Watering the grapes

Vine bushes have a powerful and branched root system that can penetrate to great depths. Due to its structure, the roots of grapes can safely tolerate severe frosts and droughts. However, competent watering of the grapes is necessary for the successful growth and development of the grape bush, as well as for obtaining a bountiful harvest. In addition, the receipt of a sufficient amount of moisture by grape bushes helps to increase their immunity and resistance to frost.

Watering grapes: how often should it be done

watering grapes

At each stage of their development and depending on the season, grapes need a certain irrigation regime.

Spring watering grapes are aimed at meeting the needs of a thriving plant. During the growing season, it actively grows shoots. Leaves and roots need a lot of water and nutrition. First time the grapes should be watered before the buds begin to swell.

If there was little snow in winter, it is recommended to shed abundant soil in March to saturate it with moisture to the fullest. In the absence of spring rains and early onset of heat, abundant watering occurs in April.

Water temperature directly affects the result of irrigation and the time the vines emerge from hibernation. The use of warm water will speed up the process of their awakening. Whereas from the cold buds will begin to bloom with a delay.

This feature should be taken into account if, according to forecasts, recurrent frosts are expected, which can damage newly opened kidneys.

Second watering the grapes falls on the period before flowering - about 3 weeks before the opening of the buds. As a rule, watering is done about 3 times during the spring. Infrequent but plentiful watering is much more beneficial than continually irrigating the soil with a small amount of moisture.

The purpose summer irrigation is to maintain a sufficient level of soil moisture in the vineyard. It is not recommended to use them in the flowering phase and the day before, because as a result, the ovaries may begin to shatter, and the pollination process will slow down. Or it will happen in an insufficient volume.

Most grapes need moisture at the time of fruiting... When the berries are poured with juice. Watering the bushes should be done before the fruits become soft.

On average, the summer season accounts for about half of the total amount of water used for irrigation during the season. Watering the grapes shortly before the ripening of the bunches is not worth it. Since this will provoke the formation of cracks on the surface of the berries, and will also prevent the accumulation of sugars in them.

The signal to stop watering is the acquisition by the fruits of a characteristic color for their variety, as well as the beginning of their ripening. Particular attention should be paid to the irrigation of the vines.
in hot weather. This must be done correctly so as not to harm the plants.

Using cold water on hot summer days means injuring the grapes. Since the sharp cooling of the heated soil leads to a heat shock due to the difference in temperature indicators. Watering with cool water is permissible only in the early morning before sunrise, before the earth has time to warm up again.

Even well-heated water can harm grape bushes if you do it from a garden hose under strong pressure in the midst of the summer heat.The stress received by the plant can have a detrimental effect on its general condition and the process of crop maturation.

IN autumn time watering is done in order to prepare the grape bushes for wintering. It is important to thoroughly moisten the soil in the vineyard to prevent it from drying out in winter. Since in this case root system plants will quickly freeze, crack and get injured.

If the fall is rich in rain, abundant watering is not required. In those regions where the grapes do not require winter shelter, the last pre-winter watering procedure is carried out at the end of the leaf fall.

In severe winters, shelter is indispensable; in this case, the grapes are watered after the bushes have been insulated.

Irrigation must be completed before the onset of the first frost. The optimal time interval is from mid-October to early November. Watering for those grape varieties that ripen late, stops about a month before the start of the harvest.

How to water grapes - volume of water

watering grapes

The norms of the volume of water used for irrigating grapes are influenced by a number of factors related to both the characteristics of the plant itself and the conditions of its environment. The most important points that determine the amount of water for irrigation include the following conditions:

1. Climatic features of the region... In places where dry periods occur and in general the climate is dry, the grapes need more moisture.
2. Soil characteristics. Watering light sandy soils is carried out more often and in smaller portions of water. Chernozem and clay soils are moistened less often, but
   more abundant.
3. Weather. The amount of irrigation depends not only on the general climatic picture of the region, but also on the number of sunny days, precipitation, and on the thermometer readings throughout
   a particular season.
4. Variety of grapes... Those varieties that mature late need more water.
5. The condition of each vine... Watering is also influenced by the age of the plant. Its size. The presence of more or less bunches. So, water
   mature plants in the phase of ripening of clusters should be in a larger volume than in the case of irrigation at the same time of grape seedlings at the age of 2 years.
6. Watering method also affects the amount of water used for this purpose.

If the winter was little snow or passed without snow at all, then the grapes need a lot of water in the spring - at least 250 liters per bush.

In the event of a summer drought, the same amount of moisture will be required to compensate for the drying out of the soil.

During the period when the berries are saturated with juices, it is also necessary to use a lot of water for irrigation.

During the growing season, the volume of water for irrigation of one square meter of the vineyard area ranges from 40 liters to 70 liters, the average is 50 liters.

If the soil in the vineyard is sandy loam or sandy, one and a half times more water is taken than under the condition of a different soil composition. The soil should be poured to a depth of about 0.4 m.

Otherwise, all the moisture will go to the formation of surface roots, which are not only unable to provide the plant with the necessary nutrition, but are also likely to freeze in winter and die.

There are a number of symptoms of waterlogging of the soil, having found which, the irrigation regime should be adjusted:

• too fast elongation of grape shoots and the formation of a mass of stepchildren;
• slow and uneven ripening of vines;
• low sugar content in fruits and watery flesh;
• too light color in fruits of dark varieties, or other color abnormalities.

