Viking grapes are attractive in appearance and taste, but it is a moody culture in terms of care. About the features of the variety and the intricacies of its cultivation, read below.

Selection history

A hybrid table Viking grape variety is the result of crossing the Kodryanka and ZOS-1 varieties. The author of the hybrid is the Ukrainian amateur breeder V.V. Zagorulko, who bred more than 25 grape varieties and focuses on obtaining early, large-fruited varieties that quickly adapt to different climate conditions.

Grade description

The Viking hybrid not only retained most of the qualitative characteristics of the parent plants, but also acquired its unique properties.Features and characteristics of the culture:

• grapes of early ripening - the fruits ripen in 100-110 days from the moment the buds appear;
• differs in average frost resistance - tolerates a drop in temperature to –21 ° C, therefore, when grown in the northern regions and the central strip of planting, you need to shelter for the winter;
• in the first 2-3 years after planting, the plants branch strongly, often at the expense of yield;
• seedlings quickly take root in a new place, but without proper care they suffer from fungal infections;
• the variety does not tolerate temperature extremes and high humidity;
• average productivity - about 10 kg per bush;
• fruits with good presentation and excellent taste characteristics, resistant to mechanical damage, which allows them to be transported over long distances.

Did you know? In Spain and Portugal there is such a tradition: on New Year's Eve, to eat 12 berries of grapes under the chimes, while making 12 wishes.

Appearance

Fast-growing bushes form a large number of side shoots covered with large five-blade green leaves. The structure of the leaf is leathery, the central vein is pronounced. Petioid notch open. Bisexual small green flowers form dense inflorescences. They have a pleasant aroma similar to the aroma of Reseda.

Photo gallery

The flowers are symmetrical, consist of 5 cyclic circles of organs:

• calyx, including 5 fused sepals;
• corolla, consisting of 5 fused sepals;
• androecium containing from 5 to 8 stamens;
• Gynoecium, consisting of 2 fused carpels;
• two-ovary ovary.

After pollination, clusters of densely arranged nosiform berries are formed. In the phase of technical maturity, the fruits are colored in purple, reaching physical maturity, acquire a dark blue hue. The cluster weighs 500–700 g; under ideal conditions, it can reach 1 kg.

Grape application

Due to its excellent taste and presentation, the Viking has gained popularity among farmers. In terms of use, it belongs to table varieties, but in fact, the list of its use is extensive.Directions for use of the Viking variety:

• raw use;
• growing for sale;
• in the production of wines, juices.

Advantages and disadvantages

Viking grapes are distinguished by a number of advantages and disadvantages that should be considered when growing.

• Grade Advantages:
• quick survival in a new place;
• fast ripening period;
• self-pollination ability, which allows the variety to be used as a cross-pollinator for other varieties growing nearby;
• resistance of fruits to mechanical damage;
• high taste characteristics.

• The disadvantages of the variety:
• average resistance to frost;
• poor susceptibility to temperature differences;
• low threshold for resistance to fungal diseases;
• average yields.

Rules and secrets of landing

So that subsequently there would be no problems with the care of the Viking grape variety, you must first select and prepare a site where the plants will not suffer from high humidity and lack of lighting. Particular attention should be paid to the choice of seedlings when buying, since productivity will depend on their viability.

Did you know? In Georgia, fragments of a jug created almost 8 millennia ago with grapes were found, which proves the existence of culture in those days.

How to choose healthy seedlings when buying?

It is better to buy Viking grape seedlings in specialized nurseries, and not by hand. For planting, one-year and two-year-old planting material is suitable. Seedlings are sold with an open root system and with a closed one.A standard seedling with an open root system should look like this:

• at least 3 calcaneal roots with a diameter of 2-3 mm are located in the lower part of the handle;
• the height of the handle itself is 40 cm - this parameter consists of the length of the handle and the length of the annual growth formed during the year after rooting;
• the handle can have from 4 to 6 eyes, in which case its length will be 40 cm, then together with the annual growth the total length will be 55-60 cm;
• on a one-year, well-matured growth, there are at least 4 full kidneys;
• the upper part and roots do not have visible mechanical damage, traces of rot or damage by pests.

