Beginner growers are hesitant to cover their grapes. These works must be carried out in areas where frosts are 15 degrees and above. Often gardeners do not know how best to do this. Immediately make a reservation that not all grape varieties require winter shelter. For example, the old varieties Isabella and Lydia can not be insulated. If possible, the vines should be bent to the ground, and frosts up to 35 degrees are not terrible for them.
Less hardy varieties need to be covered. In order for a grape bush to winter well, it needs to prepare for frost. The vine must have time to ripen well. Bushes can not be overloaded with a crop; in autumn, potash fertilizers are applied, watering is stopped in a timely manner.
Vine vines withstand much greater frosts than roots, which freeze in snowless winters even at 7 degrees below zero. Therefore, it is very important to cover the roots of grape bushes. Moreover, the land should not be taken next to the bush, but at a distance of at least a meter. Young fragile bushes tolerate frosts worse.
Another question that worries many gardeners: when to cover the grapes? Experiencedwinegrowers advise to carry out these works after the onset of frosts of 5-6 degrees, when the vines have time to harden and prepare well for winter. In addition, there is a possibility that light frosts, alternating with rain and thaws, will negatively affect the vine, which is wrapped too early, which can prop up.
If frost does not come in early November, grapes must be covered in the middle of the month, as severe frosts are possible at any time. Many gardeners cannot decide how to cover grapes for the winter. It depends on the method you choose.
You can cover grapes in three main ways:
- hilling up;
- partial shelter;
- full cover.
In any case, the vine must be treated with agents against diseases and parasites. Spud young plants. For adult bushes, hilling is done only in the southern regions. The bush is covered with an earthen rampart. There is an easy way to protect grapes from the cold. How to hide? Young bushes are covered with plastic bottles without lids, and then sprinkled with earth on all sides.
Partial shelter does not protect against severe frosts, since only the upper, bent to the ground, part of the crown is sprinkled with earth, the rest is covered with improvised materials. How to cover the grapes for the winter completely? In large agro-industrial farms, vines are laid in prepared trenches and covered with earth from above. In small household plots, this method is usedrare.
How to properly cover it in summer conditions? To begin with, we examine the grape bush, leaving only well-ripened shoots. No more than 10 buds should remain on these shoots, the rest are removed. Lightly tie the grape bush into a bundle, so it will be easier to lay it.
It is important to exclude the contact of the vine with the ground, so we put planks, slate and other material under it. We lay the vine and lightly pin it to the ground. Now a very important point: how to cover the grapes for the winter, what material to choose?
For this purpose, you can use old things: blankets, bedspreads, burlap. Usually in the spring, after use, they are neatly folded and stored until autumn. You need to cover carefully so as not to damage the kidneys. From above, this design is covered with a film. It is important to leave gaps at the ends of the film so that the grapes do not overlap.
Further, the film is pressed against the soil, wrapped around with several rods and sprinkled with earth. If it is not possible to bend the vine to the ground, you can simply wrap it up and attach it to the arch. But the roots of the grapes must be covered.
Another good way to solve the problem of how to cover the grapes for the winter. Small bushes are covered with dry leaves, and a sheet of slate or board is placed on top.
Much depends on how the grape bush overwintered. If you properly cover your grapes, they will thank you with a generous harvest in the summer.
