. These are relatively safe products, which, unlike chemicals, can be used at any time of the year, regardless of the degree of ripening of the berries. The most affordable remedy is onion peel. A decoction is prepared from it: half a bucket of husks is poured with water and boiled for about 20 minutes. After that, it is left to infuse for a day. Then the mixture is added to the volume of one bucket, one tablespoon of honey is added, the grapes are filtered and sprayed. In a similar way using a decoction of celandine and comfrey. In addition, for the preparation of infusions, old hay is used, to which lactic acid is added.You can also use St. John's wort. All these tools are not very reliable, you need to contact their help very often, since rain or dew will wash them off without a trace. Do not forget that caterpillars and other pests usually do not respond to such methods of control, therefore, it is much easier to buy modern drugs than spending time and effort on them. This guarantees excellent results in a short time, and they are not so expensive.
Summing up, I want to note that the protection of grapes from pests and insects is necessary if you want to consistently get a good harvest. Skipping treatment, you take risks every time, and the use of modern fungicide preparations will not take much time. Yes, caring for the vine is labor-intensive, but the harvest will please. And of course, it makes sense to make sure that the result of your work is maximum.