Grapes are a horticultural crop that everyone has summer cottage or vegetable garden. But for the bush every year to give good harvest, it must be properly cared for. Particular attention should be paid to feeding the vineyard. Specialists have developed fertilizer application schemes, which are adjusted depending on which strip the crop grows in and the variety of the vineyard. Consider why grape feeding is generally needed, and how to properly implement it.

Why fertilize grapes

Caring for grapes is not only about covering shrubs for the winter and cutting off unnecessary shoots. Like any other horticultural crop, the vineyard needs certain substances, which, ideally, it gets from the soil. If this or that component is not enough, then the plant begins to bear fruit poorly and hurt. Therefore, fertilizers should be applied that compensate for the lack of one or another element. But, at the same time, it should be remembered that an overabundance of even the most useful element can lead to the appearance of diseases of the bush. Therefore, all fertilizers should be applied in a specific sequence.

Many people wonder why in the wild all plants grow perfectly and without feeding. In the wild, most of the crop falls to the ground, rotting there. It turns out that all the components that the shrub took from the soil during the fruiting period come back. When the shrub is cultivated, the entire crop is harvested. It is also worth noting the fact that in the wild, the vineyard grows only on those soils that suit it. When planting shrubs in the country, we do not think about whether the soil contains everything necessary for this plant, or not.

For top dressing to be effective, they need to be done at a specific time. In addition, a specific fertilizer corresponds to each period.

How to fertilize the vineyard

Before answering the question, you should understand what grapes need for normal growth and development. This shrub needs nitrogen, copper, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and boron. Accordingly, feeding grapes is the introduction of those fertilizers into the soil, which contain the above microelements.

All fertilizers that are applied to grape bushes are divided into 2 groups:

• basic;
• additional or top dressing.

Basic fertilizers, as a rule, are applied no more than once every 24 months. An exception is made if the soil is excessively depleted. Additional fertilizers, or, as they are often called, fertilizing are applied several times a season, small. We apply top dressing in liquid form.

In addition to manure, which is used as a top dressing for all horticultural crops, we add peat, potassium, compost, potassium sulfate, bird droppings, phosphorus, saltpeter, nitrogen, etc. under grape bushes.

Manure is the main fertilizer that contains everything you need for the health of the grape bush. By and large, manure improves the quality of the soil, makes it more fertile. Any organic matter acts as an alternative to manure. We introduce overripe manure into the soil, which contains the mineral elements necessary for the vineyard (phosphorus, for example).

Any mineral fertilizer can be used as top dressing. We give preference to fertilizers, which contain several mineral elements at once. Ammophos, azofosk and nitroammofosk are effective.

In addition to mineral fertilizers, which contain several components, potassium chloride, phosphorus, potassium sulfate, nitrogen, potassium magnesium, ammonium nitrate, boric acid, granular superphosphate, urea, ash are used as top dressing.

Feeding calendar

In order for the shrub to be healthy and produce a good harvest every year, it needs to be fed five times during the summer season.

1st feeding

In early spring we do the first top dressing. As soon as the warm sun appears, we apply a 3-component fertilizer to the soil, which is easy to make on our own. To feed one grape bush in 10 liters of water, we dilute 20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of ammonium nitrate and 5 g of potassium salt. If you are preparing fertilizer for all bushes at once, then when applying it to the soil, use a measuring bucket. You should not add more substance to the soil than 10 liters.

The second option for the first top dressing involves the introduction of superphosphate (40 g), nitrogen (40 g) and potassium (30 g) fertilizers into the soil. In this case, fertilizers are applied dry. Fertilizer weight per bush.

In parallel, you can fertilize shrubs liquid fertilizers... But make sure that they do not contain chlorine. In this case, it is important to properly fertilize the bush. First, make a hole near the bush. Then, into this hole, pour 10 liters of pre-warmed (but not hot) water, fertilizers diluted in water, and water again. The preparations are diluted based on the manufacturer's recommendations. We are waiting for the soil to dry out. Then we gently loosen it. Even during the first feeding, the shrub is fertilized with ammonium sulfate.

This is the only top dressing that comes in the spring. All other top dressing of grapes is carried out in the summer.

2nd feeding

The second time we fertilize the vines 1.5-2 weeks before flowering. Depending on the climatic zone, this can be the end of May or the beginning of June. If we talk about the Moscow region, for example, then we perform the second feeding of grapes in early June. At this stage, you can use exactly the same 3-part liquid fertilizer as during the first feeding.

