To grow a decent grape in a fairly harsh temperate European climate, you do not need to be a guru in viticulture.
This occupation is not as difficult as it may seem.
That is why it is not difficult to grow such a variety as "Zabava".
If you decide to plant this particular grape, then just follow the tips below.
Description of grapes "Zabava"
Variety "Zabava" - table grapes, which was bred by V.V. Zagorulko when crossing varieties "Laura" and "Kodryanka". The second name of this variety is "Laura Black".
Ripens quicklyfor 100 - 110 days. Bushes grow well, shoots mature well. The shape of the leaf variety "Fun" took over from the predecessor variety "Laura". The clusters are large, medium density, mass reaches 700 - 800 g, cylindric conical shape.
The berries are very large, weighing up to 10 g, the shape is elliptical, oblong. The peel of dark blue color, with a wax raid, is not felt at consumption. The flesh is juicy, crunches, sweet to the taste.
Excellent frost resistance, Zabava withstands temperatures down to -23 ° C. The variety is not affected by gray rot and oidium, but is affected by mildew. Possesses very good trade dress and perfectly maintains transportation.
Virtues:
- sweet taste
- high yield
- good frost resistance
- not damaged by gray mold and oidium
- beautiful presentation
- tolerates transportation
disadvantages:
- damaged by mildew
About the features of planting varieties
Shrubs variety "Zabava" take root in any soil, regardless of its structure and degree of fertility, but it is better, of course, to grow on black soil. Due to high resistance to frost saplings ready to land in both spring and autumn.
When planting, it is important to calculate the distance between future bushes so that it is not less than 2.5 m. Otherwise, a stronger bush will not allow the weaker to develop.
When buying grapes seedlings need to pay special attention to the roots. They should be rather thick, elastic, and most importantly, undried. If the root system of the seedling is dehydrated, then nothing will save it.
The green shoot must also be resilient, without any damage caused either by illness or by man. The length of the one-year increment must not be less than 15 cm.
Before planting, the roots need to be slightly cut to a length of 10 to 15 cm, and also to shorten the shoot, leaving 4 peepholes. Sure to check the color of the roots on the cut. If they are white, then all is well, and if they are brown, then a seedling can be thrown away.
Growth enhancers such as Heteroauxin, Appin, Cornevin will not interfere with the roots. Under each bush you need to dig a hole 0.8x0.8x0.8 m. The top layer of earth from the hole must be separated from the bottom and mixed with humus.
Next, the resulting mixture should be poured into a pit, a layer of 40 cm should be formed. A sapling should be placed on this ground and covered with that ground, which was the lower layer. It is necessary to fill up a sapling so that 10 cm of a hole remain. Already after planting, the seedling needs to be watered with 2 to 3 buckets of water. After all the moisture is absorbed, the soil must be loosened for better access of oxygen to the roots.
At the end the soil is mulched.
It is also interesting to read the rules of autumnal care for grapes.
Tips on caring for the variety "Zabava"
- Watering
Grape variety "Zabava", as a fairly vigorous plant, need plenty of water for normal development and fruiting. Therefore, for the entire growing season, adult bushes need to be watered 4-5 times with an interval of 2 weeks and with the calculation of 3-4 buckets of water per 1 sq.m.
In early spring, when subzero temperature is no longer observed, water the grapes for the first time. Then, before flowering and after flowering 2 more watering is performed.
When the clusters were already formed, and the berries in diameter reached 5–6 mm, the time for the next watering came.
Before you cover the bushes for the winter, you need to do water recharge irrigationwhich will provide roots with water for the whole winter. The volume of the last watering should be increased to 6 buckets of water per 1 sq.m.
- Mulching
In order for the dry bushes of the grapes not to suffer from a lack of water, the soil around the seedling should be covered with mulch. Also mulching is necessary for preservation of heat in the soiland also prevents the development of weeds.
As a necessary material you can use straw, sawdust, mowed grass, as well as artificial materials - paper, cardboard. The thickness of the layer of mulch should reach 5 cm, so that this procedure was understood.
- Harboring
The variety "Zabava" is very frost-resistant, therefore it is not necessary to shelter seedlings for the winter in a warm climate. But in a temperate climate zone, where winters are quite severe, it is simply necessary to protect grapes bushes. To do this, each vine bush must be tied with several strips of cloth, laid on the ground and secured to the surface.
It is advisable to lay some material under the vine, for example, thin plywood, polyethylene, a large layer of thick paper so that the shoots do not touch the ground itself, otherwise the process of decay will start.
Then over the laid bushes set the required number of metal arcs that need to drive into the ground. On these arcs you need to stretch the plastic film, which will protect the bushes from the harmful effects of frost. Sideways, this film needs to be fixed, for example, with earth or bricks, and the ends should be left open before the onset of frost. But time to thaw the ends also need to open.
- Pruning
Due to the large enough weight of the clusters, the vine can be overloaded, which will then lead to disastrous consequences. Therefore, you need to normalize the load on the bushes.
Better at all cut weak shootswhich will only hinder the development of more powerful. Cut branches need at the level of 6 - 8 peepholes. So the load on the bush will be no more than 45 holes.
Pruning branches is better in spring when the bushes have not yet entered the phase of active vegetative development. As for pruning the sapling, the one-year sprout should be shortened every year, leaving more and more eyes. What swing side branches, they must be at least 4x, since it is they who will bear fruit.
- Fertilizer
As you know, with the active use of the soil, it is depleted. Therefore, you need to regularly make organic and mineral fertilizers, so that fruit bearing plants give a regular harvest.
If you grow grapes in your garden, and in particular, the variety "Zabava", then you need to constantly fertilize the soil.
Mineral fertilizers need to be made annually, and organic - once in 2 - 3 years. The best organic fertilizers are humus, peat, compost, chicken manure.
As for mineral fertilizers, grapes need nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and zinc.
In early spring, when it is time to free the bushes from protection, a solution of superphosphate, ammonium nitrate and potash salt should be applied to the soil (20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of ammonium nitrate and 5 g of potassium salt are used for 10 liters of water).
Before the grapes begin to bloom, you need to make the same solution. Before harvesting nitrogen, which increases the power of growth, it is not necessary to contribute.
Before covering the bushes for the winter, potassium is especially needed for grapes, which will help the bushes to winter. To fertilize correctly, you need to dig circular ditches 40 cm deep around each bush. These ditches should describe a circle with a radius of 50 cm around the trunk bush.
It is desirable that the dressing coincided with irrigation. So fertilizer will better penetrate the soil.
- Protection
Unfortunately, the variety "Zabava" can badly damaged by mildew, so be sure to protect the bushes from this fungal disease.
Another name for this disease is downy mildew. It is manifested by mildew through yellow oily spots on the leaves and is capable of striking even berries. Therefore, to fight this disease is necessary.
As a measure of control you need remove broken and damaged branches, the vines should not touch the ground, and the bushes should be treated with two solutions of Bordeaux liquid: when the shoots reach 15 cm long, the bushes must be treated with a solution of 0.75%, with a solution of 1%, the bushes must be processed before flowering, after flowering and before the berries ripen.
Also in the fight against mildew will be effective fungicides. If some gray dust began to appear on the leaves, the grapes are struck with oidium. Colloidal sulfur (1.5%), as well as fungicides, will help against oidium.
