Proper planting and care of Isabella grapes

Description and characteristics of the Isabella variety

Isabella grapes are a late-ripening, uncovered, technical variety.
It is consumed fresh and in the form of juices, and is also used for making light homemade wine, compotes, jams and preserves. The variety is popular due to its productivity, large fruit, excellent taste with soft strawberry notes, stability and good resistance to common diseases (phylloxera, podium, mildew), although it can be affected by anthracnose and chlorosis.

Isabella grapes

The shape of the bunch is often cylindrical, less often cone-shaped. A medium-sized brush weighing up to 250 g. But with favorable weather and good care, clusters of up to 2 kg or more can be grown. The berries are dark purple or dark blue in color, round, large, up to 2 cm in diameter, covered with a bluish-gray coating with a small number of seeds. On average, the berries weigh up to 3 g with sweet and sour, slightly slimy, yellow-greenish pulp. Thanks to the strong and very dense skin, the grapes are easily transportable. A distinctive feature of the Isabella grape variety is the taste of the berries, reminiscent of garden strawberries.

Important! The more clusters that grow on the vine, the smaller they will be. The average yield is between 50 and 60 kg

This variety ripens late. The fruits are harvested in the fall, at the beginning of October, which allows you to enjoy delicious grapes when most varieties have already reached the end of their fruiting period. Moreover, the fact that the berries are already ripe and asking to be added to the basket will be indicated by the thinning aroma of nutmeg.

In addition to their pleasant taste, grape berries have a healing effect. Grape juice contains a large amount of phytoncides, which adds antibacterial properties to it. Antioxidants in berries help fight aging and skin aging.

Important! People suffering from stomach and intestinal diseases, as well as from edema and kidney disease should drink undiluted juice with caution.

Isabella grape jam

Pruning tips from a professional winegrower

How to prune grapes for the winter? If you strictly follow all the recommendations of experienced vineyards, then the procedure for pruning the grapevine will be quite simple and will not take much time. However, sometimes beginners make serious mistakes, which subsequently have a negative impact on the quantity, quality and health of the vineyard. If this is your first time encountering the procedure of pruning grapes, then it is advisable to watch several video lessons on the Internet before something irreparable happens.

The skill of pruning grapevines is a very important skill, without which it is impossible to grow a large vineyard. If you master this skill, you will be able to grow young bushes and harvest the maximum harvest from mature plants, which will give you large, juicy berries. In addition, the vine will be a wonderful decoration for the facade of a house, gazebo or fence.

So, you have learned how to prune a vineyard as correctly as possible. Remember that proper pruning is a guarantee of a bountiful harvest and prosperity for your vineyard! To conclude the topic “pruning grapes in the fall for beginners,” we offer the following video, which will tell you about the methods and basic rules for pruning grapes:

Rules for pruning grapes

Caring for grapes in summer and features of courtship in the first year
To ensure the fruiting function of a grape bush, it is left with a pair of annual vines growing on a biennial plant. The cutting areas should be left in one place, on the inside. For this purpose, the shoots should be on the outside of the middle of the bush and below the tendrils. Incorrectly placed cut locations will impede the normal flow of juice in the grapes. Shoots that are a year old or more are removed and shoots of half a centimeter are left at the cutting sites. The size of the remaining parts is important, as it will affect the growth of the bush and its restoration. The cutting location for areas that have been growing on the bush for many years should be perpendicular to the axis.

Pruning a year-old vine is done between a node a couple of centimeters from the top section. It is recommended to make the cut at an angle to properly direct the flow of juice through the vine

Particular attention is paid to pruning plants, the territorial location of which exposes the bush to the threat of various types of diseases.

The Isabella grape plant is difficult to tolerate pruning and is not able to heal damaged areas on its own. Therefore, several principles should be adhered to:

The plant should be cleaned rarely, but thoroughly. It is important to leave bulges at the cut points and not to cut at the root. Those varieties that are not covered for the winter are cleaned in the spring, the rest in the fall.

Isabella grapes after pruning

You should not make the Isabella variety with grapes cut lengthwise and crosswise. For each arrow of grapes, three cutting places are enough: one is intended for the vegetative area, the second for pruning the vine. More complete pruning should be done before the growing season is reached.

Trimming, leaving a small bulge at the cut sites, helps the healing process to improve and reduces losses from the operation. The plant is not capable of healing wounds; it is not a tree, but a vine bush. This is something to keep in mind when it comes to pruning.

The pruning period depends on the climatic conditions of the region; if in the northern parts it is correct to clean the Isabella bush in the fall, then in the south it is better in the spring, although it is also possible in the fall. But circumcised Isabella in the south in the fall will be less able to survive the winter cold.

If the bush is covered, then it is better to do pruning after you have harvested. Both with pruning and with shelter, you should choose the right time so that the plant does not rot in the shelter. But it was not subject to severe frosts.

The harvest will be larger on vigorously growing vineyard bushes. The harvest will not be much, but the berries will be of impressive size.

You should assess the situation wisely and be aware that large clusters on dense bushes will require you to spend a lot of physical labor and time caring for the plant. But this can be prevented if you grow a medium Isabella bush. In summer, the main job is to remove excess shoots and bunches of grapes.

Proper pruning in the spring should be carried out by timely monitoring of the flow of flowering planting material. If the inflorescences begin to open, then cleaning the bush should be done not in the spring, but after harvesting the Isabella grapes.

Isabella grape harvest after proper pruning

Pruning grapes in autumn for beginners in pictures. What is grape pruning?

Pruning is a manipulation carried out with the aim of shortening or removing annual shoots, and old ones as necessary.

What time of year is best to prune a vineyard? When is it better to prune grapes - in autumn or spring? The most preferable is autumn pruning of grapes. There are several reasons for this: firstly, if the vineyard needs to be covered for the winter, then this process is greatly facilitated.

Secondly, the “wounds” heal quickly after pruning. As a result, such correct pruning of grapes in the fall leads to the fact that the bush bears fruit well.

Pruning grapes in the spring is dangerous for the bush because liquid will ooze from the cut for a long time, along with which the plant will begin to leave useful substances and microelements; this process is also called “crying grapes.”

The tears of a grapevine can not only reduce the quality and quantity of products obtained, but also kill the bush. As a last resort, if pruning was not carried out in the fall, then it can be done in early spring, only very carefully. The thermometer should reach + 5 degrees Celsius.

During the formation and ripening of berries, professionals in their field remove excess vines, pinch shoots, and clean the bush from unnecessary leaves.

Professional winemaking includes: the formation of clusters on the lower part of the bush, followed by gradual clearing of foliage, this is done so that the berries absorb the sun's rays. Clusters formed in the upper or middle part of the bush are freed from excess shoots, while the foliage is left. This trick gives the grapes an exquisite taste. Also, thanks to pruning, hidden diseases of the bush are revealed, which can then be easily treated.