You can prepare a liquid fertilizer from 40 g of nitrogen fertilizers, 40 g of potash fertilizers, 50 g of superphosphates and 10 liters of water. At the same time, we introduce chicken droppings into the soil, diluted in water or a slurry prepared from manure. For cooking liquid dressings manure and water are taken in a 1: 2 ratio. After preparing the slurry, it is left for at least a week, and preferably 1.5, in a barrel. Use, respectively, fermented fertilizer, previously diluted with water (ratio 1: 6). Superphosphate and potassium fertilizers can be added to the resulting mixture (20 and 15 g per 10 liters of water, respectively). Before introducing the slurry into the ground, we dig a groove or hole near the bush. We introduce, on average, 1.5 buckets of slurry per 1 bush.

3rd feeding

This grape dressing is performed in July. Depending on the climatic conditions times may vary. This dressing of grapes is done after flowering, just before the ripening of the berries, the size of which should correspond to the size of the peas. At this stage, the shrub needs potash fertilization. We also add superphosphate to the soil. But nitrogen is not added during the third feeding. You can prepare complex fertilizers (as during the second feeding, for example).

If the third top dressing of the vineyard is carried out in a timely manner, then the yield will increase by at least 1.5 times. Will improve and appearance berries.

4th feeding

As soon as the berries begin to ripen, and this will happen in the second half of August, the bushes should be fertilized for the fourth time. How to feed the grapes during the period that falls on the end of July or the beginning of August? Be sure to apply fertilizers that contain potassium (50 g per bush is enough). Also, it will not be superfluous to apply fertilizers, which contain phosphorus. For 1 bush, 100 g of fertilizer is enough. Accordingly, we also apply 50 g of phosphorus fertilizers. Nitrogen fertilizers should be excluded at this stage.

5th feeding

The last time the shrub is fertilized is after harvest. The best feeding at this stage - potash fertilizers. They will help the vineyard survive the winter frosts.

Types of dressings

Regardless of whether feeding is carried out during the ripening of the berries or only at the stage of the appearance of the ovary, it can be carried out in different ways.

Root dressing

Root feeding of grapes assumes that fertilizers will be applied directly to the soil. It aims to strengthen the roots of the plant. Strictly speaking, the above-described feeding schedule is the root feeding scheme. Many people limit themselves to the introduction of nutrients into the soil, considering this a sufficient measure for the normal development of the shrub. However, this is a misconception. Root dressing alone is not enough.

Foliar or foliar feeding

Leaves are taken care of by foliar feeding... At the same time, foliar feeding of grapes is no less important than root feeding. And you need to understand that it is not an alternative to root feeding. As a rule, it is performed simultaneously with spraying the bush for diseases. As in the case of root dressing, experts recommend doing it 4 times. But, at the same time, the timing of fertilization is somewhat different.

The first foliar dressing of the grapes is performed before the flowering of the shrub. Spray the plant a second time after the ovary has appeared. The third spraying falls at the beginning of the ripening of the brushes, and the fourth is done after the berries have softened. You can treat the shrub with boric acid. But, regarding the advisability of such an action, the opinions of gardeners differ. It is more expedient to prepare complex solutions with boric acid.

There are drugs on sale that can be sprayed on vineyards on a green leaf before the ovary appears and during fruiting. They are usually sold as a dry concentrate. Before use, they must be diluted with water according to the instructions. Some gardeners perform top dressing on a green leaf before the ovary appears, considering spraying the formed bunches inappropriate. But such feeding will not harm both before flowering and during it. This is due to the fact that the leaves are treated with drugs that are harmless to the human body.

Minor top dressing

In addition to the main five dressings for grapes, you can additionally apply fertilizers. So feeding grapes during flowering is performed with folk remedies (the same ash, for example). If the vine does not ripen, then use monophosphate, which will solve this problem. And to accelerate the ripening process of berries, drugs are used, which contain phosphorus. You can also fertilize the shrub with drugs that include boric acid.

Also, non-main ones include top dressing during planting of the cuttings. In addition to organic matter, superphosphate is placed in the prepared well and wood ash, potassium salt. This will allow the cuttings to sprout quickly. A stalk planted in this way will grow rapidly and will yield a crop in the second year. At correct fit For the first few years, you don't need to worry about fertilizing at all. It is enough to add preparations that allow the berries to gain sugar and ripen faster (this should be done in the first months of summer), which promote the growth of a young shoot. You can limit yourself to cultivating a vineyard with a green leaf. But we use the drugs that are intended for this method processing.

Rules for the implementation of dressings

Fertilizing grapes with fertilizers will give the desired result only if it is done correctly.

