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Grapes are often found under different names. This happened with the Maradona variety. In different sources, grapes are called as Taifi stable or chocolate. Because of the color of the berries, the variety is also called Maradona Red. The culture has become famous for the good taste of the berries, the beauty of the bunches and high yield. Photos and reviews from gardeners and summer residents will help you get to know the description of the Maradona grape variety.
Main characteristics of the variety
Considering the description of the Chocolate grape variety, photos, reviews, it is worth mentioning one more name of the crop - PG-12. By its origin it is a hybrid. Grapes belong to the table form. The ripening of berries is medium late, occurring after approximately 140 days.
The Maradona Red grape is distinguished by its branched, rapidly growing bush. Bisexual flowers simplify the process of pollination without the participation of insects. The large clusters are very beautiful. Red color with a chocolate tint creates an attractive presentation. The arrangement of berries is medium loose. The shape of the bunch is conical, often growing double. Average weight – from 0.6 to 1.2 kg. Subject to the conditions of agricultural technology, you can grow brushes weighing up to 2.5 kg.
The berries of the Chocolate grape variety are oval, slightly elongated, up to 3 cm long, about 2.3 cm wide.The thin and durable skin, when ripe, acquires a red color with a brown-chocolate tint. Juicy pulp contains 3 grains, up to 18% sugar, about 6 g/dm33 acids.
The Chocolate variety is easily propagated by cuttings due to its rapid rooting. The vine manages to ripen within a season. The grapes are easily propagated by grafting, due to their good compatibility with rootstocks. For one bush of the Maradona variety, the maximum load of eyes should not exceed 45 pieces. During autumn pruning, vine branches with 8–12 eyes are left. From 140 to 150 centners of harvest are harvested from 1 hectare.
Regarding its advantages, Maradona grapes are weakly affected by mildew, gray rot, and resist oidium well. The vine can withstand frosts down to -23OC. Grapes can be transported. Brushes can be stored for a long time when picked and on the bush.
In the video, the Chocolate grape variety:
Features of variety propagation and planting cuttings
The Maradona variety has spread to many regions due to its unique ability to survive well in any climate. Even in the northern regions, the Chocolate grape variety manages to bear fruit, despite the short summer.
Maradona grape seedlings are planted in a sunny place on the south side of the site. Shading has a bad effect on the harvest. Due to lack of sunlight, the berries may not turn red and will remain white with a greenish tint. The variety loves nutritious soil with good drainage. Chocolate grapes will not grow in swampy areas.
Planting seedlings of the Chocolate variety is practiced in autumn and spring. In cold regions, planting is preferable in early May once warmer weather sets in. In a short summer, the seedling will have time to take root and survive the winter well. Gardeners in the southern regions practice autumn planting.
In addition to propagation by seedlings, the Maradona grape variety is well propagated by grafting. The rootstock is used by young and mature. For any method of propagation, cuttings are prepared in the fall. During pruning, the top part of the vine is discarded. She is usually immature. The rest of the lash is cut with pruning shears into cuttings with 4–5 eyes. To preserve the juice, the sections are dipped in hot paraffin. The cuttings are wrapped in damp cloth and stored in the cellar or refrigerator until spring.
The simplest way to graft Chocolate grapes is into splits. The process consists of the following steps:
- An adult bush is chosen for the rootstock. The vine is cut until a stump forms.
- The lower part of the cutting is cut off from opposite sides with a sharp knife. You should get a wedge.
- The stump of the rootstock is split in the center with a knife. A cutting is inserted into the split using a wedge, tied tightly with fabric tape, and covered with clay on top.
Maradona grapes can be grafted onto a young rootstock with an eye or into an overlay. In the second method, a rootstock and scion of the same thickness are selected.
The video demonstrates cleft grafting:
To grow a seedling from a cutting, perform the following steps:
- At the beginning of February, cuttings are taken out of the basement. Using pruning shears, cut off the lower part, filled with paraffin.
