Grape variety Odessa (Black) souvenir

A popular grape variety Odessa souvenir (Black souvenir, Sputnik) belongs to the southern varieties, universal - the fruits are consumed fresh and processed. From the article you will learn about the intricacies of growing Sputnik grapes, as well as what plant care should be for good fruiting.

The history of the cultivation of grape varieties

One of the most successful products of the Ukrainian professional selection school. The plant was the result of the painstaking work of the Odessa Institute of Viticulture. V.E. Tairova. Moldovan black grapes and Hamburg muscat were the parent plants for the cultivation of the variety.

Did you know? The domestication of grapes occurred back in the Neolithic times (10 thousand years ago), therefore it is referred to as one of the oldest agricultural plants.

Variety description Odessa souvenir

The variety has typical morphological characteristics inherent in southern grape varieties. Heat-loving, the fruits are sweeter than the northern varieties. Distributed in the Crimea, in the south of Odessa and Kherson regions of Ukraine, as well as throughout the Black Sea region, where a mild and warm climate prevails.

Appearance

A powerful and vigorous bush with strong shoots. A young vine of bright light green color, mature - a rich red-brown hue. Young shoots will lumber quickly, in one growing season. The leaves of the plant are small, medium in size with a deep dissection, an elongated central lobe, and also a slight hairiness on the lower part. The bush blooms profusely, the flowers are small bisexual, collected in inflorescences. After flowering, regular conical but loose clusters develop on the bush. Large rounded berries, ovate-oblong in shape, grow on them. The color of the berries, as they ripen, changes from dark red to dark blue, almost black.

Characteristic

The variety is distinguished by high technological qualities. Its fruits are used for the preparation of grape products, as well as for fresh consumption. The crop is stored for several months. Berries are characterized by a rich, but uniform taste. They are sweet, with moderate acidity, crispy peel and juicy, fleshy flesh. Sugar content of fruits is 16%, while the level of organic acids in their composition does not exceed 8 g / l. Tasting assessment of the crop is 8.4 points. Grapes are resistant to infections. Without special treatment, the bush is able to withstand defeat mildew and oidium, as well as gray rot. However, the variety is not adapted to frost (up to –15 ...– 18 ° С), therefore it grows and develops safely only in the southern climate.

Did you know? Until the second half of the XIX century, grape bushes were able to grow and bear fruit for 100 years. However, in 1868, a malicious plant pest appeared in Europe - phylloxera, which drastically reduced the life of grapes.

Productivity and fruiting

The satellite belongs to the varieties of medium ripening period, the first fruits on the bush appear on 140-145 day of vegetation, however, the sum of positive temperatures for the period should be at least 2600 ° С. When grown in a temperate climate, fruit harvest may be delayed until the first frost. The average yield per plant per hectare is 12–13 tons. The mass of the average bunch is in the range of 250-300 g, berries - about 5 g.

Main advantages and disadvantages

  • The main advantages of Black souvenir relative to related varieties:
  • good yield;
  • resistance to many specific infections;
  • excellent keeping quality of bunches;
  • increased taste and aroma;
  • universality of fruits.

  • Cons of the variety:
  • berries ripen for a long time;
  • the variety is affected by a bunch of leaves;
  • low frost resistance;
  • the bushes require constant attention and a special microclimate.

Features landing a black souvenir

Proper planting is the main condition for abundant and long-term growth and fruiting. Grapes are grown only on the well-lit south side of the site, away from tall vegetation and other shading objects. It is better to plant cuttings on a small hill, then the plants develop better and bear fruit faster. Before landing, you need to prepare the site. You can plant cuttings in any well-fertilized soil, but it is better for the bushes to develop on substrates with low moisture capacity. Stagnant moisture not only inhibits the growth of grapes, but also leads to putrefactive damage to the roots.

For planting in the soil, dig a deep hole (80 × 80 × 80 cm). A drainage layer of gravel, pebbles or broken brick 5–10 cm thick is laid at the bottom of the hole. Then it is filled with a mixture of soil and manure, or humus (1: 1). After that, clean soil is laid on top of the hole, in a small hill. To plant a seedling begin in a week. During this time, the soil restores the structure, and fertilizers saturate it with nutrients. In the prepared area, small indentations are made (according to the size of the root system), a stalk is placed there, which is then loosely sprinkled with soil. At the same time, there must be a distance of at least 1 meter between each plant, otherwise they will enter into competition for nutrients and living space.

Important! Planting is carried out so that the root neck of the seedling is slightly higher than the ground level, otherwise the rooting efficiency of the cuttings is reduced.

After this, the beds are well watered with water (at least 10 liters / 1 plant) and, if necessary, each stalk is tied up. There are two methods for planting grapes: in the winter (early October) and spring (in March). Both are common in horticulture, however, the spring rooting of grapes is considered the most effective. At this time, a natural activation of plant metabolism, as well as the growth of its cells, occurs. As a result, it quickly adapts to new conditions and gives lateral shoots by the end of the season. In addition, due to low frost resistance, autumn planting can cause freezing and death of planting material.

Post-landing care

As mentioned above, the variety needs special living and maintenance conditions, so in order to achieve high yields, you will need to pay attention to the plantings daily. In addition to watering and top dressing, the plant needs to be trimmed, since an excessive number of shoots inhibits the overall yield and leads to a decrease in grapes and berries.