• All the necessary substances must be introduced into the soil in a timely manner.
• It is advisable to water and fertilize grapes with liquid fertilizers at the same time. In this case, you should not overfill the ground.
• Foliar feeding of the shrub is carried out in calm weather. It is better to spray the vineyard after sunset. In this case, you should carefully select the equipment for spraying. The smaller the size of the drops falling on the leaves, the better the result of the procedure.
• To achieve the maximum effect of the procedure, root and foliar feeding should be carried out at the same time.
• Before introducing liquid solutions into the soil, you first need to make a deepening. There are components, nitrogen, for example, which evaporate in air. Therefore, they must penetrate the ground as quickly as possible. There is also a group of elements that are considered sedentary. Therefore, they may remain in the surface layers of the soil and not reach the root system of the shrub.
• Top dressing of grapes in July and August nitrogen fertilizers can not be done. The same applies to poultry manure and mullein, used in the form of liquid solutions. V otherwise height vine will be delayed, and the harvest will ripen quite late. But it is advisable to feed grapes in June with nitrogen fertilizers. In the spring, fertilize the soil with ammonium nitrate.
• Choose a quality fertilizer, both for root feeding of grapes and for foliar feeding. And remember that summer treatment is different from winter treatment. In the first case, you need to saturate the soil with elements that contribute to the growth of shoots and the ripening of berries. When processing for the winter, you need to strengthen the roots.
• Hang the grape feeding scheme in the most visible place, and mark all the actions performed. This will help you never miss a spray. The calendar for processing shrubs and trees is practically the same. Therefore, it is possible to draw up a single schedule for the entire garden, with a field for notes.

Important points

It is worth adding various trace elements to the soil not only in summer, but throughout the year. It is very important to choose the right seedlings. For example, varieties such as Isabella and girlish grapes grow well on any soil. There are varieties that are demanding on the soil, and with a lack of certain microelements grow extremely poorly.

On the packaging of each fertilizer, it is indicated in which month, or at what stage of development of the shrub, it is advisable to use it. Do not deviate from these recommendations, and do not forget to enrich the soil with micronutrients after harvest.

Watering is done after applying dry fertilizers under the roots. If we are talking about the treatment with liquid preparations on a green leaf, then the shrub should be watered after it has absorbed all the useful components from the solution used.

Conclusion

Care for any horticultural culture involves the application of fertilizers. You need to fertilize the soil several times per season. Special attention require young seedlings. In addition to root dressings, leafy dressings should be applied. Be sure to fertilize the soil with a mullein. In addition to using the above fertilizers, you can use folk remedies. So, for example, grapes can be fed with ash or yeast. You can sprinkle the bushes with dry ash, or you can dilute it in water.

It is worth noting that many folk remedies, and ash is no exception, help protect the vineyard from various diseases. But, none folk remedy will not be as effective as mineral and organic fertilizers.

Grapes (Latin Vitis) are a representative of the Vinogradov family. The plant is susceptible to many factors and requires careful maintenance to obtain good yields. An important part of grape agricultural technology is the application of fertilizers in each of the periods of growth and development of the shrub.

Why do you need to feed grapes

Throughout the entire period of its life, the plant needs a certain set of fertilizers and dressings. For the first 2-3 years of the life of the bush, reserves nutrients dry up from the soil, and they must be constantly replenished.

The set of minerals for plant nutrition depends on:

• the size and age of the bush;
• varieties;
• climate;
• season.

The most crucial stage in grape growing is the formation of the harvest. It is before and after flowering that regular root and foliar dressing should be carried out.

Root feeding of grapes in 4 stages

The main root dressing of grapes is carried out four times per season:

• before flowering;
• after flowering;
• before harvesting;
• after harvesting berries.

In each of these periods, plants need a radically different set of trace elements.

Top dressing before flowering

First step. 7-10 days before flowering (beginning - mid-May, depending on the variety and climate), the bushes must be well fertilized with nitrogen and ammonia:

• 8 gr. potassium magnesia;
• 15 gr. ammonium nitrate.

The components are diluted in a bucket of water, and this volume is used per 1 sq. m of irrigation area.

Chemical feeding can be replaced with natural:

• 2 kg of rotted manure;
• 10 liters of liquid.

All volumes are calculated for 1 sq. m watering. Manure can be replaced chicken droppings: 50 gr. raw materials on a bucket of water. The litter must be fermented for at least 2 weeks before use. You can add 5 grams to the solution. boric acid.

Many novice winegrowers are interested in the question: how to feed the grapes during flowering? During this crucial period, it is recommended to refuse any manipulations. During flowering, the bushes cannot be treated for diseases and pests, and you should also not water and carry out any feeding. This is due to the respiratory function of the roots. The soil should be dry and oxygen easily permeable.

