How to water and feed grapes in spring: instructions for beginners

The beginning of spring watering of grapes

The first watering of the grapes is carried out at the end of March or beginning of April, the earth should warm up to +5°C. This type of watering is called moisture-charging because it replenishes the lack of water in the soil after winter. The second watering - vegetative watering - is aimed at stimulating the development of buds. It is carried out 2-3 weeks after the first. Experienced gardeners recommend paying attention to the timing of watering depending on the growing region. As a rule, in the southern regions the plant is watered 1-2 weeks earlier, since the snow melts there earlier and warm weather sets in.

Grape feeding

Grapes are demanding of fertilizers, so they need a balanced diet throughout the growing season . If you do not fertilize in the spring, the plant develops slowly, often gets sick, and the fruits grow insipid and small.

There are several opinions about spring feeding. Some winegrowers believe that the first fertilizer is applied before the bushes open (around the end of March or early April), others - after. The second feeding is carried out before flowering begins, approximately in the middle or end of May.

What are the benefits of summer watering?

Summer watering of grapes is necessary to maintain their vital activity.

In summer, when the temperature is consistently high (above 40 o C), air humidity tends to decrease. As a result, the plant overheats. If, against the background of such changes, the vine receives moisture, then evaporation will accelerate and oxygen and nutrient exchange within the cells will be normalized. This type of watering is called vegetative watering. Therefore, summer watering helps to cool the grapes, which prevents burns, early leaf fall and damage to the crop. This way, moisture will be retained in the soil, supporting the vital processes of plant development.

Things are different in regions with a temperate climate. Then the vineyard does not really need additional moisture. But this does not mean a complete abandonment of artificial irrigation.

For grapes, both moisture deficiency and excess are bad. In the first case, the development of the vine is inhibited, it withers and droops, and the berries become smaller. The first sign of a lack of moisture is excessive growth of the vine in width and height. Then garden crops growing in the neighborhood may suffer. In the second scenario, the roots begin to rot, which leads to the death of the crop. In addition, excess water washes out useful elements from the soil that are required for the full development of the vine.

Basic rules for conducting procedures

When watering, agronomists recommend paying attention to the grape variety - some need constant moisture, others are drought-resistant. The quality of the soil and the climatic features of the area are also taken into account. For example, in arid regions, sandy and sandy loam soils predominate; it rarely rains, which means that the grapes need constant moisture.

When applying fertilizers, maintain a balance between organic and mineral compounds. Too much nutrition is just as dangerous as too little. For example, if you do not follow the rules for applying nitrogen fertilizers, the shoots and leaves will dry out and the formation of bunches will decrease. If complex fertilizers are applied incorrectly, the taste of the fruit and its appearance will deteriorate.

Moisten and feed the grapes early in the morning or in the evening, when there is no sun. Otherwise, the water will quickly evaporate and the plants will be left with sunburn.

How to understand that a plant does not have enough moisture?

Insufficient watering of grapes

If there is insufficient watering, the grape bunches may shrink and development will stop. The required amount of liquid per bush is 1.5 liters daily. Lack of moisture makes the berries and leaves limp, the taste deteriorates, the fruits look stale and are small in size. When looking for moisture, there may be almost no leaves left on the grape vine. Rare leaves will be limp and withered.

If there is a lack of liquid, the angle between the main vein of the grape and the leaf petiole is 50-80o. Leaves droop, which is a clear indicator of insufficient irrigation.

Despite the fact that grapes can withstand dry weather, there is no need to deplete the plant. A lack of fluid can result in the vine spreading throughout the entire area.

Important! This growth is not normal for grapes and affects the entire plant, not only the upper shoots, but also the roots.

First watering of grapes in spring

How often to water grapes and how much water to use? The first watering is carried out before the sap begins to flow. One bush requires 10-15 liters of water. Use warm water to speed up the development of shoots. For irrigation, the method of underground irrigation is used or water is poured from above onto the roots.

