Winter is just around the corner: how to shelter a vine

Contrary to popular belief, the vine is not so thermophilic picky plant to die in case of accidental frost in the fall or a sharp drop in temperature in winter. Many technical and some table grape varieties survive the cold without shelter in climatic zones with mild winters. But a caring gardener will certainly prevent unpleasant surprises associated with sudden cold snap and sudden temperature drops that occur not only in January - February, but also in the off-season. Properly covered grapes in the southern and northern regions of our country are guaranteed to survive the winter future and come out healthy and strong in the spring. As you know, God saves the safe!

Do I need to cover the grapes for the winter

As you know, weather forecasters are capable of making mistakes, so gardeners who have been dealing with the vine in their homestead for more than a year will definitely prepare the grapes for the upcoming wintering and will not spare the time and energy to organize the shelter of this heat-loving plant. Especially it is worth taking care of young bushes and hybrid forms of grapes unstable to frost. Even frost-resistant first-year seedlings often suffer from frost if they are not hidden for the winter.

The grape root system is most vulnerable, therefore it needs a warmer and more serious shelter. When the soil freezes to -5 ° C, the roots are on the verge of freezing, which means that the whole plant is at risk. Despite the encouraging claims of breeders about the existence of ultra-winter-resistant grape hybrids that can withstand up to -25 -28 ° C, in the most severe winters with a prolonged decrease in temperature (more than two weeks) to -20 ° C frost, kidneys can suffer (up to 60%), often the vine dies completely.

Practicing gardeners claim that 1 cm of snow holds 1 degree of temperature. With a snow depth of 50 cm, the temperature at the surface of the earth remains close to 0 ° C. But in cold, snowless winters, when the air temperature drops to -25 ° C without shelter, the death of most grape buds is inevitable up to the loss of a bush.

Video: is it worth sheltering grapes for the winter

How to cover grapes for the winter

A fully ripened vine can withstand a critical minus temperature, but no more than -12 -15 degrees below zero. Until stable negative temperatures occur, perennial fruiting vines do not harbor. Small frosts harden the vine, stimulate biochemical processes aimed at increasing the immunity and winter hardiness of the plant.

The principles on which the correct warming of the vine is based.

1. Preparation of grapes before shelter for the winter (pruning, fungicide treatment).
2. Choosing a method of insulation suitable for the climate zone.
3. Compliance with the deadlines (when pruning, watering, sheltering the vine).
4. Providing ventilation during the procedure.

Mold and condensation - the main trouble of any plant wintering under shelter. It is important to protect the vine from rodents, which can always be near - where it is warmer and there is something to profit from.

A wintering vine in the Central Black Earth Region is doomed to die without at least a modest shelter. Belgorod winegrowers consider our zone to be risky for agriculture and horticulture; therefore, it is most often recommended to plant the earliest grape varieties with a growing season of no more than 120 days on the backyard. Shelter grapes for the winter is a prerequisite for obtaining a full annual crop.

I have on my site growing Viking (blue) and Transfiguration (pink-fruited) - dessert early varieties. They never left the vine to winter without warming. If premature frosts started already at the end of October, then they covered with roofing material and sprinkled with earth (a quick way to get rid of the hopelessness of the situation) - our plants are alive - healthy and delighting for more than a year with full-weighted clusters. In the best case, I pin the grapes with electrodes at a distance from the ground, cover them with pine needles (more labor-intensive) or straw and cover them with boards (building in the form of a house). Twice they were insulated with husk (husk) of grain instead of straw - the vine slightly backed, but did not die, all the buds grew. I do not use oilcloth, but I have nothing against it. By the way, the mice in the straw have not yet started.

A prerequisite for proper wintering is ventilation. It looks like a cut-off plastic "five-liter" one, which can be placed both right and upside down, the main thing is that it should not be covered with snow.

How to prepare grapes for wintering

In anticipation of the cold weather, grapes are prepared for the future wintering in September. Depending on the variety, the timing of fruit ripening and the climate in the region, preparation is carried out from mid-September to mid-October. After harvesting, grapes begin to prepare for winter.

