Content
Often grapes are found under different names. So it happened with the Maradona variety. In different sources, grapes are referred to as Taifi firm or Chocolate. Due to the color of the berries, the variety is also called Maradona Red. The culture became famous for the good taste of berries, the beauty of the bunches and high yields. They will help you get to know more about the description of the Maradona grape variety, photos, reviews of gardeners and summer residents.
The main characteristics of the variety
Considering the description of the Chocolate grape variety, photos, reviews, it is worth mentioning another name of the culture - PG-12. By its origin, it is a hybrid. The grape belongs to the table form. Ripening of berries is medium late, occurs in about 140 days.
The Maradona Red grape is distinguished by a branched, fast-growing bush. Bisexual flowers facilitate insect-free pollination. Large clusters are very beautiful. The red color with a chocolate tint creates an attractive presentation. The arrangement of the berries is medium loose. The shape of the bunch is conical, it often grows double. The average weight is from 0.6 to 1.2 kg. Subject to the conditions of agricultural technology, brushes weighing up to 2.5 kg can be grown.
Berries of the Chocolate variety are oval, slightly elongated up to 3 cm long, about 2.3 cm wide. The thin and strong skin, when ripe, acquires a red color with a brown-chocolate tint. Juicy pulp contains 3 grains, up to 18% sugar, about 6 g / dm33 acid.
Variety Chocolate is easily propagated by cuttings due to rapid rooting. The vine manages to ripen during the season. The grapes are easily propagated by grafting, due to their good compatibility with rootstocks. For one bush of the Maradona variety, the maximum load of the eyes should not exceed 45 pieces. During autumn pruning, branches of the vine with 8-12 eyes are left. From 1 hectare harvested from 140 to 150 centners of the crop.
With regard to the merits, the Maradona grapes are weakly affected by mildew, gray rot, and they are well resistant to oidium. The vine can withstand frosts down to -23aboutC. Grapes can be transported. Brushes can be stored for a long time in a torn state and on a bush.
Video grape variety Chocolate:
Features of breeding varieties and planting cuttings
The Maradona variety has spread over many regions due to its unique ability to adapt well to any climate. Even in the northern regions, the Chocolate grape variety manages to give fruit, despite the short summer.
Saplings of Maradona grapes are planted in a sunny position on the south side of the site. Shading is bad for the harvest. From a lack of sunlight, the berries may not turn red and remain white with a greenish tint. The variety loves nutritious soil with good drainage. In swampy areas, Chocolate grapes will not grow.
Planting of seedlings of the Chocolate variety is practiced in autumn and spring. In cold regions, planting in early May is preferable with the establishment of warmth. In a short summer, the seedling will have time to take root and survive the winter well. Autumn planting is practiced by gardeners of the southern regions.
In addition to propagation by seedlings, the Maradona grape variety is well cultivated by grafting. The stock is used by young and adult. For any method of propagation, cuttings are harvested in the fall.During pruning, the top of the vine is thrown away. She is usually immature. The rest of the lash is cut with shears into cuttings with 4–5 eyes. To preserve the juice, the sections are dipped in hot paraffin. Cuttings are wrapped in a damp cloth, sent until spring for storage in a cellar or refrigerator.
The easiest way to graft Chocolate grapes is to split. The process consists of the following steps:
- An adult bush is chosen for the stock. The vine is cut to form a hemp.
- The lower part of the cutting with a sharp knife is cut from opposite sides. You should get a wedge.
- The rootstock stump in the center is split with a knife. A shank is inserted into the cleft with a wedge, firmly pulled together with a fabric tape, and covered with clay on top.
Maradona grapes can be grafted to a young stock with an eye or in an onlay. In the second method, a stock and a scion of the same thickness are selected.
The video demonstrates the cleft inoculation:
To grow a seedling from a cutting, perform the following steps:
- In early February, cuttings are taken out of the basement. The lower part, covered with paraffin, is cut off with a pruning shears.
