Alex's grapes: description, characteristics, photos, videos

Description of Alex's grapes

The white-fruited variety Alexa is an early ripening variety. Reaches biological ripeness 4 months after flowering. Alexa grapes are a table type of berry crop. The tall bush produces numerous shoots per season, 70% of which bear fruit. The young vine is fully mature by the time frost sets in. The distribution area of Alexa grapes is the Western and Southern regions of the Russian Federation. In the north, the crop manages to ripen in a short summer, but overwinters only using the covered method.

From the Vostorg variety, Alex's grapes inherited the ability to withstand frosts of -260 C without partial loss of the root system and crown. Frozen root fragments are completely restored during the spring-autumn period. In the north-west (Murmansk, Leningrad regions) it is recommended to cover the bush for the winter. The drought resistance of the Alexa variety is average; for a full growing season, the berry crop requires moderate watering.

External characteristics of Alex's Grapes:

The central vine is strong, medium thick, woody. The bark is hard, smooth, dark brown in color, young shoots are light green, and by autumn they acquire the color of the main vine. Alex's hybrid grows up to 5 m.
The leaves are large, attached to thick, short cuttings. The leaf blades are five-lobed, with wavy edges, the upper part is dark green, the lower part is closer to a gray shade with intense pubescence.
The flowers are beige in color, collected in inflorescences - panicles, bisexual. The Alexa variety is self-fertile and does not require nearby pollinators. 90% of flowers produce an ovary.
The clusters are long, cylindrical in shape, grow up to 40 cm, the variety is not prone to peas, the arrangement of the fruits is dense without gaps. The weight of 1 bunch is on average 0.9 kg or more, the weight depends on the load of the bush.
The root system is well developed, buried, and wide.

Description of Alex's grapes:

the fruits are elliptical, large, up to 1.2 cm long, weighing 10 g, well fixed on the stalk, and do not fall off during ripeness;
the peel is dense, thin, elastic, does not crack, milky in color with a pink tint, covered on top with a thin layer of prune (waxy coating);
the pulp is white, dense consistency, juicy, with 3 small seeds;
the juice is clear, colorless, with a slight nutmeg aroma, sweet with minimal acidity.

Advice!
The fruits of the Alexa grape are universally used and are suitable for making homemade table wine. The berries ripen evenly; in the south, Alexa grapes are considered an early crop; they reach biological ripeness at the end of July. In the middle zone, harvest dates are 2 weeks later.

Pros and cons of the Alexa grape variety

Alex's grapes have earned their popularity among farmers thanks to numerous advantages against the background of minimal disadvantages. Positive characteristics of the variety:

frost resistance, the ability to grow in temperate climates;
high gastronomic assessment;
berries for universal use:
the fruits do not bake in the sun, are well attached to the stalk, and do not crack;
can be stored for a long time and can be easily transported;
the crop is suitable for cultivation in private plots and large farm areas;
intensively produces shoots, high-yielding variety due to self-pollination;
clusters are large with densely planted fruit;
grapes are unpretentious in care.

Conditional disadvantages include:

the need to form a bush;
installation of support, garter;
periodic watering;
average immunity to fungal infection.

Preventative treatments

The thick skin of grape berries reliably protects them from various pests. The variety is resistant to many diseases. However, prevention of common diseases and pests is important. In the spring, when young shoots begin to grow, the bushes are sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux mixture.

The second treatment of the Alexa grape variety is carried out before the ovaries appear. If the bushes are affected by a bacterial or fungal infection, all diseased parts of the grapes - shoots, leaves, bunches - should be collected and destroyed, since they cannot be treated. The remaining healthy vines need to be sprayed with chemicals. You should also clean the tree trunks from weeds, from which pests easily move onto the grape bushes. Creating favorable conditions for their aeration will prevent the appearance of mold and fungi.

Optimal growing conditions

Alexa grapes need sufficient sunlight to photosynthesize. Excess ultraviolet radiation does not affect the crown, the leaves do not curl or turn yellow. The berries quickly collect the required amount of glucose.

In a shaded place, the growing season of the plant slows down, the young vine does not have time to ripen until the fall, and does not produce a harvest the next season. The grapes need to be in the sun all day long, so the bush is thinned out for unhindered access to ultraviolet rays. Failure to comply with agricultural technology leads to a deterioration in taste, the berries are sour, the weight and volume are less.