Second and subsequent

The grapes are watered a second time 14-21 days before flowering. In central Russia, this period begins around mid-May. An adult plant uses 20 liters of water. If grapes are grown on a plantation, per 1 sq. m takes about 70 liters. Before the procedure, study the weather forecast for the week ahead. If frosts are expected, watering is postponed. This is especially true for the Urals and Siberia - regions with an unstable climate.

In subsequent times, the grapes are moistened during bud break, after flowering and at the time of berry growth. 3-4 weeks pass between procedures. About 10 liters of water are consumed per bush - the volume depends on the age of the grapes and weather conditions. If it rains frequently, the amount of water is reduced.

Attention! You cannot water the grapes before flowering or during flowering - the flowers will fall off. Also, summer residents stop moistening three weeks before harvesting - water provokes cracking of the berries, the grapes lose their taste and appearance.

Signs of overwatering and how to avoid them

If the soil is waterlogged, nutrients are washed out of it, which negatively affects crop yields. The soil loses oxygen, causing the roots to rot. All this leads to fungal and bacterial diseases, cracking of fruits, and loss of taste. Therefore, before watering the plant, it is recommended to inspect the soil. If it is clear that the soil is still wet, watering is postponed for several days.

Signs of excess water indicate:

• slow growth of shoots and berries;
• wilting of leaves;
• unsaturated grape color;
• small bunches;
• watery texture of grapes.

When to stop watering grapes?

The grapes stop being moistened when they are ripe, which often happens in August. Watering of late varieties, the fruits of which are intended for long-term storage, is stopped in the fall 30 days before harvesting.

After harvesting, in anticipation of wintering, the vine is watered again. The seemingly simple action of irrigating grape bushes actually requires taking into account many factors. However, strict fulfillment of the requirements described above leads to a significant harvest of sweet and juicy grapes.

Watering methods

There are surface and underground irrigation. Surface is used more often by amateur gardeners. Water moistens only the top layer of soil, no more than 50 cm. Surface watering methods:

1. Drip — tubes, taps and drippers are installed along the vineyard. Water enters the reservoir, heats up and flows through tubes to each plant. Through such a system, the soil is moistened gradually, there is no sudden temperature change. The method is also appreciated for its economical water consumption. The drip system is also convenient to use for applying liquid fertilizers. The disadvantage of this method is the complexity of the design.

2. Watering the holes. 5-6 holes are made near each bush. On the one hand, it is simpler than drip irrigation, but it requires more water. Summer residents make holes in a circle so that the roots are moistened evenly. This method is convenient because for each grape variety you can set a certain volume of water.
3. Watering in trenches. Gardeners make trenches 20 cm deep and 40 cm wide between the rows. They dig them at a distance of 50 cm from the bush. This method is suitable for adult and young plants; it evenly moistens the top layer of soil. However, water evaporates quickly and is wasted uneconomically.

Underground irrigation

Thanks to underground irrigation, water reaches the deep layers of the soil. Water does not evaporate from the soil surface and goes directly into the root system. Thanks to this, the risk of developing diseases is reduced, weeds that appear in damp soil grow less, the roots grow and become more resilient, and the risk of fruit cracking is reduced.

Types of underground irrigation:

1. Using horizontal pipes. At a depth of 70 cm, install a plastic tube with holes. Water heated in the sun is poured into a container, from where it is distributed through pipes. The holes should be spaced 1 m apart.
2. Using bottles. Plastic bottles with holes are placed around the stem at a distance of 1 m from each other. Depth - 50-70 cm underground. Water enters the bottle through a garden hose. The method is easy to implement and does not require costs.

To ensure that grapes grow healthy, gardeners alternate underground and surface watering. The main thing is to monitor the condition of the soil and pay attention to the appearance of the plant.

How to fertilize bushes?