Determining if the soil in the vineyard is moist enough is quite simple. It is enough to take a little soil from under the bush and squeeze it in your hand. If it did not crumble after unclenching the fist, then the soil is sufficiently saturated with water. In this case, you can wait with watering.

How to water seedlings

Systematic watering is extremely important for young vines, especially in the first seasons. Newly planted seedlings need weekly irrigation.

This is done as follows: 15 liters of water should be poured into the near-stem hole a little more than half a meter wide and about 25 cm deep. It is not necessary to expand or deepen the hole, since the root system of the plant has not yet grown. Starting from the second half of summer, the number of waterings can be reduced to 1 time in two weeks.

The technology and amount of irrigation depend on the degree of development of the seedling, its growth and on the weather at the moment. In the ripening phase of the vines, irrigation stops - therefore, in August and autumn, the seedlings do not require watering.

Proper watering of grapes: technology

There are two ways to water the grapes: surface and underground.

Technology surface irrigation involves pouring water into round or elongated irrigation depressions located at the point of contact of the plant with the soil. The depth of such irrigation pits is about 0.2 m.

This method is rational when watering young bushes that have not had time to deeply rooted. If the plant has a branched root system deeply embedded in the ground, then surface moisture will not give the desired result. Moisture simply cannot penetrate deeper than 0.5 m.

Much more efficient drip irrigationwhen water is supplied directly to the root zone using dropper belts. They must be placed at a distance of about 0.2 m from the trunks of the vines.

Thus, each plant will receive the amount of moisture it needs.

Underground watering is the most preferable option, provided it is well organized. This technology is aimed at moisturizing the deep layers of the soil
and the formation of a powerful root system that goes deep enough into the ground. To endure the winter frosts without damage.

This method of irrigation avoids stagnation of moisture in the upper layers of the soil, which significantly reduces the risk of developing fungal infections. Underground irrigation requires some effort, since it involves the construction of watering wells and special drainage layers.

An approximate algorithm of actions for the organization of underground irrigation includes the following steps:

1. Along the entire length of the beds with grape bushes, metal tubes with a cross section of 10 to 15 cm are dug into the ground and buried half a meter. The part protruding above the surface of the ground is approximately 15 cm.
2. The main part, in addition to the upper 20-30 cm of tubes, has holes about 1.2 cm in diameter. As a rule, their number ranges from 10 to 15.
3. A drainage layer is placed under the pipes, consisting of brick fragments and gravel. During the installation of pipes, it is recommended to close their upper part to prevent debris and dirt from getting inside.

Underground irrigation technology can significantly save water, while avoiding both moisture deficit in the soil and its excess. Also, this method increases the area of ​​the moistened soil.

The use of spray devices for watering vineyards is not recommended, as it can create a damp environment and cause the development of fungal infections.

Grape. Watering. How often and how to irrigate correctly - we reveal the secrets

Watering vines has a number of nuances that should be taken into account when adjusting the irrigation regime.

- Despite the moisture-loving nature of the grapes, a slight moisture deficit is less destructive for it than excessive soil moisture. Too frequent watering can lead to the build-up of superficial root processes that do not tolerate winter well, freeze through, and dry out very much in the summer heat.

- Too infrequent irrigation is fraught with drying out of the land, which negatively affects the harvest. The berries become cracked and lose their taste.

- If the green shoots elongate too quickly, it is recommended to reduce the amount of water used for irrigation. And in case of a suspension of their growth, the bushes need to be watered and fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers.

- If hot and dry weather sets in for the period when the grape berries acquire color and soften, it is necessary to additionally water the bushes.

- An indicator of the successful development of a plant is the curved shape of its shoots. This means that the watering regime is balanced.

- In dry summer periods, watering the grape plantings is required more often and more abundantly.

- The optimal time for watering grapes is evening. Then the temperature of the water for irrigation is as close as possible to the temperature indicators of the soil and air. In this case, the plant will not experience any unpleasant sensations from irrigation. Well-settled or rainwater is best suited for irrigation, which can be stored in containers specially purchased for this purpose with a volume of about 200 liters.

- After irrigating the vineyard, the next day, it is necessary to loosen the soil around the bushes. This will slow down the drying out of the earth's surface and saturate it with oxygen. That will provide them with the root system of the plant. Air circulation in the soil will prevent the development of fungal infections and improve the nutrition of the root shoots.

Top dressing mode

Combining watering with fertilization procedures has a beneficial effect on the growth and development of vines. And also accelerates the process of formation and ripening of fruits.

In the spring, the introduction of organic matter and mineral complexes with a high content of zinc, phosphorus, nitrogen is indicated. The maximum effect from them is achieved due to the combination with such organic fertilizers as manure, bird droppings, compost.

During summer application of top dressing, nitrogen should be excluded, which enhances the growth of green mass, which takes away nutrition from the fruiting parts of the plant.

The last fertilization procedure should be carried out no later than half a month before the start of the harvest. Organic ingredients are considered the best option for grapes.

Compliance with the irrigation regime and its rational organization is the key to successful cultivation of grape bushes and obtaining a rich harvest. The correct amount of moisture, evenly distributed in the soil, serves to strengthen the immunity of the grapes and prolongs the period of its productive existence.

Adherence to agrotechnical recommendations
Regarding watering, it will allow you to easily build a system for caring for the vineyard and take care of it as efficiently as possible.