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Breeders of all countries where grapes are grown are working hard to create delicious varieties - seedless. One of the brightest successes of American winegrowers was the Century variety. In Russia, it is also known under the English name Centennial Seedless. The variety was bred in California back in 1966, crossing several vines: Gold x Q25-6 (Emperor x Pirovano 75). The variety got its place in the US register only 15 years later. We have been actively distributing raisins since 2010.
Medium early raisin grapes Century, according to the description and reviews of gardeners, is extremely popular due to its high marketability and excellent taste. When Yalta hosted international festivals-contests "Sun bunch", the variety was repeatedly awarded prizes as one of the best examples of seedless grapes.
Description
In medium-sized bushes of grapes for a century, the vine is dark brown in color, strong, powerful, fully ripens in a season. The grapes are not afraid of the yield load. Young shoots are greenish-brown. Five-lobed, medium-dissected leaves, intense green, large, with long petioles. A variety with bisexual flowers, well pollinated.
Kishmish grapes The century pleases with numerous large, not quite dense bunches, weighing from 450 g to 1.5 kg. In good conditions, the weight rises to 2.5 kg. The average weight is 700-1200 g. The shape of the bunch of grapes is conical.
Oval berries of medium size, 16 x 30 mm, light yellow or with a soft green tint. The weight of the berries of this raisin grape is uniform - 6-9 g. The berries of the Century are covered with a thin but dense skin that does not crack even when overripe. The smooth, crispy skin is easy to eat, and the sweet and juicy pulp gives you the pleasure of the harmony of taste and light nutmeg aroma. The nutmeg flavor in this grape variety is more intense from the beginning of ripening, and then can be lost. This trait also changes depending on the composition of the soil where the vine is grown. In the south, according to local gardeners, delicate notes of tea roses are felt in the grapes.
Winegrowers in reviews compare the taste of Century grapes with the more famous variety Kishmish Radiant... The content of sugars and acids is 15-16% and 4-6 g / l, respectively. Even small seeds are not found in the berries of this grape.
Characteristic
Attractive bunches of raisins grapes ripen in 120-125 days from the beginning of the growing season, if the sum of the average daily temperature reaches 2600 degrees. The berries of the Century can be enjoyed immediately, from the beginning of September, or left for a while. The dense shell does not crack even under heavy rains, and the berries stay on the bunch until frost. Grapes take on a rich amber hue and accumulate sugar. Bunches of the Century variety are not subject to peas.
Prolonged exposure of bunches of grapes in direct sunlight does not harm the berries, but affects the skin, which becomes covered with brown spots or brown tan on one side.
Grapes are suitable for centuries for drying - making sweet raisins. For this purpose, the variety is grown on a significant scale, because the vines require minimal maintenance with an excellent grape harvest.
The vine does not form stepchildren, and after flowering, the shoots grow slowly. The southern variety is not particularly winter-hardy, withstands frosts down to -23 0C.The variety of raisins Century is sensitive to some fungal diseases.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages of raisins grape For centuries, it is possible to grow it in mass plantings in the southern regions of the country.
- Pleasant taste and versatility: fresh consumption and preparation of raisins;
- Stable high yield due to good pollination, volume and number of bunches;
- Excellent commercial properties and transportability;
- No need to normalize inflorescences;
- Resistant to gray mold;
- High survival rate of cuttings.
Among the disadvantages of the Kishmish variety, the Century is called:
- The need to thin out the berries to increase them;
- Short shelf life;
- Sensitivity to mildew and powdery mildew;
- Affection by phylloxera;
- Low frost resistance.
Growing
Century grapes are planted in autumn and spring in a place protected from northern winds, preparing the planting pit in advance. The northern and eastern slopes should be avoided, the rows should be planned in a southern direction. Groundwater should be deep, spring flooding of the site is excluded. Southern hybrid raisins For a century they cover for the winter.
- On sandy loam, a hole measuring 0.4 x 0.4 x 0.6 m is enough;
- On heavy soils, the depth is up to 0.7 m, the hole is 0.6 x 0.8 m;
- Drainage is laid from below, then a thoroughly mixed top layer of earth with humus, compost and fertilizers: 500 g each of nitroammofoska and wood ash;
- You can use another option for planting minerals: 100 g of potassium sulfate and 150-200 g of superphosphate;
- After planting, you need abundant watering and mulching of the hole.
Watering
Century grapes, as gardeners point out in reviews, require watering in autumn and spring to saturate the soil with moisture. During the flowering period, the grapes are also watered abundantly. Moisture after watering is preserved with mulch, the soil is regularly loosened, removed weeds.
Top dressing
To obtain stable harvests, winegrowers must use organic and mineral fertilizers for the Century variety: a solution of poultry droppings, wood ash, the Kristallon complex or other multi-component products. Will accelerate the ripening of the vine "Plantafol".
Pruning
For raisins grapes For a century, it is better to carry out a long pruning - by 6-8 buds, because the eyes near the base of the shoots do not bear fruit well. The best yield is observed with a load of 35-40 buds and no more than 24 shoots. After flowering, gardeners remove several branches from the bunch, and thin out the berries before pouring.
Treatment
Faded grapes A century has been sprayed with Ridomil-Gold for diseases, and Topaz is used 3 weeks before ripening.
Although the vine of the Century requires attention, its exceptional harvest will warm the heart of a keen gardener.
A vine with a similar name
Gardening enthusiasts should know that white is cultivated in the middle zone of the country. table grapes New Century. This is a completely different variety, in no way associated with the American selection vine, which gives raisins. The grapes are almost namesake, but, according to the description of the variety, the early ripe hybrid New Century was bred in the Ukrainian city of Zaporozhye. It is characterized by frost resistance, large-fruited and unpretentiousness, having inherited the best features from the crossing of the well-known varieties Arcadia and Talisman. This variety also has the names New Century ZSTU and FVA-3-3.
Vine of the New Century vigorous, with male and female flowers, fruitful. Ripens in 4 months. The average weight of a bunch is 700-800 g, up to 1.5 kg.The berries are round, slightly oval, of a soft green-yellow hue; when fully ripe, they acquire an amber tint and tan on the skin. The pulp is sweet and contains 17% sugars. The bunches carry the carriage.
On the shoots of the New Century grapes, as gardeners write in the reviews, they leave 1-2 bunches, without breaking off all the leaves for shading. The frost resistance of the vine is low: -23 degrees, with a light cover it takes out -27 0C. Cuttings of the variety, grafted onto winter-hardy grapes, can withstand prolonged frosts. A grape hybrid resistant to gray rot, it is affected to a small extent by mildew and powdery mildew, especially in the rainy season. Requires additional spraying at this time.