Don't feed flowering grapes!

During the flowering period of grapes, it is very important that the roots receive a sufficient amount of air. This will allow them to absorb all the minerals they need from the soil. Before flowering, abundant watering is carried out and good feeding so that by the time the first flowers appear, the soil is not excessively wet, but retains all the nutrients.

How to feed grapes after flowering

Second phase. 10-15 days after flowering (mid - late July), before the start of fruit formation, the bushes are fed with the same preparations as for the first time. This is necessary to form the mass of the berries. This procedure repeat after a week.

Stage three. 2 weeks before the harvest ripens, the bushes are fertilized with superphosphate and potassium salts: 20 grams each. each substance in a bucket of water. This will make the berries appear larger and more sweet. Nitrogen preparations should now be avoided. After a week, it is recommended to supplement the feeding with organic matter. It is better to use a non-concentrated solution of manure: 1 kg per 10 liters of liquid.

Stage four. When the clusters have already been removed, the bush should be prepared for rest. To do this, use a tablespoon of potassium magnesium per 10 liters of liquid. Potash fertilizers will enhance the protective functions of plants and increase winter hardiness.

To carry out root dressing, small grooves should be dug around each bush, 0.2-0.3 m deep, into which fertilizers are applied. The distance from the stem should be 0.5 m. Thus, the roots of the plant absorb substances more efficiently than when applied under the stem. Root dressing should be combined with watering.

Foliar dressing of grapes before and after flowering

Along with soil dressings, foliar can also be carried out. Such plant nutrition has undoubted advantages:

• nutrients are absorbed through the leaves in a matter of minutes, and the plants get the maximum effect from feeding;
• there is no reaction with the soil, as a result of which some components may be replaced by others;
• the absorption of substances through the leaves is several times more effective than through the soil;
• the positive effect is achieved as soon as possible after treatment.

The main condition for foliar dressing of grapes is clear weather. It is worth choosing a sunny day and afternoon, when the sun's rays are no longer so active.

First foliar feeding

Carried out a few days before the flowering of the grapes. 5 g of boric acid should be dissolved in 10 l of water and sprayed on the plants. The procedure can be combined with fungicide treatment. Also, for fertilization during this period, nitrogen fertilization is additionally used according to the instructions.

Second processing of grapes

Plants need phosphorus 7 days after flowering. The treatment should be repeated after 2 weeks. Phosphorus fertilizers will help bushes to form clusters and build up vegetative mass.

Fertilizing before harvest

For the last, feeding top dressing, superphosphate fertilizers and potassium are used. These ingredients will prepare the vine for dormancy.

How to determine what grapes are missing

Laboratory analysis soil will help determine exactly what the plant needs. But if this is not possible, you can get the right answers by evaluating the appearance of the bush.

• lack of nitrogen: shrinking of the lower leaves, pale green tint;
• boron deficiency: shedding color, crumbling berries, marble pattern on the leaves;
• lack of potassium: the edges of the leaves turn brown, necrosis begins;
• lack of iron: yellowing of leaves, chlorosis;
• magnesium deficiency: pallor of the leaf plates;
• lack of phosphorus: leaf petioles and veins turn red;
• zinc deficiency: leaf asymmetry.

If problems with the plant, or a disease caused by a lack of substances, are identified, fertilizing is applied in excess of the specified norms, but within the recommendations given by the manufacturer.

Outcome

If you follow all the instructions for feeding grapes, you can count on a plentiful and high-quality harvest of berries. These fertilization recommendations are aimed not only at increasing the productivity of the bush, but will also help plants to more easily endure the winter.

It is important that the soil for cultivation and during the ripening period is rich in nutrients. If fertilizers are not applied in a timely manner, the yield will deteriorate every year. Plants will begin to suffer from frost and drought, as well as from a lack of essential ingredients. The use of fertilizers is an integral part of normal growth.

For normal growth and collection of good bunches of grapes in August, it is required to periodically add mixtures that contain:

Nitrogen is necessary for the normal growth of green mass. Leaves and shoots without this element cannot develop normally. In the summer, the need for such an element decreases. Since August, such actions can even harm, so you should not use them at this time. Top dressing of grapes in August should be different from the spring one. It is important to remember this.

Fertilizer for grapes must also contain phosphorus. It is needed in the initial period of flowering so that the plant can bear fruit well. Thanks to the introduction of this element (superphosphate), the inflorescences will develop much better.

