Grapes - a traditional berry culture in the southern regions growing in almost every yard. In recent decades, the zone of cultivation of this plant has advanced far to the north, including thanks to the creation of new varieties. Fun is one of these innovations, successfully growing in areas of traditional viticulture, and subject to certain conditions, in more northern regions.
Grapes Fun - a promising novelty
Fun is a relatively new hybrid form of grape obtained by Ukrainian amateur breeder V.V. Zagorulko in the Zaporozhye region during the hybridization of Flora with Kodryanka. Not being an officially registered zoned variety, Zabava grapes are of great interest among amateur gardeners.
The variety is also known under the alternative name Laura black.
Grade description
This is an early form of table grape ripening in 100-110 days. Bushes are vigorous. The berries are oval-shaped, weighing up to 10 g, the skin is dark blue with a rich waxy coating. The clusters are large, beautiful, transportable, of excellent presentation. The pulp is dense, taste is very good.
The tendency to crack berries in the Fun is not observed. The flowers are bisexual, so there is no need to plant additional pollinating varieties. Irrigation (the formation of small immature berries) is very rare, only in rainy weather during flowering. Disease resistance at an average level. The rooting rate of cuttings is high. Shoots ripen well. Winter hardiness is low, without shelter completely freezes at -20 ° C.
Video: Fun grapes
Features of planting and care
Grapes Fun grows well on almost all soils except wetland and salt marshes. When planning a future vineyard, the following are of primary importance:
- good illumination throughout the day;
- protection from strong winds;
- ease of care.
In the northern regions, it is preferable to plant grapes at the southern walls.
Without shelter, Zabava normally winters only in the subtropical zones of the Crimea and the Caucasus. In all other regions, it is required to remove it from the trellis and carefully cover it for the winter. Therefore, the support should not be too high, and at its foot should provide enough free space for winter placement of vines.
Fun is a vigorous variety. For normal development and fruiting, the distance between the bushes should be at least 2 m.
Landing time
Grapes can be planted in autumn only in the southern regions with warm winters. Saplings for autumn planting must be ripened, with yellowish-brown thick shoots (thin green will certainly freeze). Be sure to check the condition of the roots, on the cut they should be white.
In the spring, it is advisable to plant grapes as soon as possible, as soon as the ground warms up to + 10 ° C. Actively growing seedlings with a well-formed closed root system can be planted in early summer.
The nuances of planting a grape seedling
Pits for grapes are dug in such a way that the root system is located at a depth of about 0.5 m. On very heavy clays, they plant smaller, and after planting, a hill of fertile land is poured on top. Under each bush, when planting, they make 1-2 buckets of humus, mixing with the soil. Seedlings are inclined and almost completely covered with earth, leaving only 1 bud on the surface.
Fresh manure for grapes must not be used!
In the northern regions, a trench planting of grapes is often used, which provides the most reliable shelter for the winter. Trenches are made up to 1 m wide in the upper part, slightly tapering downwards, with inclined walls that are laid out with slate or boards. The depth of this inclined part is up to 0.5 m, here the grapes will be placed for the winter. At the bottom of the trenches dig holes for planting, so that the roots are at a depth of at least 30 cm from the bottom of the trench.
In arid areas, along with planting seedlings, a system for deep watering is also arranged. A section of the asbestos-cement drainage pipe is dug 1 m from each seedling so that its lower end is at a depth of about 0.5 m, i.e. at the level of location of the main roots of the grapes. Under the base of these pipes, rubble or broken brick is placed so that the water disperses better. In the future, watered only through these pipes.
Vineyard Care Board
Fine shallow watering of grapes is very harmful. Watered only in drought, at least 4 buckets of water for each bush, and only at certain times:
- first watering - before flowering;
- the second - after flowering;
- the third - during the growth of berries;
- the fourth - late in the fall before shelter for the winter.
You can not water the grapes during flowering (the berries will not grow well, there will be so-called "peeling") and during ripening (the fruits may crack).
Fertilize grapes only in spring and in very moderate doses, not more than 30-40 g nitroammophoski per 1 m2. Excess fertilizer spoils the taste of berries and makes wintering difficult for plants.