Grape pruning scheme for Beginners - How to prune grapes correctly

How to prune grapes in spring? Spring pruning of grapes for beginners is recommended only for those bushes whose age is no more than three years. Quite often, a side effect of pruning the bush is the drying out of the vine and the subsequent death of the vineyard.

If you prune an adult bush that is more than three years old, the buds will turn sour. Therefore, the best time for pruning bushes is autumn, because pruning grapes for the winter will avoid most problems, in particular with excessive juice production.

Description of the variety

Planting and caring for decorative grapes at a summer cottage

These grapes belong to technical varieties, that is, in a different way - this variety is universal. Isabella is used to make jams, juices, preserves, wine, and is also eaten raw.

It is unpretentious in care, and at the same time gives high yield. The variety is not susceptible to many diseases and requires minimal feeding. The distinctive quality that this grape has is its low calorie content. This allows it to be used when creating a diet menu.

It is easy to care for and is also not difficult to plant, so this variety can often be seen growing both on farms and in private yards.

When Isabella grapes are mentioned, the description will be incomplete without talking about the external data of the variety. The variety ripens in the fall, has a large-fruited cluster, there are a lot of berries on it, all of them are medium in size and dark in color.

Isabella berries have light green flesh inside, covered with a thick skin. Easily separated when fully ripe. There is a small number of seeds; the entire brush itself can weigh up to 2.5 kilograms.

The ripening period until full harvest is extended to 170–180 days. The period is counted from the moment of landing. One grape bush can produce a yield of up to 700 kilograms.

The vine has a dark brown color, the stalk is gray. Abundant watering gives the grape leaves a rich green color and they are easy to care for.

The grapes themselves can be used both for their intended purpose and for decorating personal plots, for example, weaving gazebos, decorative fences, and other structures. And all thanks to the fact that the variety is distinguished by abundant foliage and its vine is very branched.

This variety appeared for the first time in America, two centuries ago. It is the brainchild of the American breeder William Prince. And today this variety is widely cultivated in various parts of the world. This grape is especially popular in countries with warm climates.

He is especially loved by gardeners in Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. In Russia, its main location is Crimea and the Krasnodar region.

Grapes can be propagated using cuttings. Thus, the grapes take root faster and more painlessly, and the cuttings require minimal care. When growing, no special care is needed, except for trimming some shoots to prevent thickening.

The soil in which Isabella table grapes will grow must contain a minimum amount of limestone rocks. This variety does not need special feeding.

It is worth considering one more feature - a minimum number of warm days can lead to the fact that the crop simply does not have time to ripen. Although the variety itself has the ability to produce crops in any climatic zone.

Reviews

• Svyatoslav, 46 years old: “Isabella is a favorite variety of many gardeners, as well as me. I've been growing it for about 12 years. This is an amazing culture. Of course, you have to put a lot of effort into caring for it. But my harvest is always abundant and tasty. I believe that beginners should grow Isabella, as it adapts well to the climate and is undemanding to the soil.”
• Gennady, 58 years old: “Isabella is one of my favorite grape varieties. I also grow Lydia on the plot. My choice fell on them, since they are completely picky crops, which, with the right approach to cultivation, can give a good harvest. Isabella's grapes are always large and voluminous. The berries are medium in size, but very tasty and sweet. These grapes make excellent wine, the taste of which can be traced with the aroma of strawberries.”

The Isabella grape variety will be able to produce a harvest in the third year from the moment of planting. But full berry picking can occur after 5 years.

Isabella is one of the most popular grape varieties, which is loved by amateur and experienced gardeners. The peculiarity of the crop is that it is capable of producing a bountiful harvest on any land and under any climatic conditions.

Agrobiological characteristics

Isabella grapes main characteristics, planting and care features

Mature grape bushes are very vigorous. The leaf is large, three- or five-lobed, rounded, slightly dissected. The leaf blade is dark green in color, greenish-white or gray below, covered with thick felt pubescence. The side notches are open, barely outlined. The petiole recess is open, vaulted with a sharp bottom. The flower is bisexual and is well pollinated by its own pollen.

Isabella's clusters are of medium size (their weight, as a rule, does not exceed 200 grams), cylindrical or cylindrical-conical, medium density, sometimes loose. The combs and stems of the berries are short. Berries in the phase of removable ripeness are held firmly on the bunch; when overripe, the attachment weakens, and therefore they may fall off. The berries are medium, round, with a diameter of 17-19 mm, and weighing 2-3 grams. The pulp is slimy, yellowish-green in color, with a pronounced strawberry aroma characteristic of the variety. The skin is thick, durable, dark blue, almost black, covered with a thick bluish waxy coating, and is easily separated from the pulp. There are 1-2 seeds in a berry.

The harvest is used fresh and for the production of ordinary table and dessert wines, juices, and jams. Can be stored well for several months in a cool, dry place, hung, or neatly laid in a single row on straw or sawdust. The use of Isabella in winemaking has been causing ongoing controversy for many years, but more and more producers are choosing to abandon the cultivation and processing of the technologically controversial variety.

The grapes are late ripening. The growing season from bud break to harvestable maturity is 150−180 days. The sum of active temperatures required by the plant is 3100 °C. The ripening of the shoots is good. Winter hardiness is excellent. The plant can withstand frosts down to -29°C without damage. Productivity is high - 65−70 c/ha. Bushes in arched and arbor crops produce very high yields. Provided good nutrition and watering are provided, mature powerful plants can produce 100-250 kilograms of grapes.

Isabella's good yield, even with a relatively small bunch, is ensured by high rates of shoot fertility (80−90%) and a fruiting coefficient of 1.8−2.0. It is not uncommon for two or three clusters to form on each shoot. Fruitful vines appear even on perennial wood from dormant buds, so even if the main buds freeze out, you will not be left without a harvest.

The sugar content of berry juice is 16−18%, acidity is 6−7 g/liter.

Types of special spring pruning for damaged grape bushes

The structure of a grape bush

If after winter you find signs of frostbite on the grape bushes, do not despair - you can restore the plant (at least partially) with the help of special pruning.

The bushes froze during the winter

First, check the condition of your kidneys. Make cuts on the eyes, moving from the base of the branch to the top: if the buds are green, then they are healthy. But a black or dark brown color indicates damage. Count the damaged buds and calculate what percentage of the total volume of the buds they make up.

If less than 80% of the buds die, leave a larger number of buds on the fruit links than with normal formation. The harvest can also be obtained from additional shoots on the fruiting branches that you left during autumn pruning.

If annual shoots have been frostbitten or more than 80% of the buds on the bush have died , two-stage sanitary pruning will help. Before the buds bloom, remove frozen shoots and damaged sleeves. When greenery appears, complete the sanitary pruning by removing unnecessary growth.

