We all love to feast on the sweet, unusually tasty and aromatic grapes. We are pleased to drink the juices made from it, and fine wines do not leave indifferent lovers of this drink. In addition to winegrowers, gardeners in their personal plots are also engaged in the cultivation of crops. In general, the process of growing grapes is not too complicated, but here there are some nuances. For example, berries and even whole brushes often dry on the vine, which is alarming both for amateur gardeners and experienced growers. In some cases, it happens that most of the grape brushes dry completely. Today we will try to figure out why this is happening and how it can be prevented.
Why does the grape dry?
The defeat of the vineyards by various pests and diseases causes serious damage to the vine. In fact, there are many reasons for drying the grape brushes. Most often this is due to diseases that are caused by pathogenic fungi. Consider the most famous damage to this culture.
Mildew
The well-known disease of grape mildew is very often the cause of drying of the brushes. Especially great damage to this plant is caused by mildew during flowering, single berries are the first to dry, and half the grape brushes are ripe before ripening. This is because mildew fungi completely block the access of nutrients to the bunch. Please note: the photo below shows a grape brush damaged by this fungus.
In order to prevent damage to plants, the entire vineyard should be treated with the preparations “Kurzat”, “Ridomil”, “Ordan”, “Polykhom”. Processing must be carried out three times during the growing season - before the start of flowering, after it and when the berries reach the size of peas.
Gray rot
One of the most common fungal diseases is gray rot. It is found in almost any region where vineyards grow. Infection of plants occurs in the spring, the main reason for this is the botrytis cinerea fungus. Its appearance is favored by a warm moist environment. First, the disease affects the leaves and cuttings, a fluffy coating of gray color appears on them, which, when shaken, crumbles. Then it spreads to the healthy parts of the vine. He brings the greatest harm to the fruit of the grapes, which at this time begin to ripen or have already ripened. When infected with a fungus, the berries become brown in color and quickly rot. It is strictly forbidden to eat such fruits.
The methods of combating this disease are simple: it is necessary to trim the brushes of grapes and other parts of the plant that were affected by the fungus, after which they must be burned. Currently, you can buy seedlings that are resistant to this disease.
Dry Grapes
This disease of the vine is caused by the fungus Eutypa lata, most often it is common in those viticulture regions where the climate in winter is not too mild. In those seasons that are characterized by high rainfall, it deals the greatest damage.
This pathogenic fungus penetrates into the tissues of not only grapes, but also of many other fruit and garden crops; all this complicates the fight against the manifestations of the disease and its further spread. Eutypa lata infects not only shoots, but also grape brushes. Most often, the disease affects already mature vine bushes that are over 8 years old. Symptoms of dry sucking become most obvious already in early summer, when the plant gives an increase of 20-25 cm in length.
Signs of the disease is that the leaves and shoots begin to lag behind in growth, their size and color differs significantly from healthy ones. First, the leaves dry on the vine, and then the affected shoots and brushes either dry up or completely stop growing and remain so until the end of the season.
Oidium (false sunburn)
This disease is often confused with sunburn. It causes the drying of berries and grape brushes. What signs appear on the vine with oidium? A slightly noticeable coating of white-gray hue appears on the grapes, which looks like a tan from the sun, soon the berries burst and dry out. If the vineyard is damaged by oidium, it is immediately treated with colloidal sulfur, do this before harvesting.
Buffalo circadian
A common cause of drying of grapes is this insect. It lives and breeds directly under the bush. Gives offspring once per summer season. After becoming adult, the larvae rise from the grass onto the vine and cause irreparable damage. The cicada damages the shoots and scallops of the plant, after which the brush of the vineyard disappears. To prevent and control this insect, the vine is treated twice with “Benzophosphate”, and all grass under the bush is destroyed. It is recommended to plant onion or garlic in this place, it is believed that they will scare away the pest.
Other reasons
In addition to pests and fungal diseases, there are a number of mechanical causes. Most hybrid varieties have very large and heavy brushes. In the event that there is an excess of brushes, food ceases to come to them, they dry and die. To avoid this, the vine should be placed on supports and arches and try to properly load the vineyard.
The reasons for the drying of the grape brushes include the following:
- insufficient watering;
- wrong soil composition;
- lack of heat;
- low light.
Preventative measures
It is unlikely that grape diseases can be completely avoided, but risks can still be minimized. Try to buy seedlings only in specialized stores. This will prevent the disease for a period of 2-3 years.
Grapes need proper and regular care, which includes loosening the soil and timely watering. A prerequisite for growing grapes is the application of fertilizers, you can successfully use organics. Do not forget to inspect the vine for insects. If pests are found, it is very important to quickly process with special drugs.
How to feed grapes
During the maturation of the hands requires a completely different top dressing than during the growth period. Application of foliar top dressing of the vine in July contributes to faster growth and maturation. You can learn more about fertilizing and plant protection from the video below.
It is very important that the soil where grapes are grown during its ripening period is saturated with nutrients. If you do not produce timely top dressing, yields will only decrease with each subsequent year.