Ordinarily, gardeners prefer the popular, common, and versatile grape varieties. Moreover, more rare, but no less interesting varieties remain in the background. These are the German Regent grape variety. It is perfect for those who like to experiment and are not afraid to try something new. The regent will surely enjoy the beautiful appearance, high-quality taste, winter hardiness and excellent immunity to diseases. Description and photos of Regent grapes you will find in this article.
Variety and appearance
Regent is a wine or technical grape variety that can be characterized by the average late ripening period of the fruit. Berries can be removed after 130-140 days from the time of vegetation.
The bushes themselves are characterized by medium growth strength, strong and fairly wide branches. Stepsons are not many. The leaves are large or medium, are five-layer, serrated at the edges, green with light yellow veins.
The clusters are not large, on average 170-180 grams, the density is moderate, the shape is cylindrical-conical. The berries are round, black (sometimes dark blue), the weight of the berries is an average of 1.5 grams. The pulp is juicy, saturated, has a light nutmeg and herbal aroma. Juice with intense staining. The fruits store sugar well. Ripe grapes with an acidity of 8 g / l contain an average of 22% sugar content.
Breeding and breeding place
The Regent grape is a complex interspecific hybrid of German selection. The variety was bred in Germany at the Gaiweilerhof Institute for Viticulture, where German breeder Gerhard Alleveld crossed two grape varieties: Diana and Chambursen in 1967. That is why the Regent in the literature may be called Gayweilerhof 67-198-3.
Regent grape variety is common in Germany and America. It is also grown in Russia and in neighboring countries.
Hybrid forms of the regent are the varieties Rumba, Moor and Citron magaracha.
For the northern regions of our country, this variety is not recommended, as it is considered to be medium late in ripening and may not have time to fully mature in the summer.
Grape Regent: variety description
The regent is frost-resistant and can withstand quite high temperature drops up to -28 degrees. In the southern regions, grapes are not sheltered for the winter, but in our middle zone the Regent is grown as a cover crop.
Yields for Regent grapes are average. Compared with it, higher-yielding varieties are the Anniversary of the Kherson summer resident, Gift of a magarach or Rkatsiteli.
In order to get a high-quality crop, proper care, soil fertility, and the climatic conditions of the growing area are important. Fruitful shoots - up to 80%.
When growing Regent grapes, it is extremely important to take the crop on time, since the fastening of the fruits to the stalk weakens over time, and very quickly they begin to crumble. Also, if the berries remain on the bush for a long time after ripening, a decrease in acidity is observed.
Fertilizers and fertilizers
The regent is in need of top dressing and responds well to them. He is very demanding on growing conditions and on the soil itself. The soil for the Regent should be rich in nutrients, especially magnesium, the variety is extremely sensitive to their deficiency, therefore, before planting seedlings, the soil is fertilized with a composition of magnesium.
Care
Description of grapes Regent shows that proper care is very important for this variety. It can be described by the following actions:
- Trimming side shoots and those parts that are already numb. Such trimming is necessarily carried out at right angles.
- After the floral antennae are formed, you need to remove damaged and weakened stems.
- About seven days before flowering, you need to remove the tops of the shoots, pinch them - this will improve the flow of nutrients to clusters with berries.
- Extra stepchildren must be removed in a timely manner, since they consume useful trace elements, preventing the grape bush from developing and the berries to grow. Also stepsons often provoke the development of fungal diseases and the appearance of felt mites on the leaves.
- In winter, grapes may not have enough nutrition, so in the fall it is advisable to feed it with nutritious organic fertilizers - manure, compost or peat.
Landing
For the correct planting of Regent grapes, it is enough to follow the general rules concerning all varieties. It is necessary to dig a cubic hole about 80 cm high. A stand is placed in the center, then to fix the seedling. As a drainage layer, gravel of small fractions is suitable.
After the drainage, manure, humus or peat is filled up - about three buckets with the addition of mineral fertilizer with magnesium. You can also add potassium salt and superphosphate in a small amount. All fertilizers that are laid, it is better to pour ash. Top you need to add soil and water the seedling.
The bush itself needs to be tied to a rack, around to form an embankment on the same level with the ground, spread the roots of the plant and tack, but not very tightly.
In the south, in order to protect the Regent grapes from drought, they spud it 20-25 cm from the ground.
If more than one seedling is planted, then the distance must be observed between them: between plants it should be at least 1.5 meters, the indent from the fence should be at least 0.5 meters. In this case, the root system of the seedling and the whole vine bush as a whole will develop normally.
In order for the growing vine to have something to lean on, use a steel wire, pulling it on vertical posts.
Diseases and pests
One of the advantages of Regent grapes is its resistance to various diseases. He is slightly susceptible to disease. But the Regent grape variety may suffer from mildew fungus, or the so-called downy mildew that infects leaves and shoots. When infected with this disease, yellow spots appear on the plant, which gradually darken and mold. The harmful microorganisms that cause this disease are resistant to low temperatures and remain viable even in severe frosts. The danger of the disease is that subsequently mildew will spread to inflorescences and berries, and this threatens with a loss of yield. If the plant becomes infected at the stage of the appearance of the berries, they begin to wrinkle and fall before they ripen. In order to prevent the development of the disease, it is necessary to process the bushes annually for the purpose of prevention. This will prevent the loss of berries.
Also, the Regent variety is affected by another fungal pathogen - oidium. Oidium is powdery mildew, another fungal pest of the variety. It manifests itself as mold on shoots and leaves. A plant can get it at any stage of the growing season. The pest reproduces well in heat and humidity, therefore, under prolonged favorable conditions (warm weather) it is particularly active and can cause serious damage to the crop. Oidium multiplies rapidly, enveloping the leaves of the plant with a dense felt cover and destroying the entire crop. Powdery mildew affects not only leaves, but also berries that burst, exposing the flesh and bones of the fetus. Outbreaks of this disease often occur in spring and summer after a warm and damp winter.
Processed Regent sulfur, drugs "Topaz" and "Skor".
Conclusion
From Regent grapes produced the best vintage wines, aromatic and with rich taste. Also, the variety is great for making homemade soft drinks. Nor does the Regent grape look, the photo of which confirms this fact.
Today, more and more gardeners are choosing Regent grapes. It has good taste, resistance to diseases and pests, frost resistance.