Dozen grapes are a table grape variety with a medium early ripening period, which can be grown on your own plot without any problems. In 2007, a hybrid variety was bred by Lugansk amateur gardener Aleksandr Ivanovich Kitaichenko. Among the distinguishing features of the variety can be distinguished resistance to low temperatures, undemanding care, high yield and unusually pleasant taste of the fruit.
Description of a dozen grape varieties
The variety is considered mid-early - from the beginning of the growing season to picking berries takes about 120-130 days. In the middle lane, harvesting usually occurs in the second half of August.
The variety is resistant to various diseases, as a rule, it only gets sick in epidemic years. Also, the berries are almost not affected by wasps and sparrows.
A dozen grapes are frost-resistant, can withstand frosts of -23 degrees, and in snowy winters - up to -25 degrees.
The name "Dozen" itself came from the breeding number of the hybrid (number 13). An adult bush reaches a height of 4 meters, shoots grow strong, have time to ripen during the growing season. Bushes with a powerful branched root, cuttings root perfectly. Fruiting begins at 2-3 years of planting. One fruit vine forms 3-4 brushes, but it is difficult for the bush to withstand such a load. It is advisable to leave no more than 2 clusters on a branch.
The flowering type is female, but a dozen grapes are pollinated well; auxiliary varieties are not required to be planted. Bunches have a conical or cylindrical-conical shape. The weight of the bunch can reach 2 kg, the density of the brush is average. A photo of a dozen grapes confirms this.
Berries are oval or round in shape, weighing up to 20 g. Fruits with a rich and bright color, raspberry red with a lilac hue, have a fairly dense waxy coating. The flesh of a berry is crispy and juicy, the skin is dense. Sunflower seeds, as a rule, 4, but sometimes 2. If the grapes are grown in open sunny places, then the taste of berries will be rich and rich, balanced, honey-floral.
Variety Productivity
If the bush is correctly formed, the yield will be quite high - up to 100 kg per adult plant per season. Some gardeners achieve great results.
Sometimes a dozen grapes do not begin to bear fruit for a long time, and the resulting brushes are small. The problem here is far from a hybrid, but in non-compliance with the rules of agricultural technology.
As a rule, this variety is grown for fresh consumption. Also often various desserts and preparations are prepared from berries (juices, preserves, assorted fruits and berries).
Grade Advantages
The Dozen grape variety has excellent characteristics that are tested and confirmed by Ukrainian, Russian, Moldavian and Belarusian winegrowers. Growing problems can occur only in regions where summers are cold and short, as well as in regions with snowless winters.
The hybrid is different:
- Great bush growth force.
- Good ripening vines.
- Productivity.
- Frost resistance.
- Resistant to disease and pests.
- High marketability of brushes and berries.
- The ripened fruits practically do not crack and do not crumble.
- Good pollination.
- Lack of peeling.
- Transportability and keeping quality.
- High survival rate of cuttings.
Another advantage of the Dozen variety is that it does not have to be planted in a large hole with a nutrient mixture, as is done by all the rules. But if you choose a simpler planting method, then you have to feed the bush from the first year.
Growing Features
When choosing a seedling, you need to pay attention to its root - it should be branched, without dry and damaged roots. The stem should be light brown in color, and in the section - brownish-green. It is better to choose a landing place calm and sunny.
A dozen grapes love loose and permeable soils, poorly developed with close groundwater. It is important to think over the support structure in advance, as the bush grows quickly and needs timely gartering. You can plant seedlings in autumn and spring.
The best option for planting grapes:
- Dig a hole 80 * 80 cm.
- Pour drainage at the bottom (crushed stone or gravel with a layer of about 20 cm).
- Next comes a mixture of soil with organic fertilizer (for example, compost).
- In the middle of the hole, the seedling itself is placed, a peg is driven in and next covered with soil to the root neck.
- Compact the earth a little, tie the seedling to a peg and pour water on the bush (2-3 buckets per bush).
After 2-3 days after planting, you can mulch the soil near the seedling using rotted wood sawdust or dry mowed grass.
In the first year, the seedling must be covered for the winter, even in the southern regions. After the bush began to bear fruit, he does not need shelter for the winter. The only exceptions are the northern regions.
Watering and fertilizer
Grapes do not need frequent watering. It is watered only a few times per season:
- Before flowering.
- At the beginning of flowering.
- When the fruits are poured en masse.
- Two weeks before harvest.
Fertilizing the fruiting bush occurs according to a special scheme:
- In early spring, when the daytime temperature will not be lower than 16 degrees: 1 kg of manure per bucket of water. Manure can be replaced with a mixture of superphosphate (20 g), potassium salt (5 g) and ammonium nitrate (10 g) also with a bucket of water. For one bush you will need at least 10 liters of fertilizer.
- Before flowering: 2 kg of mullein in 5 liters of water, leave the solution for 2-3 days, then dilute with water to 12 liters. This amount is enough for 1 square. m
- Before the formation of the ovaries: a mixture of Kalimagnesia (10 g) and ammonium nitrate (20 g) diluted in 10 liters of water.
- Before harvesting (in 2-3 weeks): potassium fertilizer and superphosphate 20 g per bucket of water.
- In the autumn after leaf fall: a small amount of rotted manure under each bush.
Disease Prevention and Pruning
The description of the Dozen grapes is confirmed by the fact that the variety is not susceptible to any diseases, but experts still advise processing it from the fungus twice a season: when the green shoots reach 10 cm and after harvesting. Bushes are treated with a one percent solution of Bordeaux fluid or colloidal sulfur.
Pruning is very important for grapes. In the autumn, bushes are formed by shortening branches by 7-8 eyes. In the spring, you need to remove frozen and dry branches, as well as extra shoots that thicken the crown. In the summer, excess stepsons and some leaves obscuring berries are cut.
Thus, we can conclude that the Dozen grapes do not require special care, which means that even beginners in this business can grow it.