- With the sharp tip of a knife, scratch the bark of the cutting near a fresh cut about 2 cm long. It will be easier for roots to grow from the grooves.
- Cuttings are cut in water, wet soil or wrapped in moss, and on top with a film. In April, sprouted Maradona grape saplings can be hardened outside. If germination was carried out in water or moss, after the roots appear, the cuttings are planted in pots with soil.
Planting of seedlings of Maradona grapes begins from the first days or mid-May. Dates depend on weather conditions. Planting rules are the same as for other grape varieties:
- A pit for a seedling of the Maradona variety is prepared in the fall or no later than a week before planting. The hole is dug with a depth and diameter of about 80 cm.
- About 50% of the pit is filled with a mixture of fertile soil and compost. Potash and phosphorus fertilizers are added. If the soil is heavy, sand is added to loosen it. Before filling, the bottom of the pit is equipped with drainage from stone or broken brick.
- A seedling of Maradona grapes is carefully removed from the pot along with a lump of earth, lowered into a pit and covered with soil. After watering, the soil will settle. It needs to be filled up, and covered with sawdust or peat mulch on top.
In the market, seedlings of the Maradona cultivar are often sold with open roots. When planting such grapes, a mound is formed from the ground at the bottom of the pit. The root system of the seedling is straightened along the hill, after which backfilling begins.
Vineyard care
Conducting a review of a detailed description of the Chocolate grape variety, photos, reviews of gardeners, it is worth paying attention to the care of the culture. There are no special requirements, but weeding, watering and feeding must be done. In the fall, pruning with subsequent shelter is required. The last step is necessary for cold regions.
The frequency of watering the Maradona variety depends on the weather conditions. The soil is kept moist but not waterlogged. Be sure to water the Chocolate grapes four times per season:
- before flowering;
- while pouring berries;
- at the end of the harvest;
- in late autumn before the shelter.
To avoid the formation of a crust, after each watering with a hoe, loosen the soil. To preserve moisture and additional feeding, the ground under the bushes is covered with a thick layer of mulch.
Top dressing helps to develop bushes, increase productivity and taste of berries. Vineyard variety Chocolate loves organic matter: compost, rotted manure, humus. The bushes are poured with a solution of chicken manure, fertilized with complex fertilizers.
It is advisable to feed the Chocolate variety at least 3 times per season:
- immediately after flowering;
- when the bunches are ripe;
- in the fall before wintering.
The last feeding of Maradona grapes is done with potash fertilizer. The accumulated salts increase the vines' resistance to severe frosts.Manure is introduced in the form of slurry. Dry compost can be scattered instead of 10 cm thick mulch. Nitrate, potassium chloride and superphosphate are used as mineral fertilizers. Top dressing is applied at the same time as watering. Sometimes combined with spraying with prophylactic drugs against the fungus.
Variety Chocolate is characterized by strong growth of the bush. In the fall, the vine is pruned. Every gardener has their own favorite way of forming a bush. It's easier to create a fan. If there is a lot of space on the site, two shoulders are formed from the bush. In the courtyard, you can put whips on the arch, organizing a place to rest under the Maradona grapes.
In the south, there is no need to cover the vine. Grow Chocolate grapes in standard form. Bushes in the form of a low tree remain to winter on the supports.
In cold regions, Maradona grape bushes are covered after pruning. A straw shield is organized on the ground. The vine is tied with ropes and laid on a mat. Top chocolate grapes are covered with dense material or knit reed mats.
Disease prevention
The Maradona variety is rarely affected by phylloxera and oidium, but preventive spraying is required. The situation with fungi is more complicated. Grapes are afraid of mildew - downy mildew. Spraying the bushes with fungicides before and after flowering helps prevent the spread of the disease. Preparations containing copper cope well with the fungus. If there were no fungicides at hand, a 1% solution is prepared from copper sulfate and the plantings are treated.
Testimonials
Concluding the review of Maradona grapes, descriptions of the variety, photos, reviews, videos, it remains to find out what gardeners say about this culture.
