Many winegrowers prefer to grow hybrid grape varieties that have improved characteristics. The top ten of them includes Sicily, as a large-berry and high-commodity. If you also want to join the “fans” of this grape, read the recommendations for its cultivation.

The origin of the hybrid form

Sicily grapes were brought by amateur breeder Alexander Vasilievich Burdak from the village of Radevichevo, Dnipropetrovsk Region (Ukraine). The rig operator, who worked at the Ingulets mining and processing plant for about 25 years, devoted almost the same time to viticulture, not only growing well-known grape varieties, but also crossing them, as a result of which he became the author of more than 50 hybrids, among which a worthy place was allotted Sicily. Did you know? According to legend, one of the first who decided to engage in the cultivation of grapes was the biblical Noah, who noticed that after eating these wild berries his goat began to have fun and butting with other animals. This variety was obtained through the crossing of Demeter and New Gift Zaporozhye. The author was prompted to create it by the desire to get large grapes with a dense crisp flesh, good presentation, sweet taste, which would be resistant to wilting and rot. During the selection process, “offspring” were carefully selected, which received the best characteristics from the parent pair.

Description of grape variety Sicily

Since Sicily is a hybrid form, during the growing process, you may find that some characteristics will slightly differ from those declared by the originator.

Video: Sicily grapes

Appearance

Sicily is characterized by strong growth and large clusters, harmonious taste of berries, attractive appearance. Flowers combine both sexes, so pollination passes without problems. The clusters have the shape of a cylinder; they are not planted very tightly, but there are a lot of them. See also if grapes are useful for losing weight. The berries are quite large, can reach a length of 5 cm. Their shape is oblong, resembles a barrel. The peel is not stiff, can be chewed well, painted in milky white. The flesh crunches, not loose, the taste is sweet with acidity, harmonious, a musky taste can be felt. Some berries may not have sunflower seeds inside. This variety belongs to the dining rooms.

Ripening time

Sicily belongs to the mid-early varieties, it ripens on the 120th day from planting, the fruits become sweet pretty quickly. At the same time, the plant withstands frosts well to -23 ° C.

Disease resistance

This variety has an average level of resistance to major diseases, except rot; therefore, prophylactic treatment with copper-containing and sulfur-containing preparations is recommended.

Productivity

The yield of the variety is high, one bunch can weigh up to 1.5 kg with a weight of berries up to 15 g, individual specimens can gain up to 20 g. The grapes are resistant to cracking, so they can sag on the bush matured for a couple of weeks. An important feature is good tolerance by the berries of transportation.

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with other table grape varieties:

Rules for planting grapes Sicily

To get a good harvest, you need to plant grapes correctly:

1. Prepare seedlings, soil and a place for planting.
2. Follow the disembarkation plan.
3. Protect seedlings.

Saplings come in 2 types:

1. Lignified.
2. Vegetative.

The first species grows for more than a year, is harvested in the fall and stored in the basement until spring. It has a root and a branch on which about 5 buds without leaves grow.

Important! Before planting, each root is cut with a sharp knife 1 cm - in a healthy seedling, the cut will be white. To restore moisture, 2 days before planting, the seedlings are kept in water with the addition of a root growth stimulator or 1–2 tbsp. l honey. They need to be planted in the second half of April, when the temperature is set above + 10 ° C.

The second type of seedlings grows less than a year and is harvested in the spring. It can be identified by green leaves. Such seedlings are planted in the second half of May, as they are less frost-resistant.

When choosing a place to land, be guided by the absence of such indicators:

• high level of groundwater occurrence;
• clay soil;
• high salt content in the earth.

It is better to dig a hole in the fall, based on a size of 80 × 80 × 80 cm.

Pour into it:

• black earth with a layer of 10 cm (or a mixture of leafy earth, peat, compost);
• 4 buckets of manure;
• 0.5 kg nitrofoski;
• 0.5 kg of wood ash;
• chernozem with a layer of 10 cm, mixing the layers with a shovel;
• chernozem to the remaining void, taking into account a recess of 20 cm.

Place the pits in rows, between which leave 2.5 m. Keep the distance from one pit to another in the middle of the row 1.5 m.

In spring, you need to dig 40 cm of soil and lower the seedling there so that all the buds are in the same plane - this will make it easier to tie up adult grapes. Sprinkle the seedling with earth, pour 4 liters of water. If you didn’t manage to prepare a hole in the fall, then dig 35 cm of soil during planting, the rest will then settle. Next, pour a layer of dry earth (8 cm) into the pit, and on top of it - dry sand slide.

Important! To plant all the seedlings to the same depth, take a stick, measure 40 cm from its edge and use for measurement, lowering it into a hole.

Planted seedlings must be covered:

1. For lignified ones - to make a construction out of pieces of wire or sticks installed along the edges of the pit, which should be covered with a film and weighted with stones.
2. For vegetative ones, cut a hole in the bottom of a cardboard box and cover by turning it over. To protect from the wind, you need to crush the edges of the box with bricks.