Planting and caring for Alexa grapes

Alexa grapes are propagated by cuttings and layering. For temperate climates, the cutting method is preferred. You can buy seedlings at the nursery. The crop is planted in the spring approximately at the beginning of May, in the fall 3 weeks before the onset of frost.

Selection and preparation of a landing site

Alexa is a tall grape variety with a spreading crown and does not feel comfortable in a cramped area. Choose a place that is spacious, well-lit, and protected from drafts. The best option is the eastern, southern side of the slope. It is preferable to plant it behind the wall of a building on the south side; the crop will receive protection from the north wind and sufficient access to ultraviolet radiation.

The soil for Alex grapes should be light, fertile, well-drained, and non-acidic. A good composition for planting is neutral loams; wetlands are not suitable.

Attention! Clay soils are not considered for planting Alexa grapes; the soil does not conduct moisture and oxygen well.

The area under Alex's grapes is being loosened and weeds are removed. The planting hole is prepared 5 days before placing the seedling. Make a hole 95 cm, the diameter of the hole is 25 cm wider than the root system of the planting material. Prepare a mixture of compost and turf layer in equal proportions, add wood ash and superphosphate. A 20 cm layer of drainage (gravel, crushed stone) is poured onto the bottom of the hole and filled with water.

Landing rules

Before placement, the root of the Alexa grape is disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate and placed in the growth stimulator "Epin" for 3 hours. Algorithm of actions:

The prepared mixture is divided into 2 parts, ½ is poured onto the bottom of the pit.
Drive a stake 20 cm from the center.
For a horizontally standing grape seedling, distribute the root system evenly along the bottom of the hole.
Cover the top with the rest of the mixture and compact it so that there are no voids.
The holes are filled to the top with soil, compacted, and watered.
Trim the seedling to 2 fruit buds and tie it to a support.

The perimeter of the pit is mulched with peat or organic matter. If several plants are planted, the distance between them is at least 3.5 m.

Watering and fertilizing

In the first 3 years of the growing season, Alex's grapes do not need fertilizing; fertile soil is sufficient when planting. Grapes are fertilized in the 4th year, when they reach the fruiting stage. Fertilizing is applied in 4 stages:

1 week before flowering - nitrophoska or organic matter;
at the time of fruit set, saltpeter is scattered around the plant, potassium magnesium is added, and after 2 weeks the fertilizing is repeated;
sulfate and potassium-containing preparations are used for fertilizer 2 weeks before picking berries.

Simultaneously with root feeding, the plant is treated with a solution of phosphorus and potassium in equal proportions.

In the first year of growth, seedlings are watered 2 times a month. During fruiting, it is guided by weather conditions. If there is a shortage of rain, water the crop abundantly, in pre-made ditches around the bush, once every 30 days.

Trimming and shaping

Alexa grapes are a tall-growing, spreading crop; for this variety, crown formation is used using the fan method of 4 arms. The standard version will not provide high productivity. They begin to form the crown from the 2nd year of growth, using a vine from the fruit bud of a seedling. They form a bush in the spring and carry out sanitary cleaning in the fall.

Trimming scheme:

The Alexa variety is formed with two trunks - for the 2nd year, in the spring 2 strong shoots are left, and up to 1 fruit bud is cut off.
For the 3rd year, 2 shoots are left on each trunk; they are shortened in the spring.
At the 4th year, the bush is formed with two trunks and 4 branches in a fan fashion.

In subsequent years of the growing season, the grapes are thinned out, unloaded, and in the spring the upper part of the bearing shoots is cut off, up to 40 cm.

Preparing for winter

In the Southern regions, Alex grapes are not covered; it is enough to mulch the root circle with sawdust or peat. In temperate climates:

The vine is removed from the support, dry fragments and remaining leaves are removed.
Fruit-bearing shoots are cut off.
Place on spruce branches or boards.
Cover with dry leaves or pine branches, and cover with covering material on top.
In winter they are covered with snow.

If the season was without precipitation, water-recharging watering is carried out on the grapes 3 weeks before sheltering.

