Category: Care

If you have an algae problem in your pond, then this article is for you. We will discuss various ways to eliminate the algae and restore your pond back to its original beauty. These methods are easy and do not require any special equipment or knowledge of chemistry!

Filamentous algae in the pond? Congratulations, the garden pond is healthy, the water quality is good. The algae just must not get out of hand.

Two types of algae are interesting for the garden pond, filamentous algae, and floating algae.

Algae are a symptom, they appear when the conditions are present. In healthy water algae naturally appear and disappear.

A garden pond is a closed system due to the use of a pond liner. The water balance is partially deprived of its ability to clean itself. It is up to us to provide for an approximately natural balance. Therefore, a pond owner must also deal with algae.

Continue reading “Remove Algae in the Pond: How to Get Rid of It Effectively” →

Proper fertilizing grapevine will help you get a strong vine with rich green leaves and massive juicy bunches. In matters of viticulture, there are enough myths that are important to dispel before leaving.

Some gardeners believe that root fertilization is required only for young seedlings, and a 10-year-old plant does not need anything, since it gets everything it needs from the soil. In fact, everything is exactly the opposite. A large bush pulls out useful elements from the soil, especially strongly – during flowering and fruiting. At this time, not only nitrogen is pulled out of the soil, but also phosphorus and potassium. The young vine uses the seedling fertilizer that has been applied to the hole. Therefore, in the next couple of years, seedlings practically do not need anything.

An adult bush will need to fertilize at least 3 times. The first is a week before flowering (nitrogen, ammonia). The second is 2 weeks before the formation of the fetus. The third – 10 days before ripeness. Thanks to this scheme of application, optimal care is provided, and the vine receives the necessary minerals and trace elements.

Main Actions

The first time you need to fertilizing grapevine before the flowering period. It is recommended to use liquid formulations. Manure diluted in water is poured under the root (about 2 kg of mullein per bucket of water). This volume is enough for processing 1 sq. m plot. Instead of mullein, chicken droppings are also suitable, but in a lower concentration so as not to damage the roots. Typically, 40 g of droppings are taken per 10 liters of water, the volume is used per 1 sq. m.

Mineral fertilizer for the growth of grapes is a mixture of 10 liters of water, 65 g of nitrophos, 5-7 g of boric acid. These rates are suitable for the first feeding. For the second treatment, which is scheduled 2 weeks before fruit set, formulations with nitrogen are selected. For 10 liters of water, take up to 10 g of potassium magnesia and 20 g of ammonium nitrate. The volume is spent on 1 sq. m. The second feeding is carried out in a week with a similar composition. The third feeding is planned 2 weeks before harvest. It is necessary to increase the mass of the bunches and improve the taste characteristics. Use 10 l of water with the addition of 20 g of potassium and the same amount of superphosphate. Manure diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 works well.

The listed processing methods are the best if you want to get a high yield, tasty berries and a hardy vine.

Choosing between leaf and root method

Plants receive useful substances not only from the ground, but also they are absorbed by the leaves. For this top dressing must be well dissolved in water. Comparing what foliar (leaf) dressing for grapes is better than root fertilization, the following aspects are noted:

• the soil dissolves the introduced substances for a long time, so they get to the plant after a certain time. The leaves instantly absorb trace elements, they are absorbed almost immediately, which is noticeable after a couple of days. The assimilation of nutrients is doubled;
• the cost of foliar feeding is half as much, since the concentration of solutions is reduced and the volume obtained is enough to process a larger area;
• there is no reaction of the soil with fertilizer. During contact with the ground, some components of the bait dissolve before reaching the plant, others give a negative reaction;
• spraying is faster than watering each bush. The consumption of water, fertilizers, labor costs is reduced.

In addition to the advantages, it is worth mentioning the disadvantage of foliar treatment – the rapid weathering of the liquid from the leaves. Therefore, when choosing which fertilizers are needed for planting grapes and subsequent care, it is important to approach the solution of the problem in an integrated manner – take root dressings as a basis, and as a supplement – on a leaf.

When and why soil and plants are cultivated

Some summer residents do not think about how timely and correctly they apply complex universal fertilizer for grapes. As a result, the soil is impregnated with nitrate, potassium, ammonia and other mixtures in an uncontrolled amount. This approach not only harms the plant, but also fraught with a deterioration in product quality.

To understand what the vine really needs in a particular period, scientific methods and recognition of signs of deterioration of the plant’s condition will help. The most expensive way is to test the composition of the soil and grape juice in a laboratory. With an accuracy of 85%, the results will show what the soil is lacking and when to add additives. The analysis is carried out every couple of years.

A less expensive option is to evaluate the appearance of the vine. The complexity of this option lies in the variability of the reasons affecting the deterioration of the state of leaves, stems and bunches. Given that the data obtained are distorted by weather conditions, and there can be many reasons, this method is not the best.

The third way is to collect leaves from apparently healthy shrubs and one that looks bad. The laboratory technicians will compare the analyzes and tell you what is missing in the soil. Leaf analysis can be done every 2 months before the next fertilization.

Sources

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/492649936449796/
https://grapes.extension.org/what-do-i-fertilize-grapes-with-and-when/

For long-term storage, only medium and late ripening varieties with a thick skin and elastic flesh are suitable.

The brushes together with a piece of vine 8-10 cm are cut off with secateurs in dry cool weather, holding on to the comb and not touching the berries, so as not to erase the wax coating on the berries (spring). Harvested grapes cannot be left open under the scorching sun – this reduces its keeping quality. Before laying for storage, carefully remove dry, rotten, damaged and immature berries with small scissors.

