Like any other cultivated plant, in autumn, grapes must be carefully prepared for the winter cold. In addition to additional feeding, the last watering and weeding, the vine should be treated from various pests. We will talk about how to perform this operation correctly later in the article.
Classification of preparations used for processing grapes
With what and how grapes are processed in the fall from diseases, we will try to figure it out a bit later. First, let's see what drugs can generally be used to treat the vines, and in what cases. There are many similar tools. However, all of them can be classified into several main groups:
- Insecticides. Used to control pests such as aphids, butterflies, caterpillars, bugs.
- Acaricides. They are used to kill ticks.
- Fungicides. Used to combat infectious diseases, as well as for their prevention.
Preventative treatment
Processing grapes in the fall from diseases allows you to save this plant from many problems in the next season. Even if the vine is healthy, preventative spraying is worthwhile. One of the most popular means of all to prevent infectious diseases of cultivated plants is fungicide copper sulfate. It is with his solution (usually one percent) that grapes are processed in the fall. Sometimes plants are sprayed with Bordeaux fluid. This is the same solution of copper sulfate, but in milk of lime (75 grams of lime per 1% vitriol).
Oidium grape treatment
Processing grapes in the fall from diseases is an event that is necessary not only for prevention, but also if the vines suffered from any fungal or viral diseases during the warm period of time. For example, during this period, you can treat plants from infections such as oidium. This unpleasant and dangerous disease affects all the green parts of the vine. An infection usually develops in the summer, in dry and hot weather. The main signs of oidium are powdery mildew on inflorescences. Affected parts of the plant after a while begin to dry and fall off. Existing berries crack. At the same time, the plant smells unpleasant of rotten fish.
What to do with grapes in the fall to rid him of this misfortune? The fungus that causes oidium hibernates under the scales of grape buds. In order to prevent the re-development of the disease in the spring, it is worth spraying the plants with the same copper sulfate. Make the best treatment before sheltering grapes. In this case, you need to use a 4-5% aqueous solution. Spraying is carried out, trying to distribute the liquid over the planting evenly. Instead of copper, you can take a less toxic and dangerous iron sulfate. Autumn spraying against oidium is sometimes carried out with a 3% solution of netrofen.
A method of preparing an aqueous solution of copper sulfate
To make a one percent solution of copper sulfate, you need to dilute 100 g in 10 liters of water. of this substance. If you need 4% - respectively 400 gr. Do not pour the powder into a bucket immediately. First, pour warm water into a half-liter jar. Pour vitriol there and mix well. Pour the resulting solution into a bucket. Stir constantly, add water until it is full.
How to work with a solution of copper sulfate?
So, we have figured out how the grapes should be processed in the fall from diseases. Now let's see how to do it right. Copper sulfate, as already mentioned, is a poisonous substance and very harmful to the human body. Therefore, they can be sprayed with plants only by taking some personal safety measures. Work with rubber gloves and spray the mixture only in the direction of the wind.
Incorrect processing can also affect plants. To prevent burns on the branches, spraying should be carried out in cool weather. Sometimes in the fall, the air warms up to fairly high temperatures. In this case, the treatment should be done in the morning or in the evening, or wait a few days until the temperature drops.
How to process grapes in the fall yet?
Since in September the air in the street is much colder than the still warmed up soil, the vines begin to drain nutrients from the ground to the roots. This can be seen even by reducing the sugar content in berries. This natural process is worth using in order to feed the plants. To do this, they are treated 2-3 times in September with a solution of potassium. You can use crystalline or potassium sulfate in an amount of 20 g. for 10 liters of water.
Topping grapes in autumn
Fruiting quite weakens the grapes. If you do not take certain measures, the plants will not tolerate frost and will not give a good harvest next year. One of the ways to strengthen grapes is top dressing and mulching. It is best to fertilize the grapes in autumn with well-rotted manure or compost. Too deep top dressing is not necessary. You can even mulch the soil around the trunks with manure.
Top dressing of grapes in autumn should be carried out only after all foliage has been removed from under it. The fact is that a huge number of different pests can winter in it. Foliage needs to be raked in heaps and burned.
What else needs to be done in the fall?
Among other things, the preparation of grapes for wintering should include such an event as pruning. From the vine, it is necessary to remove the old, sick and damaged shoots weakening it. Too much pruning of plants is not necessary. This is especially true for grapes growing in regions with harsh climates. In this case, the so-called "reserve" shoots must be left on the vines. If the variety is not frost-resistant, grapes should also be covered with spruce branches. For warming, you can use straw. Sometimes grapes are covered with plastic wrap or roofing material. In the latter case, special supports in the landing are arranged with a height of not more than 60 cm. If the structure is higher, in winter it can be demolished by the wind.
What to do with grapes in the fall yet? Of course, you need to try to protect the vines from all sorts of rodents. For this, any poison from mice and rats is left under cover. In spring, grapes can be opened only when the air temperature in the street warms up to at least -5 gr. Water that accumulates under the film or roofing material during the thaw or spring thaw must be removed.
Features autumn care for girl's grapes
Very often, to decorate hedges, terraces and arbors, an unusually spectacular weaving plant is used - girl's grapes. In autumn (the photo below is a confirmation of this), this decorative culture looks unusually spectacular. Bright red leaves of some varieties can become just a chic decoration of the site.
Of course, girl’s grapes in autumn, like ordinary grapes , need some care. This plant is frost-resistant, and therefore he does not need to arrange shelters. However, prevention from various kinds of viral and fungal diseases is worthwhile. Since ordinary and girl's grapes belong to the same family (and consequently they have the same diseases), in the fall this decorative culture can also be sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate. This will prevent the development of various kinds of pathogenic fungi and viral infections.
So, now you know how to process grapes in the fall. Plant pests can be eliminated by spraying with a solution of copper sulfate. Top dressing is done by treating plants with potassium fertilizers diluted with water. In any case, with the correct autumn preparation, the grapes will winter well and next year will surely give a good harvest.