Reproduction by cuttings

This grape variety can be quickly and easily propagated not only using seedlings, but also cuttings. Rooted in the summer, the cuttings take root well and by the first winter they already have time to get stronger.

How to prepare cuttings

They take future planting material during standard autumn pruning of the vine. The requirements for the cutting are as follows:

length about 70 cm;
diameter at the thickest point is at least 10 mm;
there should be a heel from the maternal shoot at the base.

After cutting, the cuttings are dipped in a solution of copper sulfate for disinfection. Store planting material in a box with dry sand in a cool place.

In the spring, the cuttings are removed from the storage location, inspected, and the area is prepared for layering

It is also possible to propagate Alexa grapes by layering. This procedure is more complex and is suitable for experienced specialists. But the results with proper rooting are always good.

Suitable cuttings are selected from the lower part of the vine. The shoot is buried nearby, to a depth of about 30 cm. After a couple of years, the grown cuttings can be separated from the mother plant and planted in their place as a full-fledged vine.

We will learn further how to care for Alex’s grapes correctly.

Trimming

A procedure necessary for the plant. Only competent formation will make it possible to obtain abundant harvests. In this case, pruning involves the following types of work:

breaking out shoots that thicken the crown in the spring;
shortening shoots, normalizing the number of fruit ovaries;
removal of root shoots;
tying young branches to supports;
pinching the young vine to prevent it from being overstretched;
elimination of stepsons that take away moisture and nutrition from the fruit.

In addition, it is also necessary to remove foliage, which thickens the plantings and shields the bunches from sunlight.

Top dressing

Grapes need additional nutrition, so timely feeding with complex minerals is mandatory.

Prevention

Alex’s grapes rarely get sick, but no one canceled the prevention. Regularly inspect the vines to identify pests and symptoms of diseases. It is also necessary to carry out preventive treatments.

Simple agrotechnical techniques, such as:

pruning vines for sanitary purposes;
timely weed control, weeding;
removing pruned shoots and fallen leaves and burning them.

Important: alternate spraying preparations, since pests and fungal spores adapt to them over time

Wintering

After harvesting, the grapevine must be prepared for the upcoming cold weather. The order of work is as follows:

The plant is fed with a complex fertilizer containing potassium and phosphorus. This fertilizer will strengthen the roots and protect them from freezing.
The vines are treated against pests, rodents and fungi.
They do sanitary pruning, removing broken, diseased and damaged branches.
If the climate is cold, the bush is hilled, then it is covered with spruce branches.

Reviews about Alexa grapes

Zinaida Rogozhina, 60 years old, Klin

For our climate, Alex's grapes are simply a godsend. It has been growing on my plot for 5 years, I harvested 2 crops, the first year of fruiting the bush gave 26 kg. This year we collected 35 kg and this is taking into account that the summer was cold and rainy.

Stanislav Utkin, 35 years old, Belgorod

I tried the grapes at a friend’s dacha, I really liked the taste, it was sweet, the juice was aromatic, and when bitten, the berry made a characteristic cracking sound, like the skin bursting. I bought a seedling, in the 4th year the grapes produced their first harvest, there were few clusters, but very large, about 40 cm long, I did not expect such grapes to grow on my plot.

Tatyana Zueva, 60 years old, Rostov region

The hybrid variety has been growing on the plot for 6 years, I have 2 bushes, I propagated the grapes by layering. The variety is very productive, ripens early, I pick the berries at the end of July. They are large, tasty, juicy. I make homemade wine and process it into juice. Fresh bunches are stored until the end of November in a cool, dark place.

Application

The description indicated that Alexa belongs to the table variety, therefore it is consumed fresh: desserts, fruit salads, grape juice. Since the berries are quite large, this variety is perfect for decorating a holiday table. Due to its taste, children eat it with pleasure.

Grapes are used for healing and treatment. Grape therapy is used for digestive disorders, bronchitis, asthma, neuroses, metabolic imbalances, kidney diseases, liver diseases, etc.

But the description emphasized that the Alexa variety is capable of accumulating sugar, so it is not recommended for use by those with diabetes. People with stomach and intestinal ulcers, hypertensive patients, and those who have a severe form of tuberculosis should be careful.

An interesting fact is that in terms of the amount of nutrients it contains, except for fats, grapes are identical to milk.

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