Answering the question of how to fertilize grapes, one cannot fail to note potassium and copper. The first component is needed to accelerate ripening, for growth. Copper helps to increase frost resistance. Additional element there must be zinc. It is important that it also be part of the fertilizer for young grapes. This will significantly increase fruiting.

Boron or boric acid increases the sugar content of the fruit. Also, this element allows you to prepare the plant for the winter period.

Mineral fertilizers(one-component) - the best choice... Ammonium nitrate, potassium chloride, superphosphate - all this is necessary for the plant. Many inexperienced gardeners ask: how to fertilize grapes and how to feed them? It is important to use mixtures that contain two or three elements (ammophos, nitrophoska). The use of complex preparations is permissible and recommended. Some of the best were recognized as "Aquarin", "Novofert", "Kemira", "Floravit". Fertilizing grapes with such compositions will allow you to get a good harvest later.

It is extremely important to correctly determine the composition that is suitable for the particular season for plant nutrition.

During this period, the main task of the gardener is to saturate the soil with microelements. Use the drugs described above. They will ensure good fruiting afterwards. A mixture of sulphate and other vineyard growth components during this period will contribute to a good harvest.

Top dressing should be done in the middle of May.

Remember that you need to feed such a plant in spring and summer. Foliar top dressing of grapes in July is a guarantee rapid growth and ripening.

Please note that during the ripening of the berries, a different feeding is required than during the growth period. During growth, it is very important to apply manure in order to improve the permeability of the soil and stimulate the development of the necessary microorganisms.

Top dressing of grapes in June will do in the event that the plants are characterized by a small increase or, conversely, too strong a load on the crop. To do this, you need to mix potassium salt, superphosphate and nitrate, then dilute with water. You should not use nitrogen, otherwise the fruit will be filled with juice for too long.

What to do with grapes in July? Bird droppings are another feeding agent that must be applied at this particular time. It is worth feeding grapes in the summer with the use of droppings. Why is it important to feed the grapes in the summer? Because at this time he needs to saturate the soil with useful microelements.

Before feeding, it is necessary to dilute the droppings with water in a ratio of 1: 4. Then dilute with water just before watering. It is also permissible to fertilize grapes with ash for even better saturation of the soil. Grape ash is an inexpensive and easy method for correct cultivation plants.

Top dressing of grapes in autumn is also an important milestone. The perfect choice will become a vine, which should be prepared in advance. It is recommended to add zinc, iodine, boron, manganese to the fertilizer mixture. This mixture can be applied both dry and as a water-based solution.

Do not use too many of these mixtures. It is important to add them at regular intervals in small portions. In this case, you will ensure normal growth and maturation.

It is important to follow a number of rules that will ensure you a good harvest. Saturate the soil with the beneficial elements described above. A couple of weeks before flowering, feed the plants with a solution of superphosphate, nitrate and potassium salt with water. Add superphosphate before ripening. Potash fertilizers are also suitable for grapes.

Remember that once every three years it is required to process the plant ( root system) manure with vine, as well as ammonium sulfate and superphosphate. If grown in sandy loam soil, such additives must be applied every two years. For normal growth on sandy soil, this must be done every year.

In this video, you will learn about the best ways to feed grapes in the summer.

When cultivating grapes, winegrowers often have to deal with the problem of a lack of useful elements in the soil. During its growth and as the crop blooms and ripens, the vine can significantly deplete even fertile soils. The grape bush has the ability to suck out the substances necessary for it from the soil.

The older and stronger he becomes, the more his need for these substances grows. If they are not replenished annually, then over time the bush will weaken, the yields will decrease, the taste of the berries will deteriorate, and the ability of the vine to withstand frost will seriously decrease.

Therefore, the growers in the care of the vineyards necessarily carry out work on fertilizing the soil and feeding the bushes. Beginners often make the mistake of believing that fertilizers are necessary for young bushes, which have an insufficiently developed root system, while a hardened vine that has been growing for several years is able to independently extract the necessary substances with powerful roots.

But the most experienced ones understand that the stronger the roots, the more elements they can take from the soil into short time, and replenishment naturally will take too long.

Experienced growers can easily distinguish by the type of plant in which elements it needs at one time or another of its growth and timely fertilize the grapes, feeding the bush with the missing elements.

Useful substances and microelements necessary for grapes, their role and influence on plant growth and yield quality

Throughout the entire period of growth and fruiting, the vineyard needs a whole complex of mineral and organic fertilizers. Despite the fact that the fertile soil for vineyards is fertilized every three years, in addition to this, at various stages of growth and ripening of grapes, it must be fed with the missing elements.

It is important to remember that top dressing cannot replace the basic work of fertilizing the soil for vineyards and are rather an addition to provide the bush with the necessary substances when it is needed.