In order for the grape bushes to grow strong, be resistant to diseases and insect attacks, and by the end of the season give you a rich harvest of sweet berries, they need to be provided with all the necessary microelements:

• Nitrogen is responsible for shoot growth and leaf formation.
• Phosphorus – stimulates the growth of inflorescences and large, sweet berries.
• Potassium – accelerates the ripening of bunches and increases the frost resistance of plants.
• Magnesium – accelerates the ripening process of grape fruits and improves their keeping quality.
• Iron is responsible for photosynthesis in leaves, growth and productivity of grapes.
• Manganese - increases grape yield, makes berries sweeter and helps vines and buds survive the winter.
• Boron - stimulates berry growth and pollen formation, thanks to it the berries become sweeter.
• Molybdenum – increases the yield and sugar content of grapes.
• Zinc – helps plants cope with sudden changes in weather conditions.
• Calcium – promotes the development of the root system, is necessary for photosynthesis, helps fruits accumulate sugar.
• Copper helps grape bushes cope with summer drought and increases frost resistance.
• Sulfur is one of the most important life support elements for plants and improves metabolism.

Important! When fertilizing grapes, it is necessary to calculate the volume of fertilizers. Excess nutrition is more dangerous than lack of it.

What to feed in spring

Without timely mineral and organic fertilizers, it is impossible to obtain a tasty grape harvest. Some microelements are responsible for the marketability of fruits, others for the growth of young shoots and plant immunity. Winegrowers use purchased products and folk recipes.

Purchased funds

The first feeding is carried out 7-10 days before flowering. During this time, the grapes have already woken up after winter, and they need strength to develop fruits. An effective commercial fertilizer is “Universal Biochelate” .
It increases productivity by 30%, promotes fruit ripening, and prevents the development of fungal diseases. In addition, it reduces the level of nitrates in fruits and increases the shelf life of the crop. Contains nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc, boron, copper and potassium. Sold in liquid form, the working solution is easy to prepare. Ready-made fertilizer “Izyuminka” is used for table and industrial grape varieties in the spring and summer. The product is used to stimulate growth and nutrition, and increases the frost resistance of the plant.
Helps strengthen the root system, increases the number of fruit buds. Suitable for application into the ground and spraying.

Folk recipes

Folk remedies are easy to prepare; the components for solutions are always on hand. The following mixture has a beneficial effect on grapes: 20 liters of water, 2 liters of ash, 6 tbsp. l. sugar, 2 g boron and 3 g copper. The components are mixed and left for 2-3 hours in a warm place. The solution is poured into a spray bottle and sprayed on the grapes. This fertilizing stimulates the development of fruits and protects the plantings from insect pests. Used no more than three times per season.

The development and growth of young shoots is stimulated by yeast feeding. In 1 liter of warm water, dilute 1 g of dry yeast and add 1 tsp. Sahara. Mix thoroughly and leave for two hours. The resulting mixture is diluted with 5 liters of water, mixed again and applied to the root.

Attention! For spraying against diseases and pests, a solution helps - 10 liters of water and 3 tbsp. l. ammonia. The grapes are processed after the cover is removed. The product helps the berries ripen faster.

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Wine glasses

Methods of fertilizing

There are two main methods - root and leaf. At the first time, fertilizers are applied directly to the roots, into the soil. In the second, leaves and shoots are sprayed from a spray bottle at a distance of 30-50 cm. The advantages of the root method are that the nutrients go directly to the root, are quickly absorbed by the plant and do not evaporate.

The advantage of leaf fertilizers is that they require half as many preparations and solutions, and the soil does not react with some negative components. Winegrowers alternate root and foliar fertilizers. This is necessary for balanced development of the grapes.

Root feeding with mineral fertilizers

Organic-based fertilizers are completely natural and therefore are considered environmentally friendly and the most beneficial for grapes. However, not all owners of summer cottages can purchase manure or bird droppings. And the amount of basic macro- and microelements in such feeding is sometimes not enough to fully nourish the bushes. To supplement and enrich organic matter, it is combined with mineral fertilizers for spring feeding of grapes. The mixtures contain nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, and often add magnesium, boron, manganese, sulfur and other chemicals. This allows you to eliminate various problems in plant nutrition.

Table: mineral fertilizers for root feeding

Fertilizing with mineral fertilizers should be combined with watering the grapes; one bush requires 3-4 buckets of clean warm water. Fertilizers containing nitrogen and potassium are usually highly soluble in water, so they are mainly used for liquid feeding. Superphosphate, due to the presence of gypsum in its composition, is a sparingly soluble mixture. It is recommended to apply it to the soil in dry form, in grooves or holes at a distance of 40–50 cm from the bush, lightly mixing with the soil. After this, the bush should be watered with 1-2 buckets of water.