1. Before conducting autumn moisture recharge of grapes, the plant is fed a solution of trace elements. It is recommended to dilute in 10 liters of settled water 20 g of granular phosphorus fertilizer and 10-15 g of potash. Nitrogen top dressing is excluded during this period. It will be useful to add 10-15 drops of iodine and 5 g of boric acid (in powder) to the solution. The timely application of nutrients to the soil helps to preserve the flower buds and restore the plant's immunity to fungal diseases common in the vineyard.
   

   The internal reserve of the vine depends on timely feeding

2. After fertilizing, watering is carried out - without waterlogging. It is important to consider the features of the soil: in the sand - 20-25 liters, in loams and chernozem - 10-15. Also take into account the proximity of the location of groundwater on the site.
   

   When autumn vineyard recharge is important, do not overdo it
3. Before the frost begins (but necessarily after the leaves fall), they start pruning the vine: remove unripe, damaged and dead branches, leaving a third of the spare buds. The optimal duration of the procedure is the 3rd decade of September.
   

   Scheme of autumn grapes

4. Preventive treatment from pests and diseases is inevitable in anticipation of the winter hibernation of the vineyard.
   1. A proven disinfectant for tree-like shrubs and fruit trees is copper sulfate. About 100 g of the product is dissolved in 10 liters of warm (40 ° C) water and sprayed to the vine, capturing the root space of the soil. A salt solution with the addition of soda and iodine is a good method of combating infection and fungal diseases of trees. It will take 40 g of salt and 20 g of soda to make a "talker". They are dissolved in warm water (8-10 liters) and 10 drops of iodine are added. The treatment is repeated 2-3 times. From such common diseases of the vine as oidium and mildew, colloidal sulfur (5 g per 5 liters of water) or a potassium permanganate solution (5 g per 10 liters) has proved itself. But in order to avoid an outbreak of these diseases in the coming season, experienced winegrowers advise a more serious treatment in the vineyard - spraying with Fundazol, Ridomil and Topaz (according to instructions).
   2. To avoid the invasion of mice, it is recommended to decompose a special poison from rodents or to sprinkle the surface of the ground with a tree ash tree (this is an alternative to chemicals - getting on the paws and muzzle, the ash causes irritation and scares off the mice). Some gardeners lay calcium carbide in a small metal dish right under the winter shelter of the vineyard. The gas formation that occurs in this substance when air is absorbed in a confined space, scares away mice and does not allow them to settle under a heater.
      

      Preventive treatment of the vineyard from pests and rodents

5. Now, the vine is carefully removed from the trellis (if necessary, shelter in a horizontal position), bandaged so that the fragile shoots of this year are not injured, laid on insulating material or simply pinned to the ground (observing a space of 20-30 cm) and set the frame or just covered land and spruce branches.

Ways to shelter grapes for the winter

There are several ways to shelter vines for the winter:

1. Dry shelter or frame (using a film and other synthetic insulation).
2. Hilling with earth and snow.
3. Trench method.

Each method is acceptable in exceptional cases - in certain climatic conditions, for certain types and varieties of grapes.

Modern winter-hardy varieties winter well under light shelter, but even in temperate regions and in the south, many hybrids winter much better under shelter. Not only prolonged frosts are terrible for the vine, but also unexpected warming in the middle of winter. In the warmest winter on the shoots the kidneys suffer, which begin to come to life quite inappropriately. The main thing is compliance with the temperature regime and the absence of sudden changes, this is achieved by the presence of simple insulation in the vineyard.

The possibility of using various covering materials and natural insulation can reduce labor costs and material costs in large vineyards, but at the same time preserve plants and hope for a future crop.

The most common and safest way is to dry cover the vine. A great option for Siberia, the Urals, Transbaikalia, Bashkiria, Volga.

1. For this, hydro- and heat-insulating non-woven and building materials are used: a film (preferably opaque), fiberglass, spunbond, roofing felt, foamed polyethylene and more. The vine is laid on prepared wooden chubuki or slate pieces (rubber mats and more) and wrapped in thick paper, lutrasil (one of the options).
   

   Grapes isolate with lutrasil and paper

2. Metal arcs (trellises, racks) are installed at a distance of 20-40 cm from the plant, leaving an “air cushion”, and a heater is pulled, laid on top of the spruce branches (reed mats, straw, dry fallen leaves, sawdust) or building insulation (geotextiles, insulating wire) , professional sheet, ruberoid, etc.
   