The most important elements for grapes are nitrogen and potassium, but there is also a need for phosphorus, copper, boron and zinc.

Nitrogen. It has a significant effect on the growth of green mass, shoots, the formation of the size of berries and their taste. Most often, this element is required in the spring. This is the time when the growers are feeding them abundant grape bushes to get strong shoots and plant a bountiful and tasty harvest.

In the summer, when the bushes have gained sufficient green mass, the shoots and brushes of the future harvest necessary for the formation are selected and left, the need for nitrogen is greatly reduced, and in the last month of summer it becomes harmful. Therefore, from the middle of the growing season, it is excluded from the grape diet and replaced with phosphorus and potash fertilizers.

Potassium. Promotes accelerated maturation harvest and increased accumulation of sugar in berries, increases the resistance of the vine to fungal diseases, drought and frost. During the second half of summer, during the ripening period of berries, grapes especially need potassium, but by this time its deficiency begins to be felt in the soil. Most of the reserves of this element are spent on the formation of ovaries and the development of brushes, as well as in a large number accumulates in the green mass.


In case of a lack of potassium, the plant will collect it from the leaves, stems, as well as roots and direct it to the bunches, but this most likely will not be enough. To help the grapes grow a juicy, ripe, sweet harvest without weakening the vine before winter period, potassium sulfate is introduced into the soil by feeding, which remains in the berries even after the harvest is ripe.

• Zinc. Is an important element, which is part of the respiratory enzyme, participates in photosynthesis, affects the activity of vitamins, affects the oxidation of proteins and the formation of growth stimulants. A sufficient presence of zinc in the plant significantly increases the formation of organic acids and affects the yield of grapes.
• 
  Effective as an antifungal agent. It is often used in the form of a Bordeaux liquid, which is made on the basis of copper sulfate mixed with slaked lime. To avoid burns, copper sulfate is not used in pure form, but the prepared solution is carried out spring work by spraying the vine in cases where it often suffers from fungal infections.
• Bor. The effect of boron on plants is manifested in an increase in the number of ovaries, a decrease in shedding of flowers and fruits, an increase in the sugar content of berries and a decrease in their wateriness to prevent cracking of the skin, which leads to an increase in yield and an improvement in its quality. Under natural conditions, boron is absent in the soil and can enter the plant's metabolism only through fertilizers.

It is an indispensable element during flowering and the formation of ovaries in bunches, significantly accelerates this process and contributes to the accumulation of sugar and aromatic elements in berries, and is also responsible for their intense color.


Phosphorus has a beneficial effect on the development of the root system, which improves the metabolism in the plant and strengthens it before the winter period. In the soil, phosphorus is in the form of hard-to-reach compounds, therefore, work on feeding grapes with phosphorus fertilizers greatly facilitates their extraction by the plant and accelerates the processes of accumulation and processing.

Microelements, equally important and useful for grapes, are better replenished and absorbed if they are absorbed by the plant not through the root system, but by the green grape mass. Therefore, in order to improve conditions for the ripening of the crop, work is being carried out to spray the bushes with special solutions.

Fertilizers

Many novice winegrowers are concerned about the question: how to fertilize grapes and what fertilizers are best used for a particular period of plant growth and crop ripening. Which is better: balanced inorganic or organic naturalness? When to carry out fertilization work, and when are small top dressings enough? How often should such work be carried out and how to fertilize the grapes in order to get a rich harvest and not harm the plant at the same time?

Fertilizers are of two types:

• mineral;
• organic.

Mineral fertilizers are inorganic balanced compounds with a high content of substances necessary for the plant in the form of mineral salts. Reasonable use of inorganic fertilizers will provide the grapes with all the substances necessary for the plant, which are important for normal growth and abundant fruiting.

But do not get carried away and forget that their excessive use can disrupt the plant's metabolism and the soil balance of nutrients, thereby causing significant harm not only to the vine, but also to the soil and humans.

Mineral fertilizers are subdivided into:

Organic fertilizers are a waste product of plants and animals, the nutritional elements of which consist of organic compounds and are formed as a result of natural decomposition of organic matter. These are manure, humus, compost, bird droppings, peat and others.

The decomposition of organic matter prepares the necessary elements to a form that plants can easily assimilate. Manure, as a fertilizer for grapes, improves air and water permeability of the soil, has a beneficial effect on the development of beneficial microorganisms that are necessary for the roots of grapes and enriches the plant with important useful elements.