Video: fertilizing grapes with mineral fertilizers

When feeding grapes, you must follow the instructions for using fertilizers. This is especially true for 3-4 year old seedlings. It is unacceptable to overfeed them with nitrogen, since as a result the vine does not ripen, and the plants may suffer during wintering. Phosphorus and potassium fertilizers for young bushes are applied at half the rate with watering.

The main principle of a winegrower: it is better to underfeed than to overfeed.

Photo gallery: main types of mineral fertilizers for feeding grapes

The content of the main components in equal proportions and the water-soluble form allows the use of nitroammophoska throughout the entire growing season

Superphosphate is one of the main types of root feeding; its use accelerates the fruiting period and improves the taste of berries

The presence of sulfur in ammonium nitrate contributes to the rapid and complete absorption of nitrogen by grapes

Urea is the safest water-soluble nitrogen fertilizer, used for root feeding and foliar spraying

My neighbor at our dacha and I each have a couple of grape bushes of the same variety - Arcadia. My neighbor’s favorite fertilizer is ammonium nitrate, but I prefer to feed the bushes with carbamide (urea). Once we did a comparative analysis: which type of fertilizer for grapes is more favorable and effective. I believe that urea is an environmentally friendly fertilizer, because It is produced on an organic basis and penetrates more easily into the roots and leaves. And the nitrogen content in it is higher (46%), which means that less is consumed to feed one bush. In addition, urea does not affect the acidity of the soil. You can use fertilizer based on it without the risk of changing the acidity of the soil (pH). The only disadvantage of urea is that it is not suitable for feeding in autumn and early spring, because “works” only at positive air temperatures. But in the midst of spring and summer, I willingly use this fertilizer both at the root and for spraying. My neighbor convinces me that ammonium nitrate is more effective because it contains nitrogen in both ammonia and nitrate forms. Thanks to the nitrate form, nitrogen is instantly absorbed by the bush, but is easily washed out of the soil and does not accumulate in the berries. The ammonia form of nitrogen, on the contrary, is absorbed by the roots slowly, but is not washed out by water and remains in the soil for a long time. Therefore, you don’t have to feed the grapes very often. The neighbor also considers the possibility of using it at any time of the year, at any temperature, to be a big advantage of his favorite fertilizer. This allows him to fertilize his grapes even at the beginning of March, when the snow has not yet melted. But when in the end we compared the yield indicators of our bushes, it turned out that there was practically no difference. It turns out that we are both right in our preferences, and each type of fertilizer is good and effective in its own way.

How to properly combine spring watering and fertilizing of grapes

In spring, grapes are cared for as follows: first they water them, then they fertilize them. Moisture helps vitamins and microelements penetrate the soil faster and reach the roots. It is not recommended to apply fertilizers to dry soil. It is important to consider the dosage and timing of the procedures. It is convenient if the garden has a drip irrigation system - with its help, summer residents combine the application of fertilizers and hydration of the grapes. If it has rained, it is not necessary to water the plant before fertilizing.

Rules for processing grapes in autumn

The exact timing of fertilizing grapes in the fall depends on the climatic conditions of the region and on the varietal variety of the crop.

General rules for autumn treatment of vineyard bushes:

• first, pruning of growing shoots, damaged and diseased shoots is carried out;
• the bushes are pruned when the vine is preparing to “hibernate” and active sap flow stops;
• then carry out scheduled fertilizing through watering, spraying or fertilizing the soil;
• early varieties are fed in late summer or early autumn;
• late varieties - at the end of September (until the second ten days of October);
• in warm southern areas, fertilizers are applied in October;
• in northern regions with frosty, harsh winters, fertilizing begins in the second ten days of August;
• in the Central zone, seasonal fertilizing and eradicating preventive treatments are carried out during September.

Mulching the vines

Reference. Mulch (lit. - mulch) - a protective layer, covering the top layer of soil, isolates direct contact of the soil and the vine, lower leaves.

