Feeding the grapes in spring - tips and tricks

At the time of planting a young bush of grapes in the soil, it usually receives a sufficient amount of mineral and organic fertilizers. Fertilizers are applied to the bottom of the planting trench. Sometimes when planting add a small amount of wood ash. Such feeding is often enough to adapt the young bush, and it does not need additional fertilization at the first stage of development.

However, if the plant does not develop sufficiently actively, it should be fed. Usually this is done with the help of ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate. Such fertilizers are introduced in the form of a solution (45-50 grams of fertilizer per bucket of water).

The feeding of grapes in the spring is usually carried out in portions. The first time it is produced in the second year of life of the grape bush, when young shoots begin to grow actively. Spring feeding of grapes is traditionally carried out as follows: nutrients in the form of a solution are poured into a pipe, which is dug in advance at a depth of up to half a meter.

For each kilogram of harvest, the soil spends approximately 35 grams of potassium and nitrogen and 15 grams of phosphorus. This must be remembered and make this amount of fertilizer after harvest, so that the soil could restore its nutritional properties.

In addition to mandatory autumn feeding, normal development of shoots and active growth requires the feeding of grapes in the spring. The plant is fed with solutions of urea and ammonium nitrate (5%), also introducing them into the soil using a special tube. Also, foliar dressing of grapes can be made.

The essence of this foliar top dressing is that the nutrients come to the plant not only through the root system, but also through the leaves. The advantage of such a procedure is that when it is carried out, the assimilation of the necessary nutrients takes place fairly quickly. With this method, there is no risk of excessive fertilizer concentration in the soil. At the same time, top dressing of grapes in spring is less laborious. Such fertilizing is usually done a few days before the flowering begins and after the flowering period ends, that is, it is important to have time to fertilize before the ripening begins. The feeding of grapes in spring is usually made on a calm, cloudy day. The lack of magnesium can cause the accumulation of nitrates in the bunches of grapes, as well as their atrophy (drying out). Therefore, at the beginning of maturation, it is important to produce foliar top dressing using fertilizers such as calimagnesia or magor.

To ensure the quality of the grapevine for a long period of time, on either side of the plant, a trench is cut in the earth, the width of which should be approximately 80 cm, and the depth about 50 cm. 3 pails of humus per bush are introduced into the trench. The humus is mixed with the ground to approximately half the depth of the trench. The mixture is gently tamped and covered with remaining soil. Such application of organic fertilizers guarantees normal development of grapes in the next 3-4 years. Then the same procedure is carried out by digging a similar trench from the back side. Such measures effectively stimulate the growth and active development of the root system of grape bushes.