Sorry, the calculation the required amount for a single application of fertilizer cannot be accurate and it must be applied guided by skills. The main thing is to understand that too much of a dose of fresh manure results in the same accumulation of nitrates as with excessive doses of mineral nitrogen fertilizers.

Top dressing of grapes with fresh manure is permissible only in spring or late autumn, after harvesting and preparing the vine for wintering. Sometimes feeding with rotted manure is allowed in the first half of summer, but in the second half such work is categorically contraindicated in order to avoid excessive growth of shoots and insufficient maturation of the vine.

Instead of manure, it is allowed to use compost based on rotted organic waste. Bird droppings are also an important organic fertilizer. An infusion is prepared from it in water in a ratio of 1 to 4, and after a week it is diluted another 10 times. Then spend half a liter for each grape bush. Potassium chloride is often replaced in grape feeding with ash. Ash as a fertilizer is most useful from sunflower husks.

When to feed grapes, timing of fertilization work and methods of replenishing nutrients

On fertile black earth soils, grapes are fertilized every three years, ash, superphosphate and ammonium sulfate are added to the manure used for this. The resulting mixture is placed evenly on the soil surface and carefully dug to a considerable depth.

If the soil under the vineyards is sandy loam, then fertilization work is carried out in a year. And the sandy soil must be fertilized with this method annually. In warm regions, such fertilization of grapes can be carried out in the fall, but in places where the covering method is used for wintering, work on the main fertilization is transferred to early spring.

In addition to regular fertilization of the soil under the vineyards, in order to obtain the largest and highest quality harvest, grapes must be fed throughout the year, except for winter. There are two methods of feeding:

Foliar dressing of grapes in autumn, as well as after flowering, when the berries are already formed, must necessarily exclude nitrogen from the composition in fertilizers.

To avoid the wateriness of the berries, leading to their cracking, and the abundant growth of shoots that take the main food for their growth, this element is replaced with phosphorus, potash fertilizers or ash and not mixed with organic fertilizers such as bird droppings or manure.

July is a hot season for winegrowers, because this month there is an increased growth of berries, and there is not much time left before harvesting. During this period, the bushes of grapes are especially in need of feeding, thanks to which the clusters will become larger and more juicy.

Why do you need top dressing of grapes in July

The deficiency of nutrients that plants usually obtain from the soil must be compensated for with top dressing. In the middle of summer, when the basis for the future harvest is being formed, this is especially important. a lack of mineral substances manifests itself in poor growth of bushes, berries grow small, contain little sugar, and yield remains at a low level. In addition, with a deficiency of nutrients, the plant becomes defenseless against diseases and pests.

July dressing must be carried out after the flowering of the bushes, but before the berries ripen.

The use of complex fertilizers and organic matter during this period, especially poultry manure and mullein, is contraindicated due to the high concentration of active nitrogen contained in them, which, instead of growing bunches of grapes, will increase the formation of green mass and shift the ripening of berries.

Before each top dressing, you need to water the bushes abundantly, so the fertilizers will be absorbed into the soil faster.

How to feed grapes in July

If the vineyard is located on an area with depleted or initially poor soil, then young plants, along with old bushes, experience an acute shortage of nutrients for growth, such as potassium and phosphorus, due to which the sugar content of the berries increases and their ripening accelerates. Therefore, in the first 3 weeks of July, it is necessary to organize the feeding of grapes with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, with the addition of trace elements - boron, cobalt, magnesium, manganese, copper, sulfur, zinc. The listed microelements affect the level of sugar content, improve the absorption of phosphates, stimulate the growth of ovaries, increase the immunity of the plant and the yield of plantings.

Thanks to the July dressings, the basis for a high-quality harvest is laid

It is necessary to start this work immediately after the flowering of the bushes and until the fruit ripens, when the berries do not exceed the size of a pea. Maximum effect observed with the simultaneous use of root and foliar dressings.

When growing grapes, it is important to pay attention not only to young bushes, but also to adult plants. It is they who completely deplete the soil over several seasons, and therefore are in dire need of additional fertilizing. Therefore, unlike young plants, which are fully supplied with nutrients from the soil in the planting pit, adult bushes must be fed 2 years after planting.

Root dressing

In early July, it is recommended to fertilize the site where the vineyard is located, aqueous solution ash: dissolve 100-200 g of ash in a 10 liter bucket of water and leave to infuse for 2-3 days. The resulting ash solution is enough for watering 1 sq. m vineyard. The prepared composition is poured into pre-dug trenches 35–40 cm deep, 0.5–0.6 m from the main vine, and then covered with earth.

Before you start using ash, you need to take into account that this fertilizer is contraindicated for vineyards located on alkaline soil.