   The dry method of warming involves various warming options (reed mats on the left, sawdust on the right), it all depends on the possibilities and wishes of the site owner

3. Important! Leave gaps with the soil and insulating holes (vents) for evaporation of condensate.
   

   Grape insulation is the most important point

4. At the edges of the shelter is fixed with bricks or metal brackets, hemp. This will extend the life of the winter shelter of grapes and preserve in case of sudden gusts of wind and other bad weather.
   

   A thoroughly fixed insulation frame is a guarantee of an impeccable wintering

The insulation material mentioned above does not get wet, maintains a positive temperature inside the tent with grapes, has air permeability and allows excess moisture to evaporate. The only exception to this method is that certain material investments are inevitable.

Often, to insulate grapes, old bags, blankets, outerwear, plastic containers and boxes are used, depending on the size of the bush and its location on the site.

Sheltering grapes with snow and earth can thoroughly protect the plant from frost and winds, but this option is suitable for frost-resistant varieties that grow in the southern regions of our country, in Central Russia, in Belarus (south, southeast), in the north-west of Ukraine, in Rostov, even in the Volga region. That is, in severe frosts and return frosts, there is a chance of partial freezing of the shoots with insufficient insulation.

But many winegrowers by experience and many years of experience have proved that snow cover, 40-60 cm high is an ideal method of sheltering the vine. If you previously covered the branches with thick spruce branches or fallen leaves and slightly bored with earth - there should be no problems with wintering.

The thicker the snow layer, the higher the probability that the vine will winter without loss

The trench method involves the preparation of grooves with a depth of about 50-70 cm. The grape shoots attached to each other are laid on the ground, covered with a special flooring made of slate or wood (this will avoid decay of the vine). Grapes are carefully covered with burlap or oilcloth from above and sprinkled with earth. In winter, such a frame is covered with snow and perfectly keeps heat. This version of the "grave" of grapes until spring is well suited for the Krasnodar Territory, Stavropol Territory, and the Rostov Region, often in this way they are insulated in the Central Black Earth Region, Moscow Region, Belarus and Bashkiria.

Photo gallery: trench method of warming grapes

Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages, the choice remains with the gardener.

Grapes - it is enough to cover the first-year-old with a 5-liter plastic bottle and sprinkle with earth. If in doubt, cover with branches and sawdust from above. A ventilation incision is required in the bottle.

At what temperature do you need to cover the grapes for the winter

Depending on the territorial location of the region and its climatic features, the timing of sheltering the vines for the winter will be different. In the southern regions, in Ukraine, in the Rostov region and the Crimea, they often begin to warm grapes, which can hardly tolerate frosts and weathering, in late November or December.

In Central Russia, the Volga region, in Belarus, these dates come a little earlier - in early November.

In the suburbs and the Leningrad, Bryansk region, the vine is freed from foliage and is ready for warming in the middle - end of October.

In the northern regions of our country, in Transbaikalia, in the Urals, the first frosts and snowfalls do not wait and begin to shelter dessert grape varieties from mid-October.

Not the best option to cover the grapes when the temperature in the street drops to the point indicated in the ampelography of the variety. The optimal average daily temperature for preparing the wintering of the grapevine is -5 -8 ° C, night frosts can reach -10 ° C, during the day, the acceptable temperature regime for cover grape varieties is 0 -5 ° C.

By this time, the vine is free from foliage, and moisture and nutrients have time to go deep to the roots, the grapes go in the winter with dry shoots and asleep buds. It is dangerous to get ahead of events and to cover the plant ahead of time - when warming, the vine shuts off, and the buds can wake up and sap flow begins - this will lead to the death of part of the shoots and even the whole plant. But sitting idle before the crackling frosts is not the right option. If you are late with shelter, the grape shoots will become too dry and brittle, in this state perennial vines and eyes are easily damaged, the plant's chances of surviving the winter are reduced. The most sensitive organ of grapes to cold is the root; it is insulated first of all, carefully covering the space around the stem.

Warming grapes with improvised means and natural materials reduces the likelihood of rotting and moisture accumulation under cover

Some gardeners practice partial vine sheltering. At the first cold snap, the prepared vine is laid and pinned, covered with spruce branches and straw.And when the first night frosts appear or when forecasting snowfalls, grapes are sprinkled with earth or hidden under a frame shelter. For some southern regions, where the temperature does not drop below - 15 degrees, this option of partial shelter is quite suitable for a full safe wintering.