Pruning

Sputnik pruning is carried out regularly, young seedlings are shortened as the shoots grow in autumn or spring. The procedure is carried out in such a way that no more than 3-4 main shoots with several viable buds are left on the bush. Adult bushes are cut 2 times per season, before and at the end of active vegetation. During spring pruning, extra stepsons are removed from the bush, and the shoots are shortened so that branches with 6–7 active buds develop on one plant. In the fall, sanitary pruning is carried out - old, damaged, diseased and non-viable shoots are subject to removal.

Watering

Grapes are moisture-loving crops, but do not tolerate stagnation of moisture in the soil, otherwise it will lead to decay of the root system. Young seedlings are watered once a week, approximately in the middle of summer, the watering rate is reduced to 1 procedure in 2-3 weeks. Adult bushes are watered every 2-3 weeks. In the rainy season, watering is stopped to prevent stagnation of moisture. By mid-September, watering is stopped - from this time the plant can be prepared for wintering. For irrigation use only clean, settled water, depending on age, 5 to 15 liters of water are poured under one bush.

Learn more about how to water grapes correctly and how often in the summer.

Mulching

Mulching is not a mandatory procedure, but simplifies grape care. Using mulch, you can achieve a special microclimate of the soil, as well as protect the soil from drying out and freezing. Thanks to this, grapes not only grow more actively, but also give high-quality crops. In addition, mulching reduces the number of weeds in the vineyard.

The procedure is carried out at any time during the growing season, but it is better to protect the plantings from the fall or immediately after planting. Often as mulch are sawdust, fallen leaves, bark, hay. The layer thickness on the soil should be at least 10-15 cm. In recent years, agrofibre has been used. This is a synthetic material, characterized by gas permeability, as well as thermal insulation properties.

Soil loosening

Timely cultivation is important for fruiting grapes. Using the procedure, the soil is freed from weeds, becomes light and gas permeable. This saturates the soil and root system of the plant with oxygen, which is important for the development of the bush. In spring, the soil is loosened at least 2 times, after snow melts and before flowering. The soil is dug to a depth of 20 cm, after which it is crushed with a rake. In summer, the vineyard is loosened as necessary, after the appearance of weeds and heavy rains. In this case, the procedure eliminates the supersaturation of beds with moisture. The last time the soil is loosened after harvesting, before preparing the bush for wintering, removing insect pests from the soil.

Important! Loosening is carried out carefully, without damaging the root system. Otherwise, the grapes will give small berries, and its productivity will decrease.

Diseases and Pests

Odessa satellite is resistant to diseases. But with insufficient care, the bush immunity is suppressed, and favorable conditions arise for infections and parasites. Therefore, every grower must know their symptoms and ways of struggle.

The most common diseases of grapes:

TitleSymptomsHow to treat
Downy mildewAn oily coating on the foliage, characteristic powdery spots appear on the lower part of the leaves.Spraying with drugs: "Ridomil", "Thanos", "Strobi", "Chorus".
OidiumInhibition of bush growth, foliage becomes slightly curly, a white coating appears on its surfaceProcessing "Tiovitom", "Topaz", "Strobi".
Gray rotRounded putrefactive foci on foliage, shoots and fruits, growing into the complete death of individual parts of the bush.The disease is not treatable; infected bushes are removed and disposed of.
ChlorosisLeaves turn yellow or discolor.The bushes are fed with trace elements based on compounds of iron sulfate.

Common grape parasites:

TitleSymptoms of lesionMethods of struggle
MiteSmall tubercles on the back of the leaves, covered with a light cobwebbed coating.The bushes are treated with drugs: Actellik, Tevit, Fufanon, Neoron.
AphidYellowing of young roots, small nodes or tumors form on the roots, the plant lags in growth and withers.Preventive treatment of bushes with fungicides: “Confidor Maxi”, “Dilor”, “Etafos”.
Powdery wormThe grapes become stained, the young parts dry and fade, infectious lesions appear on the bush.Spray with infusions: green soap, tobacco pollen, garlic, alcohol extract of calendula.
LeafletSmall green caterpillars eating foliage and inflorescences.Processing the bush with drugs: Inta-Vir, Fosbetsid, Actellik.

Gardeners reviews

Alexander: “There are no complaints about the taste and quality of the fruit, but for compotes I have never met the best berry! But the variety does not tolerate overload. This leads to the development of small berries and bunches. "

Victor: “I have this variety on the site for a long time, it always ripens end-to-end. The clusters are beautiful, the berries are fragrant, tasty, with a nutmeg flavor. But, grapes are greatly affected by free space. “My yield is lower than that of a neighbor on a more spacious plot.”

Anna: “The fruits of Odessa souvenir have an attractive appearance, their shape is elongated, and the color is deep blue, the taste is harmonious. The only drawback for me is the huge amount of dense seeds in the berry, which cause difficulties in treating grapes. ”

Andrei: “The variety is good, it is resistant to diseases and pests, the fruits are fragrant, with a light muscat aftertaste. The bush does not tolerate overload at all and requires timely rationing, so I leave only 1 bunch on the shoot. Sputnik is demanding in leaving, so it’s not suitable for a beginner. ”

Odessa souvenir is a universal southern variety, characterized by high productivity, as well as increased production characteristics. Its fruits are suitable for fresh consumption and for food processing. The variety is demanding on the conditions of maintenance, so it will take a lot of effort to provide them. Grapes are thermophilic, therefore it will grow only in a mild climate with a warm and short winter.

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