Seedlings with a closed root system take root better, as they are grown in separate containers. Another advantage of such a purchase is the ability to extend the landing time if weather conditions do not allow this to be done in due time. The downside of such a purchase is the inability to assess the state of the root.

A healthy seedling with a closed root system looks like this:

• there are 2–5 unfolded leaves on the handle;
• leaves are painted in bright green color, without damage, not wrapped around the edges;
• the vine trunk is flat, without cracks and hollows;
• light branched roots are visible through the earthen lump, otherwise, ask the seller to slightly move the top layer of the earth and inspect the roots - if this is not possible, it is better to refuse the purchase.

A few tips to help with the purchase of planting material:

1. You should not buy seedlings before the start of their mass sale - the ripening of vines in all varieties occurs at the same time, and ahead of time they begin to sell planting material treated with a ripening accelerator, which negatively affects the survival rate of plants.
2. Bought in the fall, woody seedlings with green leaves during the winter will lose moisture and are unlikely to take root in a new place.
3. When buying a seedling, ask the seller to cut 3 mm of the crown - on the cut a healthy vine is painted in a juicy green color.
4. Eyes should hold tightly on the handle, do not move when lightly pressed with a finger.

Video: How to choose a grape seedling

Where to plant on the site?

Grapes should be planted on the south or southwest side of the plot, protected from draft and well-lit from any angle. In shading, the hybrid loses varietal characteristics, it becomes tasteless. Plants develop on fertile black earth soils. Also, when planting Viking varieties, the distance to groundwater is taken into account - the optimal indicator is 2 m.

How to plant seedlings?

Planting material is planted in the spring, when the average daily air temperature varies between +15 ... + 25 ° С. The site needs to be cleaned in the fall, treatment from pests with a 1% solution of copper sulfate at the rate of 1 liter per 1 m². After 2 weeks, the soil is dug up to a depth of 30 cm. 6 kg of compost mixed with 100 g of superphosphate are applied per 1 m². After a week, the soil is again cultivated to a depth of 20 cm.

In the spring, a month before planting, again cultivate the soil to a depth of 30 cm, level the site. Dig up the landing pits 3 weeks before planting.

Their size will vary depending on the quality of the soil:

• for chernozem soil - 60 × 60 × 60 cm;
• for sandy loam - 80 × 80 × 80 cm.

Important! You can improve the quality of grape berries and increase their sugar content by planting nearby parsley.

The distance between the bushes should be at least 3 m. At the bottom of the pits lay 1-2 cm of drainage (expanded clay or crushed stone). Mix the top layer of soil from the pits (20 cm) with compost (3 kg per well). Fill the holes with soil one third and fill each with 20 liters of water. In the center of the pits, place the stakes for the garter of the seedlings.Before planting, regardless of whether a seedling was purchased with a closed or open root system, the roots must first be soaked in a growth stimulator (Kornevin is suitable in the proportion of 5 g of powder per 5 l of water) for 30 minutes. After soaking, a mound is formed in the well and the root system of the plant is placed on it. Before filling the voids with soil, align the seedling with the height of the root neck so that after falling asleep the soil is 5 cm above the soil level. After filling the pit with soil, the plants are tied to stakes and poured into the wells of 10 l of clean water at room temperature.

Care Tips

To get a good harvest, the Viking grape variety needs to be provided with care consisting of a number of measures.

Watering

The Viking grape variety does not tolerate high humidity. Watering has features and classification:

• Moisturizing for a long period of time - spend in spring and autumn;
• landing - carried out in the first days after a dive into the open ground or immediately when the seedlings are deepened into the hole;
• irrigation of planted material - carried out at all stages of development of a particular plant during the first year from the moment of planting;
• vegetative irrigation.

