Content
This hybrid grape variety has many names. Originally from Bulgaria, we know him as Phenomenon or Augustine. You can also find the number name - V 25/20. His parents are the Villars Blanc and Pleven varieties, which is why he is sometimes called Pleven steady... From Pleven, he took resistance to diseases, and Villard blanc presented resistance to adverse conditions.
Characteristics of the variety
To find out what it is good for, let's study in more detail the description of the Augustine grape variety.
- it is a table form of grapes;
- has a considerable bunch weighing up to 800 g, and with good care, and much more;
- the cluster is loose, moderately dense, sometimes with a wing. This structure of the bunches contributes to their airing, and, therefore, reduces the likelihood of diseases. The bunches are not prone to peas, the berries are of the same size;
- the weight of the berry is average - up to 8 g, in the middle lane and Siberia such berries can be called large. There are up to 6 seeds in them, the skin is not tough, it is easily eaten;
- the berry is elongated-oval and has a beautiful amber-yellow color, has a pleasant aroma, accumulates a lot of sugar in any weather - up to 20%, the berries are well transported without losing marketable qualities;
- the taste of the berries is simple, but harmonious without a nutmeg hue;
- red-brown vine has great vigor of growth, so it can be used in arbor culture. The leaf is beautiful, almost not dissected, its shape is close to round;
- Augustine is prone to crop overload, so the number of brushes should be normalized, leaving no more than one per shoot;
- withstands frosts down to -24 degrees, but not for a long time, therefore, it is better not to leave it without shelter for the winter;
- Augustine grapes ripen in the early stages, from flowering to ripening it should take from 115 to 120 days, therefore, with an early onset of heat in spring, it can be harvested in August;
- brushes can wait up to 2 weeks to be harvested after ripening without losing their consumer qualities.
Winegrowers often refer to the Augustine grape variety as the "workhorse". And not without reason. Unpretentiousness, resistance to major diseases of grapes and simply amazing yield (in private farms - up to 60 kg per bush) make this variety a welcome guest in any vineyard. And if you add to this the pleasant taste of sweet berries, good ripening of the vine, excellent survival rate of seedlings and excellent rooting of cuttings, it is clear that it will have few competitors.
The characteristic and description of the Augustine grape variety would be incomplete without mentioning its disadvantages:
- with prolonged high humidity, the berries are capable of cracking;
- the seeds in the berries are rather large;
- since it is a table variety, it is not very suitable for making fruit and berry wine;
- It is not recommended to keep the bunches on the bushes for more than 15 days, otherwise the berries will begin to crumble.
These shortcomings do not prevent winegrowers from successfully growing the Augustine grape variety in vineyards located in far from southern conditions, their reviews about this variety are very good.
To have a complete picture of Augustine, take a look at his photo.
In order for the Phenomenon to show everything that it is capable of, it is necessary to plant it correctly, cut and pinch it in time, fertilize it, in a word, observe all the necessary rules of agricultural technology. Let's consider everything in order.
Reproduction
Any method will work for him.If you want to get the harvest faster, buy a ready-made two-year-old Augustine grape seedling.
Cuttings from annual shoots can be rooted or grafted onto the stock of your choice. This method is quite cheap and easy with experience.
When mass cutting and rooting cuttings, it is better to use a special heated cuttings at the bottom.
You can sow grape seeds after two months of stratification. The best time for sowing in the middle lane is the first decade of June.
Seedlings obtained from seeds are better adapted to the surrounding conditions, but most often they do not repeat their parental qualities.
If you already have one Phenomenon bush, and you want to propagate it, this is easy to do by digging in a side shoot in the spring. By next spring it will be ready for independent vegetation.
Landing
The Augustine grape loves fairly fertile and moist soils. The site should be illuminated by the sun throughout the day, even a little shading will affect both yields and ripening times.
In grapes, nutrition is carried out through the heel roots, dewy superficial roots are also important, but in severe winters they can easily die, therefore, the grape pits should be at least 80 cm deep. You shouldn't get carried away with fertilizers. Two buckets of fertile soil mixed with 300 grams of superphosphate and the same amount of potassium salt are enough.
If a seedling is planted, it is impossible to deepen the root collar; it is better to plant the rooted cutting deeper so that the heel roots are inaccessible to frost.
When planting, dig in a small-diameter asbestos pipe next to the bush - it is convenient to feed the grapes through it, provided that it is dug deep enough.
The planted plant should be watered and watered every week until it takes root, especially in dry weather.
Top dressing
In the first year, Augustine grapes have enough nutrition, which he received when planting. Only in the fall, the bush should be sprinkled at the base with a layer of humus 20 cm thick. The purpose of this procedure is twofold: it is good insulation for the roots in winter, and top dressing, which begins to act in early spring.
Subsequently, Augustine grapes are fed three times per season: in the spring with a predominance of nitrogen, a couple of weeks before flowering with a predominance of superphosphate and with the beginning of ripening of berries - only potassium and phosphorus fertilizers. The application rates are always indicated on the fertilizer packaging. Grape Augustine gratefully responds to foliar feeding with complex fertilizers with microelements.
Watering
Augustine grapes are quite drought tolerant, but they still need watering, especially if there has been no rain for a long time. Watering rates depend on the age of the bush and the type of soil. The greatest need for moisture in grapes is during the period of spring growth and flowering.
Bush formation
Without this procedure, you can get a huge number of shoots and a meager harvest. To prevent this from happening, you need to follow the rules of formation at all stages of the growing season of grapes.
In the first year after planting, the bushes do not form so that they grow enough shoots for overwintering.
In the future, the bush is formed according to the chosen scheme, taking into account that the Augustine vine needs to be cut in the fall, keeping from 6 to 12 eyes. Their number depends on the chosen formation scheme.
In the summer, the formation is reduced to pinching the stepsons.Since the Phenomenon grapes are rich in harvest, 5-6 leaves should be left over each brush. It is better to remove stepchildren of the second order so as not to thicken the bush. At the end of summer, shoots are chased, that is, their tops are pinched for better ripening of the vine.
Pruning grapes should be approached creatively, taking into account the characteristics of each bush.
Shelter of vine bushes for the winter
Where winters are frosty, this technique is indispensable. There are many ways to hide, each winegrower chooses the most convenient and effective for himself. It is important that under the shelter it is not only warm, but also dry, then the grapes will not dry out.
Augustine grapes are an excellent choice for those who are just starting to engage in such an exciting activity as viticulture, because experienced winegrowers already have at least one bush of this wonderful variety.
Testimonials
