Content
- 1 History of selection
- 2 Description of the Lady's Fingers grape variety
- 3 Characteristics of the Lady's Fingers grapes
- 4 Composition and calorie content of lady fingers grapes
- 5 The benefits and harms of lady fingers grapes
- 6 Advantages and disadvantages
- 7 Planting Lady's Fingers Grapes
- 8 Grape care Lady fingers
- 9 Conclusion
- 10 Reviews of grapes Lady fingers
The Lady Fingers grape is an ancient variety, one of the most popular and “recognizable”. It is valued for its outstanding taste and presentation of its berries, but is extremely demanding in terms of cultivation conditions and agricultural technology. This variety is definitely not suitable for a beginning winegrower; it is unsuitable for cultivation in most of Russia.
History of selection
The scientific name of the grape variety known to everyone as Ladyfingers is “Husayne Kelin Barmak”. It is of Central Asian origin, where it has been cultivated for more than 500 years. From there, at the beginning of the 17th century, the variety came to the Black Sea region, where it “took root” relatively successfully.
The unofficial name of the grape variety Lady's Fingers is easily explained by the characteristic shape of the berries. They are elongated, quite comparable in length to a woman’s little finger.
It has still not been possible to reliably establish the “ancestors” of the variety. According to one version, he was taken out in Samarkand, during the reign of Husayn (or Hussein) Boykaro from the dynasty founded by Timur. The variety was named in his honor.
Khusayne – an ancient variety of “folk selection”
Description of the Lady's Fingers grape variety
The Lady's Finger grape (scientifically, "Husayne" or "Husayni") is unmistakably recognizable to anyone who has seen it. In addition to their memorable taste, the berries are distinguished by their large size and typical shape.
Bunches
Clusters 20-30 cm long weigh 0.5-0.6 g. Larger clusters are often formed - up to 1.5 kg. They are quite loose, the shape is from cone-shaped to cylindrical.
Berries
The berries weigh 5-7 g. Their length reaches 3-4 cm. In “white” grapes, the shade of the skin varies from salad green to amber yellow, sometimes with a pinkish “blush”. The black Lady's Finger grapes have an inky purple color, while the pink grapes have a burgundy-raspberry color. The skin is elastic, very thin.
Vine
The vines are powerful, vigorous, with thick shoots and need support. Without pruning, they can stretch 5-6 m.
The shoots are densely leafy, the leaves are of a typical size and shape for grapes
Characteristics of the Lady's Fingers grapes
The Lady's Fingers variety is definitely not suitable for a novice winegrower. This becomes clear immediately after studying its main characteristics.
Terms of ripening and fruiting
In terms of ripening time, Lady's fingers are a medium-late or even late variety. The process takes 130-155 days. Even at home, in Central Asia, the harvest is harvested in the first half of September.
Productivity
For the first time, Lady Fingers grapes bear fruit four years after planting in open ground, and fully the next season. Productivity is potentially high (up to 40 tons per hectare), but unstable. Indicators decrease sharply with any errors in agricultural technology and deviations of growing conditions from ideal ones.
Amateur gardeners remove up to 10 kg of berries from an adult vine
Grape flavor Lady fingers
The berries are very sweet and juicy. The pulp is transparent green, with a jelly consistency. The taste is very balanced - the high sugar content of the Lady's Finger grapes (approximately 17%) is “balanced” by the content of fruit acids (4-5 g/l). Professional tasters rate it 8.5 points.
Growing regions
Lady fingers grapes are still grown mainly in Asia (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan). In Russia, only the climate of the North Caucasus region, Crimea, and the Black Sea region is suitable for its cultivation.
Frost resistance
The limited habitat of the Lady's finger grape is due to its low frost resistance. Vines die at temperatures of -10-15 °C. The roots will not tolerate soil freezing down to -5-7 °C.
Drought resistance
The Lady Fingers grape reacts very negatively to drought - the buds and flowers fall off, the berries “shrink”. Over-watering is no less dangerous for a variety than a lack of water - rot and other fungal diseases quickly develop.
Regular watering is the main condition for abundant fruiting of Lady's Fingers grapes
Resistance to diseases and pests
The resistance to pathogenic microflora in Lady's finger grapes is extremely low. Experts rate it 1-1.5 points out of ten possible. The vines are susceptible to almost all fungal diseases typical of the crop, primarily mildew and oidium. Pests also do not bypass this variety.
Methods of application
The berries are mostly eaten fresh. However, this variety is also very well suited for making raisins. During the drying process, the beneficial properties of lady fingers grapes are largely preserved. The berries are also used as “raw materials” for making homemade wines and preparations.
Composition and calorie content of lady fingers grapes
In terms of benefits, this variety is practically no different from the others. Lady fingers grapes are rich in vitamins (C, E, K, H, A, P group B). It also contains:
- fiber;
- organic acids;
- pectin;
- tannins and flavonoids;
- amino acids, including.
Macro- and microelements include the presence of:
- potassium;
- magnesium;
- manganese;
- nickel;
- chromium;
- boron;
- zinc;
- cobalt
The specific calorie content of berries depends on the cultivation conditions. The average is 60 kcal per 100 g. This number of calories in lady fingers grapes definitely excludes it from the list of dietary products.