Watering is carried out not under the bushes, but in a trench dug at a distance of 20 cm from the bushes. Moisture-charging irrigation in the fall is designed to replenish the earth with moisture for a long period, as well as to compact the soil, in order to prevent its freezing in winter. Moisture seeps through the soil layers slowly, over a month it moves 20 cm deep.With this watering, moisture remains at a depth of 1.5 m, where the soil does not dry out even in summer, so grapes that receive less moisture in summer develop better. Spring water-charging irrigation is carried out in cases when the winter was not snowy and frosty, and do this before the eyes appear. This prevents crop loss during return frosts. On average, about 40 liters of water fall on each grape bush.

Important! Autumn water-loading irrigation is not carried out if the rainy season passes in October.

Vegetative irrigation is carried out in different ways, in accordance with the age of the plants. During the first year of life, plants grow the root system, so it is better to water dosed for each individual instance. To do this, draw a circle 10-15 cm deep at a distance of 25 cm from the main stem. Each young plant has 5 to 25 liters of water, depending on weather conditions.Watering only planted plants is carried out once a week. From the second month of life on the site, moisture is applied every 2 weeks. In August, watering is temporarily canceled to allow the vine to mature and reduce the risk of developing fungal diseases. From the second year of life on the site, watering is carried out dosed - 40-60 liters per 1 m².

Watered in accordance with the phases of vegetation 4 times per season:

1. In the phase of tying the kidneys.
2. Immediately after flowering, when the first ovary appeared.
3. During the period of increase and pouring berries.
4. Water-loading irrigation in the fall, if necessary in the spring, in trenches.

Fertilizer application

Fertilizing is combined with irrigation in accordance with the phases of vegetation. Viking grapes for development require the following nutrients:

• nitrogen - helps to build a strong green mass, contribute only in the spring;
• phosphorus - promotes abundant flowering, the formation of full-fledged ovaries, contribute at the beginning of flowering;
• potassium, copper - accelerate the ripening of vines and fruits, increase frost resistance, make before the abolition of the August watering;
• boron, zinc - contribute to increased yield and sugar content of fruits, participate in the formation of pollen, contribute in parallel with phosphorus.

As mineral fertilizers use single-component or complex formulations. In addition to mineral fertilizers, plants need organic additives in the form of compost, slurry or bird droppings.Top dressing is introduced into the channels dug for irrigation, from the second year of life of the plant on the site.

Fertilizer application under the root:

1. In the spring, before removing the winter shelter from the bushes and 2 weeks before the beginning of flowering, 10 l of water is added under each plant, in which 20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of ammonium nitrate and 5 g of potassium salt or 1 l of slurry per 1 m² are dissolved.
2. After flowering, for each bush 10 l of water with 20 g of superphosphate and 5 g of potassium salt can be replaced with 10 l of water with 400 g of ash from sunflower husk.
3. After harvesting - potassium chloride 10 g for each bush in combination with watering.

Once every 3 years, the above autumn top dressing is carried out differently. 10 kg of dry manure mixed with 100 g of superphosphate and 5 g of ammonium sulfate are added per 1 m². Fertilizer is distributed around the perimeter of the vineyard, and then cultivation is carried out to a depth of 20 cm.

Video: Topping grapes in summer

In order for plants to develop and be resistant to diseases, root top dressing is combined with leaf dressing.

Scheme of foliar top dressing:

1. Before flowering in 3 days - the preparation "Emochka-Fertility" per 1 ha of 1 liter, dissolved in 40 liters of water.
2. After flowering and before ripening - the drug "Aminomax" 300 ml, dissolved in 200 ml of water per 1 ha.
3. Before harvesting for 2 weeks - 450 g of wood ash is insisted daily in 3 l of water, add 10 l of water in the morning and sprayed.

Important! Foliar top dressing can cause sunburn on the leaves, so 48 hours after such procedures, you need to spray the plants with clean water.

Support

The Viking grape variety has a high growth rate. If the bushes do not have quality support, the immature vine will begin to break under its own weight. In addition, the support makes harvesting and pruning easier.