Autumn layer of mulch:

• coniferous branches or litter;
• rotted compost;
• mown grass;
• hay or straw.

Important functions of grape mulching:

• optimization of water and air regimes;
• preservation of moisture and heat;
• preventing overheating of the soil in the summer heat;
• protection against pathogens and pests.

It is advisable to treat the mulch with protective agents against specific grape diseases:

1. Trichoderma Veride (green), 15 g – a fungicide based on bioactive “friendly” fungi, a natural antibiotic and antiseptic.
2. Glyocladin , in tablets - acts by analogy with Trichodermin, suppresses the pathogens of mildew and other fungal infections in the soil.
3. Fitosporin-M , 200 g, release form – paste; universal microbiological fungicide, prevents the development of fusarium, rot, late blight and other pathogenic bacteria.
4. Baktofit SP , 10 g – a natural antibiotic based on the IPM-215 strain, used throughout the season, in any vegetative phase of plant development.
5. Bactogen , 0.25 l – complex biological product, biostimulant and protective agent against bacteria and viruses of vegetable, fruit and berry plants. The consumption is economical, the working solution is diluted in a ratio of 1:100.

Nuances for different growing regions

In the south it is hot and it rarely rains, so water consumption is increased by 1.5 times. Otherwise, moisture-loving grapes will suffer from a lack of liquid: fruit set, ripening of vines and formation of bunches will slow down. Every 3-4 days, the leaves are sprayed with water from a spray bottle to refresh the plant. Before applying fertilizers, thoroughly moisten the soil. Otherwise, fertilizing will result in chemical burns to the roots.

In regions with a cool climate and frequent rain, it is important not to overwater the plant. Excessive watering provokes the development of bacteria and microbes that lead to disease. Fertilizers are applied through drip irrigation systems, alternating between folk and purchased products.

How to protect the vine from drought?

To retain moisture in the soil, it is necessary to create conditions so that it does not evaporate.
To do this, the ground is mulched, that is, covered. The material used is straw, last year's plant remains, pine needles or sawdust. The mulch layer should not be less than 5 cm. There is another way to preserve moisture - loosening. The soil is loosened carefully so as not to harm the roots. In dense soil, moisture evaporates through cracks. When loosened, the channels are destroyed and the soil remains moist longer. However, loosening is not as effective as mulching, because some of the moisture still evaporates during the process of turning over the earth layers.

After harvesting, the surface layer of the shelter is collected and stored until next year. Needles and sawdust become organic fertilizers.

To protect from the sun, they install canopies, stretch fabric or special screens. After the particularly sunny period has passed, the temporary structure must be removed, as the plant can get used to the darkening.

When watering grapes, do not forget that excess moisture can negatively affect the growth and development of the plant. Excessive watering leads to the growth of shoots, the growth of stepsons, poor ripening of the vine and late harvesting. When moisturizing a plant, you need to take into account the volume of liquid and the time of the next watering, regarding the characteristics of the variety, the condition of the plant and growth processes.

So, we talked about how to water grapes at different times of the year so as not to harm the roots and whether watering is needed during the rainy season, how regularly it should be done and how much water is needed.

What mistakes to avoid: advice from experienced winegrowers

Common mistakes made by summer residents include watering with cold water, excessive moisture, and failure to adhere to the schedule . You should not water the plant together with other garden crops - grapes have their own special regime, which is important to observe. Before humidification, the water is heated in the sun. Before the procedure, it would be a good idea to find out the weather forecast for the coming days: if frosts are expected, watering is postponed.

Mistakes made by summer residents when applying fertilizers: excess fertilizing, application to dry soil, use of components unsuitable for grapes. For example, the crop does not like fresh manure, so it is better to use rotted manure.

Water requirements

Rainwater is considered the best water for irrigation. If it is not possible to collect it in the required quantity, you can use tap water, but only after settling for a day. In this case, the water temperature during irrigation should be close to the ambient air temperature.

Important! You should not water the vine with cold water in hot weather, otherwise the plant may experience heat shock due to the difference in air and water temperatures.

As a last resort, you can water the grape bushes with well water in the morning before dawn, when the soil has cooled after the night.