If 100% of the kidneys are affected, check the condition of the stepchildren - they are more frost-resistant and have a better chance of surviving the winter. If the buds of the stepsons are also dead, try to form fruiting links from shoots (shoots developing from the underground part of the trunk) or tops (fatifying shoots of a grape bush growing from buds on perennial branches).

Look at how the core is colored when cut: its bright green color indicates the good condition of the shoot, slightly browned color indicates minor damage. But shoots with a dark brown core need to be removed.

When the entire above-ground part of the bush dies, a cut is made “to the black head”. To do this, dig the bush to a depth of 25-30 cm and cut off the entire above-ground part above the healthy node. Then cover the stump with earth (5 cm layer), and soon young shoots will begin to grow from the trunk. Leave the strongest ones and remove the excess growth. This will give you a new, healthy vine.

Frostbite of bush roots

Often, a frosty winter with little snow leads to damage or death of part of the grape root system. Carefully dig up the ground in several places around the bush to different depths, make cuts on the roots of the plant - healthy roots should be white when cut, frostbitten roots should be dark brown.

If the diameter of the root frostbite is no more than 2.5 mm, this is not detrimental to the plant, the main thing is that the main part of the root system is preserved, which means that the vine will recover next year. In the spring, reduce the load on it by pruning the fruit vines short.

Spring hail damage

If after a spring hail the bush has lost a significant part of its leaves, trim the young shoots to 1-2 buds. Later, shoots will appear from them that need to be thinned out. This will help activate the reserve eyes, which will begin to bear fruit next year.

Types of pruning methods

There are different ways to prune grapes in the fall; they differ in technique. When pruning bushes in the fall, be sure to take into account the recommended load for a particular variety. Load is the maximum number of buds that should be on the bushes after autumn treatment. Wine grapes, such as Isabella,

Lydia endures heavy loads. Therefore, it is recommended to leave up to 15 buds on the fruit shoots. Such bushes may have 6-8 large sleeves. Table varieties, Aleshenkin, Kesha, Laura, require regulation of fruiting. They have large clusters with large berries. Therefore, pruning should be done to 6-10 buds. In summer, such bushes are pinched.

Guyot pruning

It is used in the southern regions when growing grapes using the uncovered method. You can use this pruning to form one or two sleeves on the bush. Pruning of one-year and two-year-old bushes is carried out in the usual way. In the third year, when the young bush is pruned, the fruiting arrow is tied to a wire, parallel to the ground.

In the future, arrows and substitution knots will be formed from it. Instead of one sleeve, you can make two by tying them to the wire in opposite directions. After a few years, when the bush grows and becomes strong, instead of one fruit arrow, you can leave two or three. Alternatively, fan pruning can be used instead of Guyot pruning.

Fan pruning

The technique resembles the previous forming option and is suitable for covered viticulture. Fan pruning involves the presence of several fruit arrows located on vertical trellises. Can be multi-sleeved or single-sided. For weakly growing bushes, 3-4 sleeves are formed, for strongly growing bushes - 6-8 sleeves.

In the first year, 2-3 eyes are left on the shoot. But the second year fan pruning is carried out in the spring, leaving 2 eyes on two vines or 3 buds on one if the second is frozen. Already in the third year, fruitful arrows and replacement knots begin to form. Long vines are placed on a trellis in the shape of a fan (hence the name, fan pruning). Before winter, the vines are removed from the trellises and sent to shelter. The fruiting time of the bush after such pruning is 6-8 years.

Gazebo or arched trimming

The technique is also suitable for uncovered viticulture. Often, arbor and arched pruning is used when growing virgin grapes. The vine is planted near a gazebo or gallery with an arched roof. Pruning of one-year-old seedlings is carried out according to the standard. Starting from the second year, fruitful arrows are directed to a pre-installed structure or to the walls of a garden gazebo.

The method allows you to use arbitrary pruning, with any number of eyes. The branches can be intertwined with each other, bent into fancy patterns, guided by your own design and taste. Arched pruning is one of the ways to decorate your yard in summer and spring and create a unique design.

Trimming

In vineyards, pruning work is carried out in the fall, this allows the bushes to form better and produce larger yields in the future. Timely pruning affects the number of berries set next year and their taste.

The end of October and the beginning of November is the right time for the formation of a bush that needs shelter in winter. Based on the fallen leaves in the fall, the period for pruning grapes is determined. After the colored foliage falls, wait 14-21 days and begin pruning. During this time, the branches will be saturated with useful substances.

Late pruning damages the plant twigs. At low temperatures, shoots become brittle and break easily.

Pruning rules

Pruning grapes begins with removing diseased parts and damaged branches. A burning pit is prepared for them. This helps prevent diseases and pests from spreading to healthy bushes.

All shoots are not cut off: they can be useful for replacement. If the entire crown or part of it dies, replacement shoots can replace the entire bush.

Trimming methods

Grapes are pruned in autumn in different ways:

• Short pruning involves eliminating a large part of the shoots, leaving only 2-4 eyes on the rod. Pruning suits the sprouts needed to replace the dead bush.
• Medium pruning involves leaving up to 8 healthy eyes on each shoot. The arrow consists of 50 buds. This type of pruning allows you to obtain a frost-resistant variety with healthy vines.
• Long pruning assumes that there will be up to 15 eyes on the shoot, the total number of buds - up to 60. The trunk consists of 4 side shoots.
• Mixed pruning is a combination of short and long. Shoots are pruned for replacement, branches are left to ripen the future harvest. Using this method, a loop is formed, the vine is removed after fruiting, and a replacement sprout appears in its place.

The best method is considered to be a mixed method for growing plants at home. With it, the bush is renewed, the fruits increase in size, and their taste improves.

Prune the vine for a better harvest

Pruning 1st year grapes

In the first year, the grape bushes are not pruned in the fall. If the bush is distorted or damaged, trimming is carried out in the first year, leaving at least 2 healthy eyes.

Pruning a 2nd year plant

In the second year, a vine of 2 buds is formed on the bush; in the spring it is reduced by 4 buds. In autumn, each eye on the branches adds a branch, resulting in a bush of 8 sprouts. There are 4 branches on each side of the trunk. At the end of autumn, 2 large shoots are selected, the others are cut out, and the stumps are left, because when the trunk dries out, it can burst.

By the 2nd year, 4 strong shoots grow. In autumn, pruning is carried out in a long way; in spring, shortening is carried out by 4 eyes.

Pruning grapes of the 3rd and subsequent years

In the autumn of the 3rd year, the grape bush has 4 large trunks, 4 branches on each of them. To prune a 3rd year bush in the fall, select the largest shoots on each side; 2 weak branches are to be pruned.

