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Today grapes are grown in central Russia. Winter here is much harsher than in the southern regions. Therefore, you have to think about how to protect the vine from low temperatures in winter. Novice winegrowers still don’t know much about agronomic rules for caring for plants, so the question is how cover grape plantings for the winter in the middle zone, is now relevant. After all, preparation begins long before autumn work in the vineyard. It needs to start now.
This means that after harvesting the plants need to be properly prepared for the harsh reality in order to get an excellent harvest of tasty and healthy berries next year. The rules for preparing grapevines, feeding and methods of covering will be discussed in the article.
How to decide on the timing of covering
For winegrowers who have been cultivating crops in central Russia for many years, it is much easier to decide on the timing of covering grapes for the winter. But for beginners, choosing the optimal time is difficult.To know how to cover grapes for the winter in the middle zone, you need to determine the condition and age of the plantings. We hope that our recommendations will be useful.
The fact is that low negative temperatures promote the activity of biological processes responsible for the resistance of plants to low air temperatures, and frost resistance increases.
- Covering grape plantings for the winter has two purposes: The first goal is that strong and healthy grapes are hardened. You can identify a vine that can withstand the frosts of central Russia by the light brown color of the shoot.
- The second goal is to protect the fragile vine and cover it earlier.
How to decide which vine needs to be covered before frost:
- Firstly, they cover new plantings and vines that are only one year old.
- Secondly, last year’s plants with fragile buds or those bushes that gave a rich harvest and have not yet had time to grow stronger.
- Thirdly, a vine weakened due to disease is subject to early shelter.
- Fourthly, grapes with low varietal frost resistance.
The role of winter shelter
Beginning winegrowers living in the middle zone often ask why they cover the grapevine for the winter and what it does.
Turns out:
- low temperatures lead to cracking of the bark and freezing of the root system;
- a covered vineyard will produce a rich harvest next season because it will retain nutrients.
Before covering a grapevine for the winter in the middle zone, you need to carry out serious preparatory work. These include feeding plants in the fall, abundant watering, treatment against pests and diseases with drugs, pruning, and proper placement of the vine before wintering.
Only after this can you think about ways to protect the grapevine from frost, for which central Russia is famous.
Methods for covering grapes
There are different ways to protect grape plantings in winter in central Russia. Let's look at the most common ones:
- preservation of plants under snow, spruce branches, soil;
- cover with tires;
- mini-greenhouses;
- boxes;
- vertical shelter.
Shelter under the snow
In regions where winter brings heavy snowfall, covering plants for the winter is not difficult. Snow is the best insulation. The vine pressed to the ground, removed from the trellis, is fixed with staples and covered with snow. The height of the snow cover should be within 35 centimeters or higher.
Spruce spruce branches
The removed vine is twisted around the trunk, being careful not to break it. Then they lay out spruce branches up to 35 cm high. If, according to weather forecasters, there will be a harsh winter in central Russia, then after sprinkling with snow, the plantings are again covered with spruce branches.
Hilling up, covering with soil
You can cover the bushes with ordinary soil. The shaft must be at least 30 cm, if the plants are old, then up to half a meter. For shelter, use dry and loose soil without lumps. It’s a good idea to mix the soil with sawdust. Before sheltering, approximately 200 liters of water are poured under each bush to protect against severe cold.The soil is taken only from between the rows, away from the roots, so that they do not freeze in winter.
To prevent precipitation from wetting the ground, old slate is placed on top.
Old tires
Young grape plants can be covered in the middle zone using old car tires. The flexible vine is carefully twisted and placed inside. To protect plants, one tire is dug into the ground, the second is installed on top. Then sprinkle with soil. To allow air to penetrate and prevent damping out, holes must be made between the tires. To prevent the structure from being blown away by the wind, bricks are placed on top.
Mini greenhouses
Creating a mini-greenhouse over a grapevine is one of the most common ways to cover grapes for the winter in central Russia. You can use any available materials:
- old plastic bags;
- bags of cereals and sugar;
- old tarpaulin;
- roofing felt
First, the vine is bent down, then an arch-shaped structure is built above it to provide oxygen access.
Press down the edges with something heavy so that the wind does not blow away the shelter. When it snows, it will become additional natural insulation.
Wooden boxes
Wooden boxes, as experienced winegrowers assure, are excellent protection for grapes from winter cold. The houses are installed above the plantings when the thermometer drops to +8 degrees. The interior of the structure is lined with old polyethylene to prevent precipitation from getting under the cover. After installing the house, the lower part is sprinkled with soil.
Vertical method
If you are planting a grapevine with increased frost resistance on your site, then it is not necessary to remove it from the trellis. Having carried out all the preparatory work, tie the plants into one bunch and tie them to a stake. After this, wrap it with special material and tie it with twine. The grapes will overwinter in an upright position.
First you need to dig up the soil under the grapes, then pour in sawdust and cover with spruce branches. Experienced winegrowers do not recommend covering with leaves for two reasons:
- starting to rot, the leaves create unfavorable conditions for the roots to overwinter;
- As a rule, many pests overwinter on the leaves.
Unusual, but reliable:
Instead of results
We have already talked about how to cover grapes for the winter. But I would also like to dwell on the issue of timeliness: the danger of covering the vine early or late.
If covered earlier:
- Plants go into winter in a weakened state, so most often they do not survive until spring.
- Due to high temperatures, plants begin to sweat and sweat. This is a favorable environment for the proliferation of fungal spores.
If you are late with shelter:
- The buds freeze over, so you don’t have to wait for them to open in the spring. The growth of grapes will begin later and from the root neck.
- The resting phase becomes longer. Bud germination will begin a month later.
Untimely covering of the grapevine can cause a sharp decrease in next year's harvest.