Video: when to cover grapes for the winter

How to cover grapes on a gazebo

For gazebo cultivation, gardeners usually select non-covering hybrids of dessert grapes or frost-resistant technical and universal varieties. The vine of such grapes perfectly winter in an upright position. The buds and eyes remain until spring if the plant is planted on a site sheltered from the north winds near the wall of any building. Thus, the grapes are protected from weathering and return frosts.

But in the case when table grapes, which require warming for the winter, grows on the gazebo, its shoots are formed and sent to the structure so that when the onset of cooling it is possible to carefully remove them and bend to the ground. Next, the vine is covered with non-woven material (lutrasil, spanbond), fixing it on the shoots in an upright position; or cover with wooden shields, bending to the walls of the gazebo.

Grapes on the gazebo cover upright

Video: how to cover a vine on a gazebo

What grapes do not need to be covered for the winter

As a rule, most of the technical and some universal grape varieties do not require insulation and winter well without special shelter. The buds are not damaged and the vine remains when the temperature drops to -20 ° C in Isabella, Lydia, Concord, Race, etc. Technical grapes are less sensitive to frost and have increased immunity compared to dessert hybrids.

Everyone's favorite frost-resistant hybrids Vostorg, Krasa Severa, Nadezhda Azos, December, Kasparovsky, as well as varieties of dessert Muscat (Moscow, Transportable and others) are stored until spring without the use of insulation. But this wintering option is suitable for the southern and central regions of Russia, for Ukraine. In the north - in Khabarovsk, Kemerovo, Krasnoyarsk, in the Urals, dessert grapes will bestow a plentiful harvest if all the buds and shoots are preserved. To do this, it is recommended to carefully cover the young shoots and lignified vine, to ensure that there are always "rests" for ventilation.

Features sheltering grapes in the regions

In each region of our country, as well as in Ukraine and Belarus, there are peculiarities of the wintering of the vine. They are associated with the choice of materials, its availability and quality characteristics.

How to shelter grapes for the winter in the suburbs and in the Leningrad region

Moscow summer residents begin preparing grapes for the winter in early September. Watering and treatment from diseases and pests is carried out immediately after the removal of fruit brushes. By the end of September, the vine remains without leaves and is ready for warming. In the suburbs and the Leningrad region, grapes are insulated with a trench method and dry shelter. Growing shoots are tied and stacked on wooden shields or sawdust, covered with a large number of spruce branches and branches, which have good air conductivity. Then, a frame is installed, covered with wooden or metal flooring in the form of a house (so that moisture does not collect).

Warming grapes using wooden shields practiced in the suburbs

How to shelter grapes for the winter in central Russia

For the Central Black Earth regions of Russia and the Volga region, all the above methods are excellent. You can warm grapes using oilcloth, ruberoid, synthetic materials, as well as using improvised means (straw, lapnik, sawdust, foliage, husk of grain, branches).

Video: a budget option for sheltering a vine in Central Russia

How to cover grapes for the winter in Ukraine

On Ukrainian soil with a warm, humid climate, winter-hardy grapes often experience cold without shelter. In the east of the country, the vine is warmed with frame shields made of wood and slate, in a trench way - simply bending the vine to the ground and sprinkling with soil. The worst thing for grapes is an unexpected warming, in which buds can wake up and sap flow begins. Therefore, the most important point is to start warming on time and not rush to cover the grapes even in November, if "Indian summer" was delayed on the street.

Video: how grapes are insulated in Ukraine

How to cover grapes for the winter in Belarus

From the end of October, Belarusians begin to prepare grapes for winter, the protective frame is installed only with the onset of frost - mid-late November. Apply a dry method of warming. As a shelter, choose agrofibre, spunbond and synthetic felt, on top to protect against rainfall cover with oilcloth or slate. To prevent the kidneys from getting wet during the winter thaws, and the increased humidity did not contribute to the formation of mold and rot, it is necessary to leave vents on the sides of the shelter for reliable ventilation. Here they consider the main trouble during the wintering in the vineyard - this is damp.