After pruning, they try to graft the branches. Of the large remaining sprouts, 1 must be shortened by 3 buds (it will become a replacement sprout), the other remains with 12-15 buds.

In the third year, the bush rejuvenates and bears fruit in the future. In the fourth year, pruning is carried out, as a result of which the yield will increase and the vineyard will become stronger.

In the autumn, during the 4th year of growth of the bush and in all subsequent periods, when pruning, the vine is removed after fruiting, new growth buds are formed on replacement shoots.

Feeding after pruning

After pruning for the winter is completed, the grape bushes are fed with fertilizers. The following fertilizers help speed up the ripening of young shoots:

• wood ash - 500-650 g;
• potassium sulfate - 20-25 g per bucket of water.

Use additional fertilizers:

• superphosphate - up to 80 g;
• phosphorus-potassium fertilizers - 60-75 g;
• potassium chloride - up to 30 g;
• manure - 10 parts mixed with 1 part superphosphate.

Top dressing is applied to 1 m² around the base of the bush.

How to properly prune grapes in autumn - knowledge base and pruning methods

So that even beginners can understand the system of correct pruning of grapes in the autumn, we will dwell on the basic terminology, the structure of a grape bush, the principles of fruiting, as well as pruning methods.

The structure of the grape bush and the necessary terminology

Before you start pruning, you should take a closer look at the structure of the grape bush. Understanding the structure of the grape bush and the principles of fruiting will allow you to perform pruning most correctly.

Basic terms that will help you better understand the structure of the bush and, accordingly, its pruning:

• The sleeve is the perennial part of the vine (old wood), like the skeletal (main) branches on a tree. Every year, new fruit links are formed on the sleeves from the shoots of the previous year.
• The fruiting link is a fruiting shoot (fruit shoot) and a replacement knot.

• A fruiting shoot is a long vine (therefore often called a fruit shoot), on which 6-10 buds are left, from which shoots grow next year, which bear the entire harvest.
• A replacement knot is a short vine (3 eyes), on which 3 powerful fruitless shoots may grow next year, but we will not let them bear fruit (so that they grow strong), and in the fall it is among these shoots that a new fruiting link will form (fruiting arrow and substitution knot).
• The eye is a formation that unites the kidneys and ensures their proper formation. Each such eye can have several buds (one central one and several replacement buds).

Video: structure of grapes for beginners (dummies)

Pruning rules

Before trimming and shaping grapes, you should familiarize yourself with the basic rules and recommendations:

• You need to trim not into a ring (like fruit trees), but leaving a small stump (1.5-3 cm). If you cut it shorter, the vine in this place may dry out and die.
• The fruiting vine should be pruned in the internodes (that is, between the eyes), but slightly closer to the lower eye.
• If the vine is not ripe, you need to prune it to the ripened part (to the woody area).
• First of all, you should cut out all broken and diseased shoots (sanitary pruning), then weak ones (short and thin, less than 5 mm in diameter).
• When you leave a young shoot for future fruiting, you need to remove all the stepsons on it so that only the vine with eyes (buds) remains.
• All shoots that bore fruit this year (fruit shoots) are pruned.
• New fruiting shoots should be left closest to the base.

• When choosing one of two good shoots, you should get rid of the outer one (growing away from the trellis), which again will be inconvenient to tie up in the spring.
• You must understand that during pruning most of the growth is removed (up to 80-90%), while only the required number of future fruiting vines and replacement knots is left.

Methods for pruning grapes or how many eyes to trim

It is known that each grape variety requires a specific pruning. However, the number of eyes is also adjusted depending on the method of formation.

There are several ways to prune grapes in the fall:

• Short pruning involves removing most of the shoots. As a result, only 2-4 eyes should remain on the fruit arrow. It is used for growing technical (wine) varieties.
• Average - each shoot after pruning contains 6-8 eyes (sometimes up to 10). Used in growing table varieties.
• Long - more than 8-12 eyes are left on the shoot. Characteristic for growing table and Asian grape varieties.
• Mixed (according to Guyot) - with this method of forming a bush, short and long techniques are used. Shoots are cut off for replacement (by 3 eyes), and fruit shoots are also left on which a new crop will ripen in the next season. Thus, using this method, a loop is formed - the fruit vine, having produced fruit, is cut off, and in its place a new fruitful shoot, grown on a replacement branch, begins to grow.

Video: how many eyes to trim grapes

Planting grapes. When to plant grapes in the fall, in what month: optimal timing

As for the approximate timing of planting grapes in the fall, then, for example, in the middle zone (Moscow region) grape bushes can be planted somewhere from the end of September to the beginning of October, while in warmer and southern regions not earlier than the second half of October-November.

Remember! The vine on the seedling must be fully ripe, and it can do this only by the end of September or beginning of October. It is also advisable that the leaves of the seedling fall off naturally (after leaf fall), or you can remove them yourself.

If you plant a seedling too early, then in the event of a prolonged warm autumn there is a chance that its buds will awaken and the growing season will begin again. As a result, the buds will not survive the inevitable frosts and will die, and the bush itself will experience severe stress, which will subsequently negatively affect the development of the plant.

Thus, the best time for planting grapes in the fall is considered to be when the air temperature drops below +10 degrees (the daily average will be around +8..+10).

Naturally, it is undesirable to plant too late: you need to have time to plant 2-3 weeks before the onset of expected stable frosts, i.e. before the soil begins to freeze.

The lunar calendar can help you choose the optimal date for planting seedlings.

Thus, favorable days for planting grapes in the fall in 2019, according to the lunar calendar, are:

• in September - 17-24, 30.
• in October - 2-4, 12, 13, 21-25, 30, 31.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to get to the dacha exactly on the specified days, so the main thing is not to land during periods inappropriate according to the lunar calendar (new moon, full moon).

According to the lunar calendar, unfavorable days for 2021 for autumn planting of grape seedlings are the following dates:

• August - 15, 16, 30, 31.
• September - 14, 15, 28, 29.
• October - 14, 28.

According to the lunar calendar, from the magazine “1000 tips for a summer resident.”

When is it better to plant grapes - autumn or spring?

You can plant grape seedlings in open ground during the entire warm period, from spring to autumn. There is no difference. The main thing is that the seedling is strong and mature. However, much more often grapes are planted in the spring (May).

Unlike spring planting, it is advisable to plant grape seedlings in the fall that already have a developed root system (in other words, cuttings are not suitable for planting; they still need to be germinated). Only such seedlings will have time to take root well in the fall and go into the winter, taking root in a new place.

Homemade wine from Isabella grapes recipe

The Isabella variety produces red table wines with characteristic earthy notes, light acidity, light pink color and low alcohol content. The only disadvantage of wines is their low stability; they quickly age, losing color. In dessert wines, when heat treatments are carried out, the flavor acquires all sorts of bright shades. In grape juice, the strawberry-fruity flavor is more pronounced.