Ash contains a balanced complex of substances, and the effect of its use lasts at least 2 years

A good feeding will be next lineup: 20 g of any potassium fertilizer that does not contain chlorine, since grapes do not tolerate it well, for example, potassium sulfate or potassium salt, and dissolve the same amount of superphosphate in 10 liters of water.

After making a nutritious top dressing, the area should be watered warm water, at least 3-4 buckets of water per bush, and be sure to mulch with a layer of straw or sawdust 5 cm thick. fungal diseases and the berries will become sweeter.

By using drainage pipes provides a quick supply of fertilizers to the root system of grapes

If you use drainage system feeding grapes, it will not matter on what land and climatic zone the vineyard is located. Even without fertile soil available, large clusters can be grown in a sandy or rocky area. The main thing is timely and correct feeding.

During the next two decades of July, nitrogen fertilization must be completely eliminated. If this is not done, the growth of the vine will be delayed, and, as a result, the harvest will ripen for a long time.

In the last decade of July, when the size of the berries is equal to the size of peas, you need to add liquid under the grape bushes. organic fertilizer, for example, a solution of chicken manure. To prepare it you will need:

1. Dilute a bucket of chicken droppings in 3 liters of water.
2. Infuse the solution for 7 days.
3. After a week, dilute 1 liter of concentrate in 10 liters of water. A properly prepared solution resembles weakly brewed tea in color, but if it turns out to be a more saturated tone, you need to add more water.
4. Apply the resulting fertilizer completely under the root of one bush.

Chicken manure is a valuable organic fertilizer that improves soil fertility

In order for the fertilizer to be better absorbed into the soil, it is necessary to dig trenches 25–30 cm deep between the vine bushes at a distance of 50–60 cm from the main vine, and pour the prepared dressing into them, and then bury them with earth. A solution of chicken manure is used as a top dressing in July only once, and the result from its use will be noticeable after 2 weeks.

Video: root dressing of grapes in July

Foliar dressing

A good effect is given by foliar, or, in other words, foliar dressing of grapes. For foliar dressing, only liquid agents are used, which are poured into a spray bottle. The sprayer needs to irrigate only the lower surface of the leaves, in which the stomata are located, and along them useful material enter the cells of the plant. If you do not have a spray bottle, you can wipe the leaves with a cloth soaked in nutrient solution.

It will take very little time to prepare foliar dressings:

• Dissolve in 10 liters of water 100 g of superphosphate and 50 g of potassium sulfate. Spray the leaves of the vineyard with the prepared solution.
• Dissolve 1 liter of liquid potassium humate in 1 thousand liters of water, the resulting solution is enough to process a vineyard with an area of ​​1 hectare.

Thanks to potassium humate, nitrates and other harmful substances from berries, and the plant's immunity to diseases also increases.

The preparation Agroverm has excellent characteristics, which contains potassium humate, 18 amino acids and trace elements necessary for grapes. When using it, the yield and quality of berries increases.

Fertilizers on the leaves are quickly absorbed and give excellent results

Another foliar top dressing contains a rich composition of trace elements that dissolve in 10 liters of water:

• Novosil drug - 1 tsp;
• the drug Kemira-Lux - 15–20 g;
• potassium humate - 1 tbsp. l;
• boric acid - 1/2 tbsp. l;
• baking soda - 60–70 g;
• iodine - 1/2 tsp;
• manganese - on the tip of the knife.

An important condition for foliar feeding is dry and calm weather after sunset or a cloudy day. This method of fertilization is especially effective in cases where the fastest delivery of nutrients to weakened plants is required, which will completely absorb them in a matter of minutes.

To enhance the effect of foliar dressing, it is necessary to choose a sprayer with a fine spray that forms small droplets.

At the end of July, you can use an ash-based foliar dressing: dissolve a liter can of ash in 10 liters of water, 3 tbsp. l. granulated sugar, 1 g of boron and 1.5 g of copper.

The sugar content of grapes will increase after feeding with potassium-phosphorus fertilizer, which is used as an addition to root feeding. To prepare it, you will need to do the following:

1. Dilute 300 g of superphosphate in 3 liters of warm water.
2. Filter the mixture and leave to infuse until it brightens.
3. Drain the water from the mixture, and mix the thick with 300 g of ash.
4. Dilute the resulting mass with 10 liters of water and leave to infuse until the solution brightens. You need to use all the received dressing on the day of preparation, do not store.

For foliar feeding of grapes, the preparations Aquarin, Novofert, Plantafol are also recommended. It is in July that potash-phosphorus fertilizers are especially effective, since they are 100% and quickly absorbed by bushes..