The benefits and harms of lady fingers grapes
The benefits of lady fingers grapes (green, pink or black) for the body are “multifaceted”:
- general beneficial effect on the digestive system, kidneys, liver;
- “help” in cleansing from waste and toxins;
- normalization of acid-base balance;
- improvement of the condition of skin, hair, nails;
- “inhibition” of the aging process, neutralizing the negative effects of free radicals;
- prevention of the development of tumors, including malignant ones;
- strengthening the immune system;
- stimulation of brain activity;
- reducing blood cholesterol levels, normalizing its composition;
- restoration of healthy sleep, strength and mental balance after stress, depression, chronic fatigue.
We must not forget that lady fingers grapes are not only beneficial, but also potential harm to the body. It is excluded from the menu if there are contraindications:
- diabetes mellitus of any type;
- chronic gastritis, colitis, gastric or duodenal ulcer;
- acute heart failure;
- hypertension, “jumps” in blood pressure;
- frequent bouts of diarrhea;
- acute form of tuberculosis;
- significant excess weight or obesity;
- allergic reaction.
“Product presentation” and taste qualities of berries are the main advantages of the Lady’s Fingers grapes
Advantages and disadvantages
The “competitiveness” of the Lady Fingers grape is due to its undoubted and significant advantages:
- potentially high yield;
- self-pollinating;
- very good keeping quality and transportability for grapes;
- good preservation of bunches on the vine;
- lack of tendency to peas;
- presentable and “massive” brushes;
- excellent taste of the berries, their large size;
- absence of seeds, very thin but durable skin;
- suitability for making raisins;
There are also significant disadvantages:
- frost resistance, insufficient for most Russian regions;
- very low resistance to diseases and pests;
- demanding conditions for cultivation;
- low early pregnancy.
The main disadvantages of the Lady's fingers grapes are such only for Russian gardeners. In the homeland of the variety, the local climate partially “neutralizes” them.
Planting Lady's Fingers Grapes
The landing site must meet the following criteria:
- Good lighting.
- The presence of a “barrier” that protects plantings from cold drafts and sharp gusts of north wind. But it should not obscure them.
- A nutritious, but at the same time light substrate that allows air to pass through well and does not allow water to stagnate. Acid-base balance is neutral.
- Deep underground waters.
The development of vines and the ripening of Lady's Fingers grapes is greatly “slowed down” even in light partial shade
“Sleeping” seedlings and cuttings are planted in spring or autumn. Those with leaves are in May or early June.
When planting, a minimum of 3 m is left between adjacent specimens. The row spacing is 4.5-5 m. It is also necessary to provide a place for support.
The depth of the planting hole is 80-90 cm, the diameter is 60-70 cm. Any drainage material is poured onto the bottom in a thick layer. On top of it, about a third of the hole is filled with nutritious soil mixture. The pit must “stand” for at least two weeks.For lady fingers grapes, planted in early spring, it is generally dug in the fall.
Before planting, the soil at the bottom of the hole needs to be loosened, well moistened and collected in a “slide”. It is filled with soil gradually, in small portions, periodically shaking the seedling and compacting the substrate with your hands so that there are no air “pockets” left.
Immediately after planting the Lady Fingers grapes, water them abundantly, mulch them, and tie them to a support.
Grape care Lady fingers
A gardener who wants to grow lady fingers grapes must first study all the important nuances of caring for them:
- Watering. Four abundant (70-80 liters per adult plant) moisture is required at the beginning of the active growing season, before flowering and immediately after flowering, about a month after harvesting. During the season, the soil is irrigated weekly, using 35-40 liters of water. After the ovaries form, the rate is slightly reduced, otherwise the taste of the berries will not be rich.
- Fertilizer application. At the beginning of the active growing season, vines need mineral nitrogen compounds to build up green mass. Every 3-4 years, humus is added to maintain soil fertility. During the season, complex store-bought products for grapes are used once every 2.5-3 weeks, alternating root and foliar feeding. It is necessary to apply fertilizers at the stage of budding, formation of fruit ovaries and approximately two weeks before harvesting.
- Trimming. Lady fingers grapes are distinguished by a small number of fruiting shoots. The brushes on them are formed after the seventh “eye”.Therefore, they practice “long” pruning, shortening the shoots by 4-10 “eyes”.
- Shelter for the winter. For several days, carry out abundant watering. The vines are removed from the support, the shoots are tied, wrapped in several layers of covering material, and laid on the ground on a “bed” of spruce branches or thin boards.
- Prevention of diseases and pest attacks. Two treatments with insecticides and fungicides are required at the beginning and end of the growing season. During the summer, they are repeated as necessary in “series” 2-3 times with an interval of 10-12 days. We must not forget about the fight against wasps and birds.
Before sheltering for the winter, the bed is cleared of debris, loosened, and the layer of mulch is completely renewed.
Conclusion
The Lady Fingers grape is rightly considered one of the best table varieties. It has been cultivated for more than 500 years, and a worthy modern analogue has not yet appeared. Therefore, despite the capriciousness in care and requirements for conditions during the growing season, winegrowers continue to cultivate this variety, believing that the outstanding taste of the berries is worth the effort.
Reviews of grapes Lady fingers