Harvesting is carried out a week after the onset of technical ripeness of the berries. The grapes are harvested in dry weather, before the first frost. Sometimes, when there is a lack of moisture, the vine sheds its leaves and the wine acquires a peculiar astringency.

To make homemade wine you need to take: 10 kilograms of berries and 3 kilograms of sugar.

The berries are separated from the bunches and sorted. Spoiled berries are removed.

It is impossible to wash the berries, since the gray-bluish coating (wild yeast) is removed when washed and fermentation does not occur.

• The prepared grapes are poured into an enamel container and crushed with your hands, a rolling pin, or a wooden spoon.
• The finished mass is covered with gauze and left for 4-7 days to ferment.
• The mass must be stirred periodically with a wooden spatula.

Do not use a metal spoon for stirring!

Then everything is thoroughly wrung out and filtered. The resulting juice is mixed with sugar and poured into containers with a narrow neck. A medical glove is put on top or a water seal is installed. In the glove, holes are made in several fingers with a thin needle. The container is placed in a warm place. Fermentation lasts about 3 weeks.

After deflating the gloves, the liquid is filtered and poured into dark bottles. The wine is placed in the cellar, on the balcony and infused for 2 months, after which it is ready to drink. The finished product should be transparent and fragrant.

Benefits of grapes

The Isabella variety has a pronounced taste and smell. At the same time, it contains a minimum of calories. And the huge content of useful vitamins and minerals makes this variety of grapes in demand in every kitchen. The berries taste sweet, with a sour aftertaste.

There are only 66 calories per 100 grams of berries. This feature is used both in industrial production and in private households, for home preparations.

They make jams, wines, juices, jams and much more from it. It is also useful for those recovering, it has strengthening properties.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

1. Isabella grapes are distinguished by winter hardiness and high yield. When frozen, the plant quickly recovers.
2. The variety is unpretentious and grows in subtropical, tropical and northern regions.
3. Various types of soil are suitable for its cultivation.
4. The grapes easily tolerate high humidity.
5. Isabella is resistant to fungal diseases, anthracnose, chlorosis, oidium, mildew, and phylloxera. When stored, the berries do not lose their taste and aroma for quite a long time.
6. The grapes have a strawberry flavor.
7. You can make aromatic jams, juices, compotes, jams, jellies, and wine from the berries.
8. The leaves make many tasty and healthy dishes; they are added instead of seasonings and when canning cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, and squash.

The disadvantages include:

• During drought, the bush's vigor and nutrition are reduced, the leaves fall off, the yield decreases, and the berries become smaller and slightly tart in taste.
• Some people do not like the characteristic fox aroma of berries and drinks made from them. When they are processed, the smell does not disappear. But many consider this feature, on the contrary, interesting, not typical for other varieties.

We grow Isabella grapes in the Moscow region - care in difficult conditions

All that is needed to grow this crop is a warm climate, sunlight, moderate moisture and, of course, care for the plant. After all, grapes are very sensitive to self-love and respond to it with a bountiful harvest. What types of soil are best? Grape crops are unpretentious to soil types. They grow well on limestone, loam, sandstone, etc.

If the soil is dominated by clay, then good drainage should be ensured, and if the grapes are planted in a peat bog, then sand should be added to it. Sandstones are best fertilized with manure or compost. Lime is added to acidic soils, approximately 200 g per 1 m2. Isabella and Lydia, which biologists bred as a separate variety from the same Isabella, also bear fruit on poor lands, but do not tolerate salt marshes. Stagnation of groundwater in the root zone also has a negative effect.

Planting and care

The Isabella variety is recommended to be planted in spring and autumn (before winter). When purchasing a seedling in the fall, the bushes begin to develop and bear fruit earlier than when planted in the spring.

Seedlings are divided into 2 categories, these are elite and 1st grade.

An elite seedling should have 4-6 roots of equal thickness, evenly spaced on the trunk, and mature growth about 25 centimeters long. A 1st grade seedling has 4 roots and one growth about 20 centimeters long.

The vine grows well in well-lighted, sheltered from the wind, fertile or slightly calcareous soil. Poor, infertile soil is not suitable for growing; the harvest in such a place will be meager. Grapes do not grow on saline soil and in lowlands with close groundwater. The place must be open. You can plant the vine close to a fence, buildings (at a short distance), or use a trellis.

The soil must be air and moisture permeable and have a good drainage system. Peat soil is diluted with sand. Compost or humus is added to the sandy soil. Acidic soil is mixed with dolomite flour and wood ash. If the soil is clayey, it requires drainage.

Before planting, seedlings are soaked for 24 hours in warm water. The roots are slightly shortened before planting. The hole is dug according to a pattern of 60 by 60 by 40 centimeters (where the width and length are 60 centimeters, the depth is 40 centimeters). The grapes are planted at a distance of 1-1.5 meters from each other. A peg is driven into the center of the hole.

10 centimeters of drainage is poured at the bottom of the hole. For drainage, small crushed stone and expanded clay are used. 10 centimeters of soil is poured on top. Everything is spilled with water.

A mixture of 3 buckets of humus (compost), 500 grams of ash, 300 grams of superphosphate, 100 grams of potassium salt is laid out. A mound forms in the hole. The seedling is placed on a mound, the roots are straightened. The earth is poured on top. It fills the hole, is lightly compacted and watered. The seedling is tied to a support. Mulch from humus or peat is laid around the seedling.

Caring for Isabella grapes includes: watering, mulching, fertilizing, pruning, pest and disease control, and winter shelter (in cool and cold regions).

Clay areas require abundant but infrequent watering. For a sandy area, frequent watering with a small volume of water is necessary. When watering, slurry is mixed in once a month. After harvesting the grapes, watering stops.

For good fruiting, in addition to watering, the grapes require mulching. Mulch retains moisture, preventing the soil from crusting, improves nutrition for the vine and protects the roots from the cold. Compost, hay, humus, peat, and sawdust are suitable for mulching.

Before fruiting begins, the vines require regular fertilizing with liquid mineral and organic fertilizers. Fresh concentrated manure cannot be used! Spraying with a solution of magnesium sulphide (0.25 kilograms per bucket of water).

The seedlings grow over the summer and then require pruning. It can be produced in autumn and spring. In the autumn, pruning is done after the green mass has been shed and the sap flow has ended. Correction of bushes is carried out before the first frost, diseased, old shoots are removed. In spring, pruning is done after the snow melts and the vines open.

When a bush is formed, 8 healthy shoots are left on the young growth. In adult plants, improperly growing and damaged shoots are removed. The tops are cut with sharp scissors or pruners at a right angle. Trimming the top helps the bush grow laterally.