Video: grape shelter in Belarus

How to shelter grapes for the winter in Siberia

The harsh climate of Siberia requires reliable shelter for a thermophilic culture. Therefore, the grapes are hidden in deep trenches, installing a wooden flooring or pieces of brick from below. From above, they closely cover the shoots with lutrasil and close with burlap. The main insulation is spruce branches, sawdust, ground, protected by metal sheets or slate. The main source of heat retention is snow (layer at least 50-60 cm). Be sure to carry out processing from rodents and leave small vents for ventilation.

Video: Winter Shelter of the Vine (for Siberia)

Reviews

For a long time I used a substrate with a thickness of 3 mm. She was quite enough for a winter shelter in Gomel. Since the substrate, as well as the film, is completely waterproof, condensation is inevitable, so that the product can help reduce its amount to an acceptable level.
This season, the substrate will go to shelter schools with seedlings, and a new shelter material, geotextiles, has been bought at the main vineyard. Roughly speaking, it’s like a spunbond, but the thickest spanbond has a density of 60 g / m, and this material is 300 g / m. The width of the material is 2 m. I plan a shelter in 2 layers, shifting the material in half lengthwise. In theory, we get away completely from condensation, you can not be afraid of boiling (the material passes air and moisture well, but instantly dries after getting wet, because it is completely synthetic), unlike the substrate and spunbond, it is completely opaque, which is very good, because no greenhouse effect in early spring.

Straw is one option. I don’t use straw, I just cover the vines that are pinned to the ground with a substrate under the laminate without anything. As for mice: 1. Shelter should be done as late as possible, after night frosts, before the onset of persistent cold weather. By this time, the mice will find themselves another refuge. 2. The stores are full of remedies against mice. Or folk remedies - burnt felt, a can with diesel fuel for aroma, etc. 3. Instead of straw use pine litter (fallen needles) or fir spruce branches. Mice do not settle in needles.

Dutko Dmitry

//www.vinogradnik.by/sezonnye-raboty-na-vinogradnike/ukrytie-vinograda-na-zimu-video.html

1. The most important thing is to open the vineyard after wintering as late as possible! Thus, we rid the vine of grapes from premature germination, and thereby protect the kidneys from damage by spring frosts. When I open my vineyard at the end of April, ice and the ground are still frozen under the shelter, while cherries are already blooming in the garden and apple trees are beginning to bloom. For this, the covering material must be white (sun - repellent) color. In addition, such material should not be exposed to the sun. Therefore, foam polyethylene, even 2 cm thick, is not suitable. Most suitable is white, preferably woven, man-made fiber, of any thickness. The main thing, as he said, is that it does not shine through the sun, i.e. did not pass infrared rays. And so, of course, they covered the vineyard with polyethylene and, already in February, + 20 degrees. The vines have already grown by the time of opening, and in April it often happens -10 degrees. If there is no good covering material, then you can cover it with old straw. Then when in the spring, even in May, we accidentally pick a bunch of straw, and there is ice, and the ground is frozen. 2. Shelter also prevents the vines from getting wet from rain and wet snow during the winter thaw. Soaked vines and buds, with return frosts, even at -10 degrees, can be seriously damaged. Therefore, the winter shelter of grapes should be done not from frost, but from winter and spring thaws !!! Yesterday I went to my vineyard - for almost a month now, in the afternoon, we have +10 degrees in the shade. Already everywhere there is no snow, incl. all the neighbors have, and snow still lies on my vineyard and this is the result of covering the soil with white material! I plan to open the vineyard, as always, in a month, not earlier.

Akovantsev Mikhail

//vinforum.ru/index.php?topic=100.760

Natural snow cover is not enough even in the south of Russia and on the Black Sea coast, and in the Central Black Earth Region, Volga Region and Siberia, the only reliable way to keep the vine until spring is to use covering materials. A huge variety of means for sheltering the vine and methods for implementing this process allows you to make a choice in favor of natural improvised materials or synthetic ones purchased. And if the owner of the garden plots wants the grape harvest to work out well, then you can’t do without proper sheltering of the vine regardless of the variety and the maturity of the crop. It is up to each gardener to decide whether to cover the grapes for the winter or not. But many years of viticulture experience prove that there are much more compelling arguments in favor of this procedure.