Content
Selection does not stand still; every year scientists develop more and more new varieties of garden and vegetable crops. Thus, relatively recently, breeders from Moldova crossed the Kishmish Pink grape with the Cardinal variety: as a result, a new species was obtained - the Kishmish Radiant grape. The berries of this variety are large and very beautiful, there are absolutely no seeds inside the pulp, besides this, Kishmish Radiant has many more advantages.
Description of the grape variety Kishmish Radiant, reviews about it, as well as photos can be found in this article. Here are the basic rules for growing and pruning grapevines.
Description
Radiant grapes are considered a table variety, while its distant ancestor, Common Kishmish, is suitable only for making juices, wine or producing raisins.
The variety ripens mid-early. Radiant received its name because its grapes have thin skin and light flesh, which are easily penetrated by the sun and seem to glow from within.
Characteristics of Kishmish Radiant:
- the ripening period is, on average, 130 days;
- the vine is vigorous, shoots develop quickly;
- leaves are medium-sized, strongly dissected, five-lobed;
- the clusters are large, reaching 45 cm in length;
- the weight of each bunch ranges from 450 to 900 grams;
- the shape of the brushes is conical, the fullness is medium;
- berries are pink, elongated;
- the pulp of the grapes is fleshy, juicy, dense, with a subtle nutmeg flavor;
- the taste is sweet and sour, very pleasant and refreshing;
- there are no seeds in the pulp;
- the marketability of grapes is high;
- yield – above average – about 12 kg per bush;
- grapes are harvested at the end of August or in the first ten days of September;
- about 65% of Kishmish’s vines are fruit bearing, this must be taken into account when pruning and forming a bush;
- The skin of the grapes is quite dense, so the bunches tolerate transportation and storage well;
- You can store the Radiant Kishmish harvest until January; for this, the clusters are carefully placed in clean wooden boxes and placed in a cool, dry place.
A more detailed description of Radiant grapes can be found in specialized literature, but for amateur cultivation, the above information is quite sufficient.
Winegrowers advise growing this variety on special arches or arbors so that large clusters hang freely, are evenly illuminated by the sun and blown by the wind. In such conditions, Kishmish will not be affected by dangerous fungal infections.
Strengths and weaknesses of the variety
Big plus of grapes Kishmish Radiant its high marketability is considered:
- grapes have no seeds;
- its pulp is quite dense, sugary, aromatic;
- the skin on the berries is thick, so they rarely crack and are attacked by wasps;
- the clusters are large and beautiful;
- the crop can be stored for a long time and also transported to any distance.
The same large size of bunches and high yield of Kishmish Radiant are also disadvantages of this variety. The fact is that the vine is often overloaded, and this, in turn, leads to the loss of part of the harvest or loss of the grapes’ taste.
If pruning is done incorrectly, the shoots will be overloaded and the vine will simply break off. Even if the bush survives, numerous berries may not have enough potassium and other trace elements to fully ripen. This leads to cracking of the berries, their wateriness, and increased acidity.
How to grow
The peculiarities of growing the Kishmish Radiant variety are based, first of all, on the shortcomings of this grape. Caring for bushes must necessarily include competent and correct pruning.
Trimming
As already mentioned, pruning for this grape variety is a very important component of care. If you do not thin out the bunches in time, then in the first year you can achieve their extraordinary size - each cluster will weigh about 1-1.5 kg. But next season there will be a strong shrinkage of berries and bunches. Do not forget about the high probability that the vine will break and the bush will die.
In order to prevent all these consequences, it is necessary to prune the grapevine in a timely and correct manner, relying on diagrams and photos in this matter. The distribution of the load on the bush should be as follows: 1-2 grape bunches for each fruit shoot, which will ultimately amount to 50-60 tassels per adult Radiant bush.
If you follow this simple scheme, in the fall or late summer you can harvest a good harvest of half-kilogram bunches of high commercial quality.
The basic rules for forming Kishmish Radiant grape bushes are as follows:
- On new sleeves you need to leave 2-3 eyes.
- All old sleeves must have a maximum of 14 eyes.
- The total load on each adult bush should be from 25 to 30 eyes.
- The distance between adjacent sleeves should be at least a meter. To achieve this, vigorous Kishmish Radiant is planted at intervals of 2.5-3 meters with neighboring bushes or other plants.
- It is necessary to form bushes of this variety according to the scheme with the largest supply of wood.
- Weak or diseased shoots must be pruned - do not overload an already loaded bush.
Features of care
A winegrower who has chosen the Radiant variety for cultivation will not be able to rest - this variety of Kishmish needs constant and very careful care.
The method and intensity of irrigation largely depend on the composition of the soil and the type of climate in a particular region of the country. In any case, Kishmish responds well to drip irrigation, so it is recommended to install such irrigation systems under the vine. You should not water the bushes during the period of flowering and ripening of berries, and you should also stop watering 2-3 weeks before the upcoming harvest.
Frost resistance of this grape is weak (the vine can withstand temperature drops only down to -15 degrees), so in most regions of Russia the vine will have to be covered for the winter. To save grapes from frost, the vine is pruned in the fall, then tied and bent to the ground.
After this, each owner proceeds in his own way: someone pours an earthen mound over the vine, others use spruce branches or spruce needles, you can cover the grapes with special non-woven materials or build a house of slate or boards around it. There are many ways to cover a vine for the winter; usually the choice of a specific option depends on the region and its climatic features.
During the flowering period, Kishmish Radiant must be treated against pests and diseases characteristic of the variety (usually fungi). Kishmish often suffers from mildew and oidium; the variety is also unstable to root phylloxera. You need to regularly inspect the vine and leaves in order to identify diseases in the early stages and take timely action. The clusters should be well ventilated and blown by the wind - you should carefully consider the location of planting the bush.
For example, the nutmeg aroma can be lost if the vine is watered too often and abundantly. The taste of berries also suffers greatly if there is a lack of microelements in the soil. Often the soil under powerful bushes does not have enough potassium - this is the component that needs to be fed to Radiant every year.
In order for Kishmish berries to grow large and healthy, it is recommended to treat the emerging clusters with Gibberellin.
Reviews
We live in the center of the country, so for a long time we did not dare to introduce Kishmish Radiant on our farm, because it does not tolerate frost well. But we have been growing this magnificent variety for five years now: so far the grapes have only made us happy. I can advise beginning winegrowers to use short pruning for this variety of Kishmish and not to treat it with growth stimulants (such as gibberellin). As a result of stimulation, individual berries actually turn out to be very large, but the rest of the mass turns into “peas”.You should also not flood the bushes with water and overdo it with fertilizers; such actions will cause the bunches to become loose and disheveled.
Conclusion
The grape variety is worthy of the attention of any winegrower. Kishmish Radiant is a rather capricious and finicky variety: it does not like the cold, requires careful and painstaking pruning, and requires complex care. Many gardeners are also put off by the fact that to get a decent harvest, the vine needs to be treated with chemicals at least 5-6 times per season.
But no one knows how much and what they sprayed the purchased grapes with. That's why It’s definitely worth trying and planting Kishmish in your garden - the result will definitely please you, because the taste of the grapes is truly excellent.