When pinching, green shoots are removed. Woody shoots are cut off by two-thirds. The clusters are also thinned out; each cluster should not touch each other. The fewer clusters remain on the shoot, the larger the berries will be.

Despite the variety's resistance to many diseases and pests, grapes can get sick if they are poorly cared for. To prevent diseases, grapes are sprayed with a solution of 5 tablespoons of soda, 10 tablespoons of salt and a bucket of water.

For pests, a solution of slaked lime is used. The solution is prepared from 1 kilogram of lime and 3 liters of water; after slaking, the mixture is diluted with 7 liters of water. Then everything is mixed and used to spray the foliage.

To preserve the bushes until spring, they need to be wrapped in burlap or covered with spruce, pine branches, and wooden shields. If possible, the vines are bent to the ground, laid in trenches and covered with earth. Any shelter is removed in the spring, after warm weather sets in. Isabella grapes, without shelter, even when completely frozen, send out new shoots from the old vine.

Pruning grapes in spring - step-by-step instructions with video for beginners

Adding an article to a new collection

The key to a rich harvest is competent and conscientious care of the plant. In growing grapes, one of the most important procedures is pruning. We tell and show how to prune bushes correctly.

One of the features of grapes is polarity - the plant’s ability to vertically direct nutrients predominantly to the upper young shoots. This property was developed in grapes historically: living in wild conditions, the plant constantly stretched upward, trying to find a brighter and warmer place.

For normal development, grapes need a large amount of sunlight.

Because of this, the eyes in the middle and lower parts of the bush develop much worse than in the upper parts, and sometimes do not produce shoots at all. If you do not prune the grapes and let them grow freely, the berries will gradually become smaller, and then the bush itself will go wild. That is why it is necessary to renew the grapes in a timely manner by pruning.

How to properly clean Isabella's bush

Pruning is the key to a properly grown Isabella bush. It helps prevent chaotic growth of the bush and increases the chances of a generous grape harvest. Uncontrolled growth of the grapevine can lead to the fact that the vineyard will not produce a harvest at all, since all the nutrients and minerals will be spent on the growth of material that no one needs. The size of future berries also depends on the number of clusters on the bushes. They will not be large if one shoot is replete with many clusters. Trim off the excess and leave the optimal number of Isabella grapes

Particular attention should be paid to the timeliness of pruning the bush

You can remove empty shoots by correctly identifying them. To identify them, you should note the time of its appearance; if the tendril appeared before the formation of the inflorescence, then “you can’t cook porridge with such a shoot,” you need to cut it off.

Wait until pollination is complete before cleaning the vineyard. In this way, areas that are not pollinated and that are growing poorly can be identified.

The most optimal period for pruning is inflorescences. During this period of development of the grape bush, you can quite accurately determine whether the shoots are fertile or not, and cut off all the dummies without fear or a shadow of doubt. This reduces the likelihood of wounds; if necessary, you can use pruning shears.

The best time to prune grapes is during flowering.

Weak, non-vegetative branches and shoots must be removed. When Isabella began to bloom, cleaning the bush is late and useless and even dangerous for the harvest. After the end of flowering, you can cut, just cut, and not break off. Depending on the strength of the bush you plan to clean, you can determine the nature and intensity of the cleaning.

The formation of old vines in autumn, spring or summer affects the quality of the harvest. Already an old vine needs to be shaped using pruning shears. In the fall, the vines are pruned after harvesting; this is a suitable period for cleaning planting material. To carry out the formation of the vine in the spring. you need to take into account the beginning of flowering. Pruning should be done when the inflorescences form, but before flowering begins. The main thing is not to miss the right moment in the spring, and not to be late. In the spring, when the grapes begin to flower, they become very susceptible to invasion and the cut sites may not heal after the planting material begins to flower.

How to plant Isabella grapes correctly?

First you need to choose the right seedling and decide on a place for planting. It should be noted that in cold areas this variety can safely overwinter at temperatures down to -30 C and does not require shelter .
Isabella is a late and tall variety and for full ripening in cold climates it needs a warm, sunny place with a large support area . You can read the full description of the variety in this article.

The ideal place for planting in this case would be against the wall of a house or household. the buildings. In this case, grapes should be planted at a distance of about 1 m from the supporting wall.

It is important that there are no tall trees or shrubs nearby that shade the grapes and impoverish the soil. Under no circumstances should you place corn and sunflowers next to each other.

The best time to buy and plant grape bushes . You can plant in the spring, but survival rate in this case will be worse. For planting, it is better to choose annual seedlings with a strong root system.

Before planting, be sure to prepare the soil . If the soil is acidic, then liming should be done two weeks before planting. Isabella is not picky about the composition of the soil, but will not grow in salty soil with a high groundwater level . For a clay area you need good drainage, for a peat bog - sand, for sandy soil - good manure.

It is important to properly prepare the seedling for planting. If the roots are dry or planting is not planned immediately after purchase, then it is better to immerse the seedling in warm water for a day. Before planting, shoots and roots are pruned. The main roots are cut by 5-10 cm, the shoot - by 3-5 buds.

The pit for planting is prepared in advance. It should be 50-90 cm deep (depending on the composition of the soil) and 80 cm in diameter. It is advisable to lay a good drainage layer .

Any small pebbles or gravel will do for this. A small layer of excavated soil is poured on top and a support peg is installed.

Then they add fertilizers : manure, potassium salt, ash and superphosphate, add a little more soil and carefully plant the bush.

Its roots are dipped in clay slurry, buried and the seedling is loosely tied to a peg.

The soil around is compacted tightly and watered abundantly. After watering, be sure to mulch the hole well with peat.

When planting in a free area, not near walls, it is necessary to maintain a certain distance between plants : between rows - at least 2 m, and between seedlings within rows - about 1.5 m. With this planting scheme, it is necessary to install a special metal support for the vine.

How to prune an adult grape bush in the fall

Step-by-step instructions for pruning adult (3 years and older) grapes in the fall for beginners:

• Let's start with the first sleeve. Let’s assume that there are 4 shoots and 1 fruit-bearing shoot, but you only need to leave 2 good and powerful shoots (the vine of future fruiting) and 1 replacement knot.
• First, all excess weak shoots are removed, as well as the vines that have already bear fruit from last year.
• Then the lower vine is left on a replacement knot and pruned into 3 buds.
• Next, on the 2 remaining vines of future fruiting (fruit arrows), you need to count 6-10 buds each, and cut off the rest.

