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There is an opinion among summer residents that grapes can only be grown in the southern regions, and the Urals, with its unpredictable summers and 20-30 degree frosts, are not suitable for this crop. However, you can grow vines in the Urals if you know how cover the grapes for the winter.
Growing grapes in the Urals requires the correct selection of varieties and precise implementation of agrotechnical recommendations.
Features of viticulture in the Urals
Early or mid-early varieties are best for planting. grape varieties, which manage to ripen in 3-4 months. They must be winter hardy. This property should not be confused with frost resistance, which means the ability of grapes to withstand short-term frosts. Winter-hardy grape varieties are prepared for strong temperature changes throughout the winter season. However, at very low temperatures, young grape bushes can die, so in the Urals the grapes are covered in winter. To do this, experienced winegrowers keep a variety of covering materials on their farm: straw, boards, burlap, spunbond.
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Preparatory work in the vineyard
Incorrectly covered grapevines face many dangers:
- young branches and roots can become food for mice;
- mold fungi may form on the branches;
- Kidneys may freeze.
Preparatory activities:
- if the weather is dry in the fall, you need to water the vineyard well and fertilize it with minerals;
- carry out preventive treatment of bushes;
- remove the vine from the trellis and tie it into bunches;
- prepare covering material and trenches for shelter.
Vineyard pruning rules
Pruning the vineyard could be done in the spring, but in the fall it has several advantages:
- Young, unripe grapevines can freeze in winter, so they should be pruned after the leaves fall;
- pruning will reduce the volume of the bush, which will make it easier to cover;
- in the spring, sap flow begins - the loss of sap from cut branches will weaken the vine and reduce its yield.
The following recommendations are specific to pruning grapes in the Urals:
- Bushes should not be pruned in the first year;
- it is necessary to remove all shoots and stepsons down to the woody branch;
- Approximately 12 eyes and 4 shoots should be left.
Covering material
All material used for shelter must be disinfected after it is removed from the vineyard in the spring, and stored in a dry place. In the fall you need to get it out and prepare it for use:
- review, reject and destroy damaged boards or straw mats;
- collect and dry fallen leaves, and then treat them with disinfectants;
- Spruce spruce branches will be an excellent covering material - it will protect the vine from mice;
- prepare and dry medicinal plants that will repel pests - tansy, calendula, wormwood and others;
- cover the covering material with these herbs.
Sheltering the vineyard for the winter
There are different ways to cover vines. They need to be covered when frosts set below minus five degrees, since light frosts only harden the vine. The first time after sheltering, you need to monitor the air temperature. If it rises above six degrees Celsius, mold fungi will begin to multiply, which will lead to the death of the vine. In this case, you need to remove the covering material, open the vine and ventilate it, and when the temperature drops to minus five again, cover it.
Shelter on deck
When covering grapes, you need to make sure that their vines are raised above the ground, otherwise they may rot. First, a flooring of boards is laid on the bars, and vines tied into a bunch are laid on it. The area under and around the decking is cleared of leaves, branches and other debris. Next, you need to cover the grapes with spruce branches, and cover the top with a covering material - film or roofing felt. Since every centimeter of snow cover retains one degree of heat, half a meter of snow will allow the grapes to overwinter without additional shelter.
However, if the winter has little snow, insulation of the vine is required. Sawdust, leaves, boards are laid out on the spruce branches, and on top they are covered with film or other covering material. Vents should be left on the sides so that the vine can breathe freely. The roots of the grapes should also be covered. A good way is to insulate the tree trunk circle with spruce branches covered with snow.
Sheltering grapes under a layer of dry snow
Many people use the air-dry method of covering grapes.First, they bend the vine and pin it to the ground, but so that it is ten centimeters above the ground. The top is insulated with leaves, sawdust or straw, then burlap or dark film is thrown over the wire as a covering material and the edges are covered with soil from the inter-row spaces. The shelter must have vents for ventilation. It is covered with a layer of snow on top.
Multi-layer shelter
You can use 3-4 layers of covering material through which water does not penetrate and the grapes can breathe. During frosts, an ice crust forms on it, which does not allow the cold to pass through.
After airing, the grapes must be protected from spring frosts again.
Vertical grape shelter
In some cases, the vine has to be covered directly on the trellis. In this case, it is covered with spruce branches on all sides and tied. Then the structure is covered with a dense layer of snow, so that a snow cap is formed. You must constantly ensure that the top layer of snow does not melt, otherwise the vine will freeze. At the same time, you need to cover the roots - they are covered with earth and covered with spruce branches.
Covering the vineyard with laminate
Laminate made from polystyrene is an excellent covering material. Due to its low thermal conductivity and high air permeability, it will provide effective protection for grapes.
Application technology:
- remove the vines from the trellis, tie them into bunches and lay them on the ground;
- stretch the laminate over them;
- secure the edges with stones, and then sprinkle with a dense layer of earth;
- Leave both ends of the roll open for ventilation.
Removing cover in spring
An overwintered vineyard is usually opened after the spring snow melts, when the frosts have passed - around April or early May. It is better to cover it with film at night, as spring frosts are still possible. During the day, the covering material is removed for several hours, but it is better to do this in the evening or in cloudy weather so that the vine does not get burned.
In order to stimulate the growth of grapes in the spring, a vertical pipe for watering is installed next to each bush. It should go into the ground to a depth of 50 cm.
It goes to the roots and warms them up, as a result of which the buds wake up faster.
To protect the grapes from return frosts at this time, trellis posts are installed next to the bushes, onto which covering material can be quickly thrown and secured.
Growing grapes requires labor, time, and experience. But they will more than pay for themselves with a rich harvest of delicious berries.