During the first 2 years from the moment of planting, stakes driven into the holes serve as a support for the grapes. From the third year you need to equip a vertical trellis. The design consists of several posts 2.5 m high, located at a distance of 3 m from each other, between which 4-5 rows of galvanized wire are stretched. The distance from the ground to the first wire is 30 cm, between the wire - 45 cm.

Shoot garter

Tie grape shoots in 2 stages:

1. Dry garter - in the spring, after removing the shelters.
2. Green garter - in the summer, when young shoots begin to grow.

In spring, young shoots are tied in a horizontal position to the first trellis wire. The shoots of overgrown plants are attached in a horizontal position to the second wire. Year-old branches are mounted vertically. Green shoots are tied vertically in summer when they reach a length of 40 cm. Green shoots are distributed in bunches of 3 pcs., So as not to complicate pollination.

Did you know? Grape leaves, vine and berries have healing properties. There is a separate area of ​​medicine associated with the use of these properties, — ampelotherapy.

The tying is carried out by the "eight" method with a cotton cloth. The garter material must first be wrapped around the wire, forming a layer between it and the plant tissue, and then tied up the shoot.

Soil care

After watering or rain in the territory of the vineyard, it is necessary to loosen the soil to a depth of 10 cm. At the same time, weed weeds are weeded. After loosening, the soil must be mulched with compost to maintain moisture.

In spring and autumn, after harvesting, deep cultivation should be carried out on a bayonet shovel (20–25 cm). This allows you to saturate the soil with oxygen and destroy the spores of the fungus and the larvae of pests wintering in the upper layers of the soil.

Pruning vines

In the first year after planting, at the end of October, shorten the ripened shoots “to zero”.The slice is made with a sharp secateurs at a distance of 3 mm to the connection of the vine with the main stem. The slice is powdered with powdered activated carbon in combination with 3 g of baseazole. In the future, the young vine is shortened by 5 buds. Shoots growing from the soil are not cut off, but left to form new branches.

To set large fruits on adult bushes, leave long lashes containing 20 buds each. Autumn pruning allows the vine to be formed in such a way that it fully fits under the shelter. After autumn pruning, the bushes are treated with 1% solution of copper sulfate to avoid infection with diseases and pests.Spring pruning involves the removal of lashes damaged by frost or mechanically, which will not bear fruit.

In the summer, you can remove young stepsons who have not reached a length of 5 cm to avoid thickening of the green mass.

Important! Early pruning leads to a decrease in winter hardiness of plants. After fruiting, they need to be allowed to replenish the supply of nutrients and carry out the pruning procedure only 3 weeks before frosts.

Winter preparations

The first stage of preparation for winter is the autumn pruning of the vine. The next stage is the katarovka (pruning) of dew roots growing under the surface of the soil.

The procedure allows deep roots to strengthen and is performed as follows:

1. Remove 20 cm of soil around the main stem.
2. Cut the small roots flush with the main one using a sharpened secateurs treated with boric alcohol.
3. Slices are treated with 1% solution of copper sulfate.
4. Cover the roots with dry sand.
5. Spend hilling.
6. Water (20 liters of water per bush).

The next stage of preparation is water-loading irrigation, which is carried out in late October - early November. After pruning the vines, dew roots, without waiting for the onset of frost, you need to pull the grapes into a bunch with a wire and bend to the ground. Previously on the ground, under grape sheaves, lay a spruce branch or burlap. Wooden shields are placed on top of the vines. It is important that between the shield and the vine there is a small space of 5–10 cm. A tarp is placed over the shields. The edges of the tarp are fixed with bricks. A layer of rags or fallen foliage is thrown on top of the shelter.

With the onset of a stable positive temperature, the shelter is removed and the vine is tied to the trellis.

Did you know? Grapes are close in nutritional composition, with the exception of fat content, to dairy products.

Viking grapes are distinguished by good commercial qualities. During its cultivation, to obtain a full crop, quality care is required. For winter, grapes of this variety must be covered.