It is best to completely mulch the soil in the vineyard with a special black film. This eliminates labor-intensive weeding and helps maintain moisture in the soil.
The formation of grapes depends on the chosen arrangement of bushes and the support structure. Large heavy brushes Fun require mandatory tying of fruiting shoots to the trellis.
Fun's disease resistance is average. In the regions of traditional viticulture, where there are always diseased bushes of old varieties, preventive treatments are required.
- The first treatment is at the very beginning of the growing season spraying with Kurzat (against mildew, anthracnose and black spotting) and Talendo (against oidium).
- The second treatment is spraying before flowering with Talendo (against oidium) and Thanos (against mildew).
- The third treatment is identical to the second - immediately after flowering.
Where grapes have never been grown before, it is possible for some time to do without chemical treatments, since there is no source of infection yet.
Shelter for the winter
Fun for the winter must be carefully sheltered almost everywhere except the subtropics. Preparation for shelter begins after the first light troubles. By this time, the leaves of the grapes can turn red, fly around at all or remain green, all of these options are normal and depend mainly on weather and soil. Before shelter, the bush is trimmed. Spring pruning is dangerous due to the strong "crying" of the vine during sap flow.
For shelter, you can use boards, slate, film, polystyrene foam, coniferous spruce branches. Straw, hay, fallen leaves are not suitable - they attract mice and easily rot from dampness. In winter, dampness and rot are no less dangerous than frost.
Procedure:
- Cover the ground under the bushes with roofing material or a film to avoid contact of the vine with the ground.
- Remove the vine from the trellis.
- Trim excess shoots, shorten unripe green tops. Be sure to tear off the leaves if they themselves do not crumble.
- Tie all the shoots left in a non-tight bundle, lay on the prepared surface, press to the ground with arcs or hooks. Install arcs for the upper shelter.
- You can throw a little coniferous spruce branches on top of the vines, if possible.
- As soon as the temperature settles just below 0aboutC, pull dense polyethylene in two layers along the upper arches, press the edges firmly to the ground, secure with bricks and sprinkle with earth.
- In the case of prolonged thaws, the grapes must be aired, slightly revealing the southern edge of the film.
The easiest way to cover grapes planted in trenches. The bottom of the trenches is lined with a film, a trimmed vine freed from the leaves is laid, covered with a layer of coniferous spruce. Top trenches tightly closed with boards or slate.
Video: how to cover grapes for the winter
Spring Shelter
In the spring, shelter is removed immediately after the snow melts. The wintered vine is raised on trellises and tied up. Young grape leaves are afraid of frost, so it makes sense to place the lower trellis wire low above the ground in order to be able to throw a film on already tied grapes when there is a threat of frost. Leaving the bushes untied is undesirable - after awakening the buds, the shoots grow very quickly, get mixed up with each other and inevitably break off when they are belatedly raised to the support.
Reviews
I’m not a big fan of black grapes, I don’t like plum tones in the taste, and the Fun is that the dark tastes more like white. Plus, clusters are always decorated, I have never seen anyone show peas or a disheveled bunch on Fun. Decent grapes.
konctantin//lozavrn.ru/index.php?topic=263.0
Pleased with fun, measured, large brushes, I didn’t see any goros, so were the sores. Frosts were in winter to -35 degrees (shelter under the film).
Peter//vinforum.ru/index.php?topic=258.0
We Fun pollinated on "4", there is a little pea. In general, neither scolding nor praising is yet particularly worth it ...
Elena Petrovna//forum.vinograd.info/showthread.php?t=898&page=9
The second year of fruiting. Fun shows stability. Another note - un dusted berries do not develop, remain small and green, so that they do not affect the quality of the bunch, they are easily cut.
Ivanov Victor//forum.vinograd.info/showthread.php?t=898&page=9
With good care, the Fun grapes give a stable harvest of beautiful berries of excellent taste. Careful shelter for the winter allows you to grow this variety in the northern regions, despite its low winter hardiness. If for some reason there is no possibility or desire to tinker with labor-intensive shelter every year, you should still prefer more frost-resistant varieties.