• Third sleeve. Let's say that there are 3 young shoots and 1 fruiting shoot (of course, you need to get rid of it). However, 1 of the 3 shoots is located at the very bottom, and it is the weakest; it is this that should be made a replacement knot, and the other 2 - fruiting vines.
• Fourth sleeve. Another sleeve with only 2 young shoots. Again, we proceed as with the 2nd sleeve - we leave the lower one for the replacement knot (but cut it not to 3 buds, but to 6-10), and the upper one - to the fruiting arrow. And, of course, we get rid of the fruit-bearing shoot.

Video: pruning an adult (old) grape bush in the fall

How to cause the least harm to the plant and at the same time correctly remove unnecessary shoots? To understand this issue, a novice summer resident needs to take a responsible approach to studying the entire system of pruning grape bushes: diagrams of the structure and pruning of young and adult grapes, as well as recommendations for the skillful formation and tying of the bush.

Video: preparing grapes for winter - autumn pruning

Caring for Isabella grapes in autumn. What care does the variety require?

How to care for Isabella grapes?
First of all, Isabella needs good watering during the period of active growth, before the berries appear. The frequency of watering depends on the composition of the soil: on heavy soils it is necessary to water less often, on light soils - more often. Regularly loosen, weed and fertilize. Mineral fertilizers can be used no more than 3 times a year. During the growing period of grapes, it is good to fertilize with fresh manure diluted in water with the addition of superphosphate. Do not forget about thoroughly mulching the soil after each watering.

It is imperative to properly prune the grapes. The first pruning is done after the side shoots of the seedling grow by 10-15 cm. In this case, no more than 3-4 shoots are left on it and no more than 2 on the cutting. Old and diseased branches are cut off completely.

In the first year after planting, the surface roots are pruned (pruning). In the spring, damaged and frostbitten shoots are removed, pinching is carried out and the tops of the shoots are pinched shortly before flowering. As the shoots grow, they must be tied to a support, giving the correct direction of growth.

You will find everything about the Isabella grape harvest, as well as whether this variety is suitable for wine production, here.

Remember that organizing proper care for grapevines will allow you to avoid diseases such as mildew, oidium, anthracnose, various rots, and rubella. By following the rules of planting, pruning, watering and taking other adequate measures, you can protect your plants from such scourges as bacterial cancer, chlorosis, bacteriosis.

Autumn pruning of young bushes

Young grapes are pruned to form the correct shape of fruiting sleeves, stimulate growth, and ensure good grape yields in the future. The top of a one-year-old bush is completely cut off, leaving 2-4 buds. They cut it, according to the rule, 1 cm above the last eye. Next year, two fruit-bearing branches will develop from them.

In a two-year-old vine, one shoot is cut into two buds, forming a replacement knot. On the second shoot, 4-6 buds are left. With some methods of pruning two-year-old grapes, the second shoot is made longer, leaving up to 10 eyes. Sometimes they do things differently with two-year-old seedlings. The shoots are completely cut off, as in the first year of growth. Then the harvest can be obtained only after one season, but the bush will be stronger.

When pruning a three-year-old bush, you need to form a replacement knot and a fruitful shoot. The replacement knot should be located below the main shoot; it is cut off by 2-3 eyes. The main young shoot may have 5-10 buds. Some varieties are cut to 11-12 eyes. Thus, in three years, 4-6 branches will be formed by seedlings, quite a sufficient number to produce a crop.

Autumn pruning of the vineyard in the first three years is aimed at the correct formation of the bush. Many inexperienced winegrowers ignore pruning one- and two-year-old grapes. They believe that this will delay the first fruiting. The opinion is erroneous, without pruning the bush turns out to be too thick, empty branches take away strength from the roots. In addition, after cutting off excess branches, the bush can be better covered for the winter. How to properly prune young grapes in the fall can be clearly seen in the video. It is advisable to choose lessons for beginners with detailed instructions and diagrams.

Learning to prune grapes

Pruning Isabella grapes in the fall is the key to proper growth of the vine, increasing the quantity and quality of the harvest. Pruning helps give the vigorous Isabella vine the right direction.

Pruning is carried out no earlier than mid-October. First of all, weak and damaged stepsons are removed. The shoots of the current season are cut by 1/3, lignified shoots should become shorter by 2/3. On an adult vine, 12 buds are counted, the rest must be removed.

As soon as the plants are one year old, you can begin to form a vine. On a young vine, 7-8 shoots are counted, the rest is cut off. The vine should be tied so that it grows horizontally. Pay attention to the fold, it should not be sharp.

Rules for anti-aging pruning

First of all, it is important to remember the timing of pruning neglected grapes. It is impossible to renew the crown when sap flow occurs. In spring, pruning of old grapes is carried out before the buds swell. In autumn - immediately after all the foliage has completely fallen. However, you should not wait for frost. By this time the plant should be dormant. It is highly advisable to coat large sections with garden varnish to prevent diseases and pests from entering.

Important! The tool for pruning grapes must be very sharp so that the branches are trimmed neatly, without flattening or other deformations.

In summer, only pinching or cutting out parts of the vine damaged by diseases or pests is allowed. Unnecessary shoots are carefully pinched so that the bush does not waste its energy on growing excess green mass. Pinching has another very important function - thinning foliage. If there is too much of it, then the berries receive little sun and will take longer to ripen.

To understand the process, it is important to understand the terminology:

• The fruit shoot is the youngest part of the bush, on which there are leaves, tendrils, and ovary. It is on them that numerous stepsons grow from the axils of the leaves, which must be pinched. By autumn, such a shoot becomes woody and turns into a fruit vine.
• Fruit vine - will produce fruit shoots from its buds next year. Its optimal thickness is about 10 mm. In three years, the fruit vine turns into a real branch.
• Branches (sleeves) are the oldest parts of the bush, on which there are dormant buds, from which, with short pruning, replacement shoots grow.

Now it becomes clear that fruits will appear only on the shoots of the first year. The rest of the bush is ballast, which should not be too large. It is insurance that will allow the bush to recover in case of damage to young growth, but such insurance should not be excessive.

Using a sharp instrument for rejuvenation

Over the summer, fruit shoots grow to a length of 1-3 m, and a certain number of buds are laid on them. In fact, each bud will grow a new shoot next year. The winegrower’s task is to limit this amount to 20 per bush. Every year you need to remove excess fruit shoots and shorten the vines.

Short pruning, when only 3-4 buds are left on the fruit vines, is practiced for high-standard and arbor varieties. For standardless and ordinary varieties, medium is used, and for vigorous-growing varieties, long is used. By using a short one, you can get a strong impetus for the growth of shoots, and the quality of the harvest after it will be the highest, since there will be few bunches.

Step-by-step pruning instructions + diagrams for beginners

Before pruning, you need to understand the structure of the grape bush. A sleeve is a perennial fragment of a bush, or old wood. A fruiting shoot, or fruit shoot, is a long vine that has 6–10 buds. Shoots grow on them, on which fruits are formed. A replacement knot is a short vine that is preserved for further fruiting. The eye unites the kidneys and ensures their normal development.

