Experienced gardeners know that it is advisable to cover grapes for the winter every fall , otherwise you can lose not only young shoots, but also perennial bushes. So, if in the winter during the week it stays around -15 ... -18 0 C, then up to 70% of the eyes can die. With prolonged frosts at a level of -20 0 all eyes will die, in some cases the plant vine will also remain unviable. Professionals distinguish three main ways of how to close the grapes for the winter. This is hilling, semi- and complete shelter.
Hilling
The first method is used when it comes to young landings, preferably
apply it only on seedlings of the first year of life. Before embarking on hilling, it is necessary to remove all leaves from the bushes. If we are talking about a summer cottage, then this is not too difficult to do, but if you have a large landing, then you can use a 7% urea solution for these purposes. It is also used to disinfect the land and vines before closing the grapes for the winter.
2 weeks after treatment, you can begin work on insulation. To do this, an earthen mound with a height of 10 to 25 cm is created. At the same time, you should not dig a trench near the seedlings - their roots can freeze. But do not forget, this method is not suitable for adult plants, because the kidneys remain open, and it is they who die first with a significant cooling. Hilling can be used only in the southern regions, where there are no prolonged frosts and sudden changes in temperature.
Half shelter
For adult bushes, there are other methods for warming grapes for the winter. In regions where the temperature rarely drops below -20 0 C, you can use a semi-shelter. With this method, the lower parts of the bushes are covered with earth, and the shoots are wrapped. For these purposes, they use fabric, straw, creating a layer on the plants with a thickness of at least 3 cm. But it is worth noting that this method protects more from cold winds and withering the vines, but it does not help with severe frosts.
Full shelter
Already many gardeners have verified that it is best to use full shelter. True, before you close the grapes for the winter in this way, you have to cut it, forming a regular bush, and then bend to the ground. To do this, all of its shoots are tied together in a not too tight bunch and covered with material, straw, unnecessary blankets and insulation that does not allow moisture (linoleum, polyethylene, roofing material, etc.). Further care for the grapes for the winter is that you need to take care of the created design. It should not scatter at the first strong winds. To do this, you can knock down special boxes that will be installed on top of the shelter, or press it with special fixing brackets, and fall asleep well on top of the ground. If you do not have the indicated devices, then the insulation layer can simply be pressed down with bricks or strong boards.
Also, do not forget that there are a number of nuances in how to close the grapes for the winter. With full shelter, keep in mind that the vine should not just lie on the ground, lay a layer of straw, dry leaves or fir branches under it. There is also no need to rush to cover the shoots until the first frost, they only temper the vine.