In dark ventilated rooms: basements, “warm” attics, attics, sheds at t from 0 ° С to + 5 … + 7 ° С and humidity not higher than 80%. Under such conditions, the following storage methods are possible:

• Bunches are hung on a rope by a clothespin (like linen) in a cool room, for example, in the attic. You can tie two clusters with a strong rope and throw them over the rope. Ropes are placed at different heights so that the hanging clusters of the upper rows do not touch the lower ones. The method is time consuming.
• Storage on green ridges is suitable for storing a small crop. For this, clusters are cut along with part of the vine. A vine 5–6 cm long is left above the bunch, and 20–30 cm long under the bunch.
• The lower part of the vine is placed in a bottle or in a jar of water with the addition of an aspirin tablet or activated charcoal. Grapes will not lose freshness for 2 months. With this storage method, sugar loss is possible.
• In boxes, in trays lined with clean paper, the clusters are laid out in one layer with the ridges up and stored for 1.5-2 months. Outbreaks of fungal infections are possible, so periodically “stocks” need to be checked.

Storage of grapes in the refrigerator

In refrigerators of any brand, grapes can be stored for up to 4 months at t +2 …- 1 ° C. If there is an option “humidity control”, and it can be set to an indicator of 90-95% – up to 7 months.

Bunches are stacked on shelves with the comb up in one layer. If t -20 ..- 24 ° C can be maintained in the freezer, the berries can be stored in it. Good quality is only possible with a single freeze, so the uneaten in the freezer is no longer cleaned – it is better to freeze the berries in small portions. For freezing, fully ripe berries, preferably dark-colored varieties, are suitable. It is better to thaw frozen berries in cold water gradually – this will help to avoid tearing the tissues inside the berry.

In autumn, you need to start preparing the vine for wintering, and also, create optimal conditions for laying the buds of renewal. In autumn, the prolific vine becomes weak, since a lot of resources have been spent on ripening berries. Therefore, immediately after harvesting, be sure to feed the bushes and continue to care for the vineyard. Pour and loosen the soil, treat with drugs for diseases and pests, cut and heat for the winter.

Each of these procedures will improve the fruiting of the vine next year. And if you make it a rule to do this every autumn, then your vineyard will develop intensively, and the berries will be large every year, and the harvest will be plentiful.

Processing the vines with drugs against diseases and pests after harvesting can be carried out using chemicals, since there are no berries on the bushes. If you find pathology on the vine, immediately treat this place quickly to stop the propagation of pests and the spread of infection to the entire bush.

Watering and spring fertilizer

If the weather is not very hot, then, immediately after harvesting, grapes can not be watered. But in October, be sure to thoroughly water once. This will help prepare the bushes for wintering. In this case, be sure to water abundantly so that the roots receive enough life-giving moisture.

You can even dig grooves or stick tubes near the bushes. This will prevent water from spreading over the surface, and it will go straight to the roots. Do not allow soil compaction. To do this, loosen it regularly, this will help to preserve moisture, and as a result, it will be easier to overwinter the bushes.

For autumn top dressing, use organic fertilizers with the addition of wood ash. But do not apply too much fertilizer right away. Better to just mulch the soil at the very base of the trunks with a layer of overripe manure or compost.

Autumn pruning of grapes

Autumn is the best time for the formation of vine bushes. Pruning begins a couple of weeks after the leaves fall. It is not recommended to shorten the shoots before, since immediately after the leaf fall the photosynthesis processes are still taking place in the vine. Premature pruning will disrupt the accumulation of nutrients in the shoots, trunk and rhizome. But pulling with this procedure to the frosts themselves is also not worth it. As soon as the cold starts, the vine will become very fragile, and any operations in the vineyard will lead to breaks of shoots and other injuries.

Remove diseased and old shoots. Leave only the full and healthy ones. Moreover, their number should be one third more than required for the formation of the bush. This is in case the wintering is unfavorable and some shoots can not withstand the frost. If the winter is not too harsh, then the excess can be removed in the spring.

We shelter grapes for the winter

It is far from always necessary to cover grapes for the winter. Only if the variety is not cold-resistant or severe frosts are expected, then appropriate measures will have to be taken. Start preparing for insulation even during the pruning period. Shape the bush so that the vine is easy to bend to the level of the soil. If you are going to cover the vine in an upright position without removing it from the trellis, then form a bush arbitrarily.

Although warming the vineyard with ordinary film is not a good option. With warming, the temperature under the film rises significantly. There is also high humidity, and this is an ideal environment for the development of fungi, mold and the occurrence of rotting processes. Shelter from sawdust and foliage gives about the same result. Therefore, warm the vineyard with spruce branches. It is well ventilated and retains snow. That is, the conditions for wintering the vines will be ideal.

Grapes – a tasty and healthy delicacy, for which summer residents and gardeners are ready to make considerable efforts. But agricultural technology of culture has some features, and they should be taken into account in the pursuit of a good harvest. In order for the berries to fill with sweet and fragrant juice, the plant needs a lot of nutrients. That’s why when growing this beloved by many people, one should not forget about fertilizing.

Everyone knows that in the cold season, grapes need only good shelter from frost – it goes into the phase of sleep. Is the autumn top dressing of grapes justified in the winter? The timing and means for nutrition of the culture should be known to everyone who undertook its cultivation. Our site about farming today will pay attention to this very issue. Continue reading “Autumn Top Dressing of Grapes in the Winter: Terms and Means” →