- Using the sharp tip of a knife, scratch the bark of the cutting near a fresh cut about 2 cm long. It will be easier for roots to grow from the grooves.
- Cuttings are placed in water, wet soil or wrapped with moss and film on top. In April, sprouted Maradona grape seedlings can be hardened off outside. If germination was carried out in water or moss, after the roots appear, the cuttings are planted in pots with soil.
Planting seedlings of the Maradona grape variety begins in early or mid-May. The timing depends on weather conditions. The planting rules are the same as for other grape varieties:
- The hole for the Maradona seedling is prepared in the fall or no later than a week before planting. A hole is dug with a depth and diameter of about 80 cm.
- About 50% of the pit is filled with a mixture of fertile soil and compost. Potassium and phosphorus fertilizers are added. If the soil is heavy, sand is added to loosen it. Before filling, the bottom of the pit is equipped with drainage made of stone or broken brick.
- A Maradona grape seedling is carefully removed from the pot along with a lump of earth, lowered into a hole and covered with soil. After watering, the soil will settle. It needs to be topped up and covered with sawdust or peat mulch on top.
On the market, seedlings of the Maradona variety are often sold with bare roots. When planting such grapes, a mound of soil is formed at the bottom of the hole. The root system of the seedling is straightened over the hill, after which backfilling begins.
Vineyard care
When reviewing the detailed description of the Chocolate grape variety, photos, and reviews from gardeners, it is worth paying attention to caring for the crop. There are no special requirements, but weeding, watering and fertilizing need to be done. In autumn, pruning followed by covering is required. The last step is necessary for cold regions.
The frequency of watering the Maradona variety depends on weather conditions. The soil is kept moist but not waterlogged.Chocolate grapes must be watered four times per season:
- before flowering;
- while pouring berries;
- at the end of the harvest;
- late autumn before shelter.
To avoid crust formation, loosen the soil with a hoe after each watering. To preserve moisture and provide additional feeding, the ground under the bushes is covered with a thick layer of mulch.
Fertilizing helps the bushes develop, increases the yield and taste of the berries. The Chocolate variety vineyard loves organic matter: compost, rotted manure, humus. The bushes are topped with a solution of chicken manure and fertilized with complex fertilizers.
It is advisable to feed the Chocolate variety at least 3 times during the season:
- immediately after flowering;
- when the grapes ripen;
- in the fall before wintering.
The final feeding of Maradona grapes is done with potassium fertilizer. Accumulated salts increase the vine's tolerance to severe frosts. Manure is applied in the form of slurry. Dry compost can be scattered instead of mulch 10 cm thick. Mineral fertilizers include saltpeter, potassium chloride and superphosphate. Fertilizers are applied simultaneously with watering. Sometimes combined with spraying with preventive drugs against fungus.
The Chocolate variety is characterized by strong bush growth. In autumn the vine is pruned. Each gardener has his own favorite way to form a bush. It's easier to create a fan. If there is a lot of space on the site, two shoulders are formed from the bush. In the courtyard you can let the lashes fall on the arch, organizing a place to rest under the Maradona grapes.
In the south there is no need to cover the vine. Chocolate grapes are grown in standard form. Bushes in the form of a low tree remain overwintering on supports.
In cold regions, Maradona grape bushes are covered after pruning. A straw shield is created on the ground. The vine is tied with ropes and laid on a mat. The top of the Chocolate grapes is covered with thick material or reed mats are knitted.
Disease Prevention
The Maradona variety is rarely affected by phylloxera and oidium, but preventive spraying is required. Things are more complicated with fungi. Grapes are afraid of mildew - downy mildew. Spraying the bushes with fungicides before and after flowering helps prevent the spread of the disease. Preparations containing copper work well against fungus. If there are no fungicides at hand, prepare a 1% solution from copper sulfate and treat the plantings.
Reviews
Concluding the review of Maradona grapes, descriptions of the variety, photos, reviews, videos, it remains to find out what gardeners say about this crop.
