Accelerate the ripening of grapes

The ripening of grapes, like the fruits of any other berry crops, depends on the timely intervention of the person – the owner of the vineyard. And also it can be delayed – or impossible – due to excessive vagaries of the weather, the appearance of pathogens, improper and untimely care.

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Standard maturity dates

From the moment the rudimentary brushes appear – after pollination of the inflorescences – the countdown of days begins, during which the grapes gain weight (the fruits grow), and then they ripen. When ripe, the content of fructose and glucose increases, and the acidity characteristic of green unripe grapes decreases. When there is not one percent of acid left in the grapes, they are considered ripe.

Each variety has its own ripening time – from 95 to 135 days.

The “grape” season for sales is from late July to early October. Fully ripen – gain sugar – the fruits begin after growth slows down. In the Krasnodar Territory, for example, early varieties are grown: “SuperExtra”, “Nastya” etc. – in the warmth of the South, the harvest quickly ripens.

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Factors that delay deadlines

Unripe grapes are distinguished by their taste – they are “like grass”, contain almost no sugar. There is no desire for it – it is barely sweet, which indicates a lack of sunlight and nutrients obtained from the soil. Late ripening of grapes is most often due to weather changes: a reduced number of sunny days in specific months, an abundance of rain. From an excess of moisture, the roots, not receiving oxygen – especially on a compacted, not dug up in the spring near-trunk circle – will rot. The average monthly temperature below +20 will slow down the growth and ripening of grapes. With late spring and April, May night frosts, the crop will not have time to ripen – or it will not exist at all.

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

There are at least a few diseases in grapes. They are caused by bacteria and spores that settle on shoots and leaves, “eating” them alive. A vine with a lot of affected areas (leaves eaten by spores, damaged bark and rotten wood in lignified areas, cobwebs and spider cocoons in bunches of grapes, etc.) will not give a good harvest. With multiple lesions, the fruits will not begin to appear at all.

If you do not take action, resorting to folk remedies and “chemistry”, then the vine will die.

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Too “heavy” land that does not contain sand quickly settles, and the access of oxygen to the roots can be stopped, which makes the bushes weaker. You can correct this deficiency when planting grapes: mix the earth with sand. Sand passes water and air well – and the earth will become lighter, more permeable. Grapes grow well on loamy-sandy soil. In some cases, at the place of its planting, a deep hole is dug in the ground, sand is mixed with peat and other fertilizers – and grape cuttings are covered with this composition. A small layer of excavated black soil is placed on top so that the earth does not freeze.

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

If the earth in the near-stem soil circles was dug up in time, fed with peelings from vegetables and fruits, mowed and weeded weeds, other plant “garbage”, mulch, peat, and, if necessary, fertilizers based on potassium and magnesium, then it is enough to ensure timely watering until mid-July . Do not forget to loosen the soil – like the aerial part of the plant, the roots also breathe, assimilating nitrogen and oxygen from the soil.

If the inexperienced owner of the vineyard forgot about leaving, and he grows chaotically, and the soil becomes poorer, then the harvest will become worse over time.

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Basic techniques and operations

First of all, the soil needs to be loosened from time to time, and the vineyard needs to be watered. Do not overwater – excess moisture will cause the grapes to crack.

Having solved the issue with watering and loosening, provide the vines with timely root and foliar top dressing. Peat, fruit and vegetable waste and all kinds of compost are suitable here.

Calculate the optimal number of grapes for each bush (or vine). The plant – each individually – should not be overloaded. Too many brushes and branches on which it grows will lead to poor-quality maturation. Some of the clusters are removed – up to half of the bunched ones – to let the rest ripen.

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Remove leaves at the bottom of the vine that are no longer useful. Do the same with extra shoots when the growth of the vine or bush has stopped – the straightened tip serves as a signal for this (the bent one continues to grow, and it is undesirable to remove it).

Too many branches should not be allowed to twist with each other, forming an impenetrable “jungle” – the bunches of grapes covered by them from the sun will not ripen, because they are in the semi-darkness created by the green cover of plants.

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Other methods and use of drugs

In addition to the main formation of a vine or bush, there is also an auxiliary one. It consists in pinching – removing the so-called. stepchildren, or secondary branches, developing from last year’s buds. The earlier the stepsons are removed (preferably at the stage of conception), the more nutrients the main structure will receive: the main branches and the bush (or vine) itself, along with the bunches that have begun, will grow faster, and the grapes will ripen earlier.

Sick, as well as clusters that have stopped ripening, are harvested. Turn the brushes with the immature side towards the sun: 60 degrees, gradually.

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Residents of central Russia, the Ural district, where the summer is shorter, you can additionally insulate the vineyard. This is achieved by covering the ground with black tiles and stones that heat up in the sun. After sunset, for several hours, this stone gives off the accumulated heat, warming the ground under it. In this case, try to use early-ripening varieties – they ripen faster.

Fertilizers based on potassium, magnesium and phosphorus are used as preparations. Phosphorus-containing compounds are classified as foliar top dressing. But other stimulants are also used, such as ammonium molybdate.

Phosphorus and ammonium salts – these fertilizers are produced in the form of salt components – are diluted in an amount of 10 g per bucket of water. Two weeks before the flowering of the grapes, foliar top dressing is sprayed on the leaves and rudimentary brush-buds, which have not yet blossomed. Best results can be achieved by distributing the product at or just after sunset.

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

To stimulate the growth of new branches, knotted bunches of grapes, you can perform banding – cutting a small strip of bark in the right place. The idea is that water with minerals dissolved in it moves up (from the roots) through the vessels of the wood, organic matter moves down (from the tops) through the sieve tubes of the bast layer located between the primary bark and wood. To cut off the path of organic substances back – and direct them to the growth of a branch, the latter is ringed.

Organic substances formed in the ringed branch go to the maturation of the brushes located above the ringing mark.

The disadvantage is that banding cannot be used on perennial branches, because due to a lack of organic matter, the lower part of the bush will be depleted, the roots will weaken, as a result of which the plant may die.

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Tips

Grapes ripen, finally ripen, when the gardener has taken into account all the interfering factors that hinder its development. In addition to the measures taken above, the following tips will help him.

Do not choose varieties that are not suitable for your region and area for climate and weather conditions. If you are a novice gardener, then try the Beauty of the North or Cosmonaut varieties, or some others that are cold-resistant.

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Don’t let vineyard care take its course. Grapes require sighting at least once a day. Walk around your plantings every morning. If you notice something strange, take appropriate action.

Do not apply fertilizer that is suitable for completely different horticultural and horticultural crops. For example, cherries have their own pest control compared to grapes, because their pests are different from those of a vine or bush. When purchasing the right fertilizers and protective chemicals, follow the instructions for their use. Exceeding the dosage will create a supersaturation effect and destroy the plant, an insufficient dose will not work. In addition, use folk remedies – care should be comprehensive.

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

Accelerate the ripening of grapes

For information on how to speed up the ripening of grapes, see below.

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Anna Evans

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