Caring for grapes in the spring: how to prune and spray for a big harvest

How to spray grapes in the spring / UNIAN collage, photo ua.depositphotos.com Grapes are a rather picky culture. In March, after the plant wakes up from winter hibernation, it should be cut and treated from pests. The plant will definitely thank you for such care with a rich harvest with large bunches. We will tell you what to do with grapes in the spring to enjoy delicious berries in the summer.

How to open grapes in the spring

Caring for grapes in the spring involves removing shelter from young seedlings. It should be done gradually. If you remove the film too quickly, the grapes will not be able to adapt to the sudden temperature drop.

In order not to harm the plant, remove the cover gradually. First, in the first half of March, raise the shelter from below to open access for air. So the grapes will gradually get used to the street temperature. Then, when the air temperature does not drop below +10°, remove the film completely.

How to prune grapes in the spring

In the spring, after the end of frosts, sanitary pruning of grapes is carried out. It is needed for the removal of dry and diseased vines, excess fruitless shoots, and the formation of the correct crown. Competent pruning increases the yield of grapes - large leaves will not shade the berries.

When to cut grapes in the spring depends on the air temperature. If it does not fall below +5° at night, then you can start the procedure. It is not worth delaying until April - sap movement will begin in the stems, due to which the wounds will heal worse.

The cut is made with a well-sharpened secateur. Then the damage will be minimal.

The scheme of how to properly prune grapes in the spring depends on the age of the bush. In the first three years, almost all branches on the plant are cut. Only 2-3 strongest shoots are left, which are cut to 2 healthy buds.

In the fourth and all subsequent years, diseased, dried, damaged and weak branches are removed from the bush in the spring. The healthiest and strongest vines with a thickness of at least 5 mm remain. Long shoots are recommended to be tied in a horizontal position.

How to spray grapes in spring / photo pixabay.com## How to process grapes in spring

In the spring, grapes should be sprayed against diseases and pests that overwinter on the vines.

At the beginning of March, immediately after removing the shelter, the vines are treated with a solution of iron sulfate (400 g per 5 liters of water). Then at the end of March or the beginning of April, when the first green leaves appear, it is recommended to spray the grapes with universal insecticides. Processing with chemical means is carried out only before the flowering of grapes.

Here are a few more drugs that can be used to spray grapes in the spring against aphids, spider mites, and leaf mites:

• permethrin;
• Bordeaux liquid 1%;
• colloidal sulfur 75%;
• soap solution - 1 bar of household soap per 10 liters of water;
• nitrofen.

Such treatments will provide the area with long-term protection against common diseases.

How to water grapes in spring

Adult grapes are watered with 10 buckets of water in the spring until the buds swell. 2-4 buckets are enough for young bushes. The grapes are watered a second time in early May. Do not overwater the plant, otherwise the ovaries will fall off.

Earlier, we also talked about how to feed grapes in the spring to increase yield and protect against diseases.

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