Young grapes: diagram and video

If the grapes are planted in the spring, then in the fall it is time for the first pruning. The shoot should be shortened, keeping 3-4 eyes. If the seedling has two shoots, then the same pruning is performed. Some experts say that it is better to play it safe and leave 6–10 eyes in the fall, and shorten them to 3–4 in the spring. Otherwise, in winter the vine may die due to insufficient resistance to frost.

Second or third year grapes

In the case of correct primary pruning in the fall, 4–5 shoots are left in the second year, which will then become sleeves. The bush cannot look like a fan of 6–8 small shoots; it is better if there are 4 of them, and those that are weakened and going in the wrong direction should be cut out.

Each of the shoots is truncated into 3–4 eyes. This way they will have the optimal length and will not protrude beyond the edges of the bottom wire of the trellis to which they are tied. It is better to always leave a reserve, because in the spring you can adjust the bush and remove all that is unnecessary.

In the autumn of the 3rd year, the bush has 4 strong sleeves with new shoots. On each sleeve, the largest shoots are selected, and the weakened ones are cut out. 2 powerful shoots are retained, the lower one is reduced by 3 eyes to form a replacement knot. The second shoot remains with 6–10 buds. To be on the safe side, you can save 2 large fruit shoots and remove the weaker one in the spring. After 3 years, the bush is completely formed, which will continue to bear fruit.

Mature grapes

Typically, an adult bush has 4–5 sleeves. It is necessary to trim each sleeve separately. First, all unnecessary weak shoots and fruit-bearing vines from the past year are removed. Of all the shoots, 2 strong ones are left, and 1 for a replacement knot (for this, the lower shoot is cut into 3 buds). On the 2 remaining shoots, 6–10 eyes are kept, the excess part is removed.

If there are only 2 shoots on the sleeve, then they should be left until spring. If both survive, then the lower one can be cut off into a replacement branch, and the upper one can be left for fruiting.

The same procedure is done with the remaining sleeves.

Old grapes: video for beginners on pruning in autumn + diagrams describing the work

After many years, the grapes become very thick. To carry out rejuvenation, the trunk is cut at a height of 35–50 cm, and future sleeves are formed from young shoots. If the shoot is suitable for a fruit shoot, then a vine no thicker than 7–9 mm is selected, and 3–4 buds and a replacement knot are kept on it. Only in the 3rd year is it possible to form a full-fledged bush again.

Tips and tricks for anti-aging pruning

The best way to imagine how to rejuvenate an old grape bush is to use the example of three years of consecutive cutting off everything unnecessary.

2 buds were left on the bush, and the rest was completely removed. Over the summer, two fruit shoots grew from the buds, on which up to 20 buds formed. They are shortened in the fall after the leaves have completely fallen, leaving 2 buds on one and 5-6 on the second. Pruning can also be done in the spring, especially if the variety is covering. Then in the fall, branches without foliage are removed from the trellises, carefully twisted into spirals, laid out on the ground and covered with film. In the spring, they are inspected to identify frozen, damaged, dried branches, which are removed first. Next, the intended shortening is performed.

Important : formative pruning is done after the soil has thawed, but before the first noticeable changes in the buds. If you start working when the juices are already moving, then some of them will flow out through the cut points. Such a mistake will cost up to 30% of the harvest.

During the summer of the second year, both branches will give rise to vertical shoots, each of which will form buds. The winegrower’s task is to cut off two safety shoots on a long branch, and shorten the remaining fruit shoots to 2 buds. A short branch needs to be cut, leaving 2 buds on its two shoots. In the second year, the length of fruit shoots can be very large - up to 3 meters each. Sometimes it’s a shame to cut off so much. However, pity in this case is not appropriate. By leaving too much, the grower will not allow the bush to show what it is really capable of. The clusters will form skinny with small sour berries.

Pruning in the third year suggests two options for how to refine grapes of different varieties. The short method is for standard ones, the long trim is for the rest.

The gardener will easily notice how the thickness of the old branches and the head of the bush will increase year after year. This is a natural process. In the oldest bushes, the base can reach truly impressive sizes. Moreover, from year to year, pruning is performed according to the same standard pattern. There is no particular reason to change it. This is the only way to obtain bushes with a large number of fruit shoots that are not thickened with excess green mass.

Attention! In the summer, an operation such as chasing is performed: pruning branches on which brushes have already formed. Pruning them 20-30 cm from the brush will allow the plant not to waste energy on building up excess green mass, directing its juices to ripening the berries.

Now that you know how to prune old grapes, caring for the vine will be much easier. The winegrower need not be afraid to remove too much, because rejuvenating the vine will only benefit. A bush with a strong root system has enough resources to restore its crown from a minimum number of buds. Long pruning of grapes is practiced to form arbors, so common in the south, where it is important not only to grow the crop, but to obtain much-needed shade.

How to update running grapes

The older a particular bush is, the better the brushes on it ripen. This is a general rule. Everything is explained simply. Throughout its life, grapes continue to grow downward, increasing their root mass. This allows old bushes to draw out from their soil everything they need to form berries and ripen them. Let's say a plant that is 15 years old is considered very young.

Rejuvenating pruning is vital for the vine. This process cannot be left to chance. With its help, the ripening time of the crop is shortened, its taste and commercial qualities are improved. Ideally, you need to pick up the pruning shears every year. But even the most neglected bush will gratefully respond to care.

What does neglected grapes look like?

Attention! If you do nothing at all for just 2 years, the berries will be greatly crushed, and the number of “empty” branches will be so large that it will be very difficult to sort them out.

It is worth knowing that in industrial viticulture it is not customary to destroy old vines. A huge number of examples of this can be found even in Russia. In famous domestic vineyards you can find shrubs planted long before the Great Patriotic War.

How to rejuvenate grapes? Formative pruning.

There are four pruning methods:

1. Short . After such formation, only 2-4 eyes will remain on the bush. Used for radical rejuvenation of old bushes. In subsequent years, work continues until a bush with 40 eyes is obtained. Short pruning of grapes is also performed on the youngest bushes to obtain a properly formed vine. Even an inexperienced beginner can master this technology.
2. Average . 5-8 buds of each shoot are left, with a total of about 50 buds remaining on the bush shoots. This pruning increases the frost resistance of the plant and is recommended in the fall for covering varieties.
3. Long . 15 buds are left on the shoots from their base. In total, about 60 buds will remain on the vine. Central Asian varieties (Black Kishmish, Parkent Pink) also respond favorably to very long pruning, when up to 25 buds remain on the shoots.
4. Mixed . Necessary when you need to get a loop from a fruit shoot and a replacement knot. This renewal of neglected grapes is carried out to improve the yield of table varieties.