Shelter time in both cases is 2 weeks.

Sicily can be planted in the fall, in October.

In this case, you must:

1. Slightly shorten the roots of the seedling.
2. Soak it in water.
3. Prepare the pit.
4. Plant a seedling.
5. Put and strengthen next to a small stick.
6. Snap grapes to a stick.
7. Sprinkle the seedling with earth 30 cm.
8. Pour 3 buckets of water.
9. Trim the neck of the plastic bottle and cover the seedling (the bottle should rest on the garter).
   

Care Rules

Sicily grape care includes:

• watering;
• pruning
• top dressing;
• rationing brushes.

How to water grapes

Planted grapes need to be watered 2 times a week, pouring 2 buckets of water for each vine. If the earth dries strongly between waterings, then water 3 times. When the seedlings begin to develop, watering can be reduced to 1-2 times a week.

Important! Do not water Sicily grapes from the end of August to accelerate its ripening.

When to trim

Since Sicily is a tall-growing variety, it needs pruning so that all the forces of the plant are directed to the crop, and not to the shoots.

Trimming is carried out as follows:

1. In the first year of life, it is necessary to trim the roots that crawled to the surface, as well as young shoots that did not have time to numb.
2. In the spring of next year, it is necessary to remove those shoots that could not overwinter - they were frozen or damaged. At the same time, stepsons are cut, and the vine is tied to a support. This operation is carried out before the appearance of flowers.
3. The next time, pruning occurs when the side shoots grow to 15 cm. You need to leave 3-4 branches, the rest cut.
4. Each fall, in adult grapes, it is necessary to prune the branches that bear fruit, leaving 8-12 eyes, since in this variety the upper buds are better fruiting. In general, up to 30 buds must be left per 1 bush.
   

How to feed

Sicily grapes are fed three times:

1. In early June - use urea, superphosphate, potassium salt, dissolved in water and watered.
2. In August - use potassium, magnesium and phosphorus.
3. In November - use potash fertilizers.

Did you know? The largest bunch of grapes grew in Chile in 1984: its weight was 9.4 kg. This result was noted in the Guinness Book of Records.

Rationing brushes on grapes

The brushes of Sicily are standardized so that the crop has time to ripen before the onset of cold weather, and the plant itself has time to prepare for winter. The order of rationing depends on the purpose of growing grapes. Those involved in the sale usually do not ration or carry out easy rationing, because they want to get a large number of berries. Those that grow for themselves and at exhibitions normalize harder and get large grapes.

Such grapes are in great demand in cooking. If you plan to make wine or juice, the size of the berries does not matter much, so you can not standardize. A large berry is more suitable for food, so it’s better to pinch it.

Video: rationing a grape bush

How to ration:

1. If the plant is 2 years old, the clusters that have begun are removed, otherwise good growth will not be achieved.
2. An older plant focuses on the degree of thickening. In the weakly thawed, infertile shoots are shortened to 5 leaves, in the heavily thawed, they are completely cut off. On the fruiting shoots leave 1 brush, which is shortened by 1/3.
3. In an adult 5-year-old plant, in the presence of a large number of well-developed shoots, weak ones are removed or 1 brush is left on them, be sure to pinch it. On powerful shoots growing in a warm climate, you can leave 3 brushes, pinch each of them in a cool one.

Important! If you normalize the crop more than half, stepson growth can be activated, as a result, the plant thickens, and the crop ripens later. Rationing is carried out at the time of the appearance of small pea grapes.

When choosing clusters left for ripening, they are guided by such indicators:

1. Leave larger clusters with lots of berries.
2. On the vine leave that brush, which is closer to it.
3. Remove brushes that grow too close to the ground.
4. Bunches are removed that block the rest from the sun and grow too close to others.

Diseases and Pests

Sicily has good resistance to rot and medium resistance to fungal diseases, so preventive treatment with fungicides, preparations with sulfur, iron, and copper will be useful.

Mildew (downy mildew) is manifested by oily spots on yellow or brown leaves, dead spots, dark sunken spots on berries, drying and falling of leaves, berries, flowers, rotting of the crop.

From this disease, the bushes are treated three times ("Topaz", "Skor" or "Chorus"):

1. In the phase of 3-4 leaflets (May 1-10).
2. In the budding phase (May 20–30).
3. In the stage of pouring bunches (June 20-30).

Such treatment is especially necessary in rainy summers. In the period of prolonged rains, one more treatment can be carried out on July 1–15.

Plants affected by oidium (powdery mildew) look as if they were sprinkled with dew or flour. At the same time, flowers and grapes dry and fall.

From it, the bushes are treated with sulfur-containing preparations:

1. In the phase of shoot growth (May 10–20).
2. In the budding phase (May 20–30).
3. In the stage of pouring bunches (June 20-30).

A favorable environment for oidium is high air temperature, so in hot summers, treatment can be repeated on July 1-15.

Bacterial grape cancer is not treatable - a large fleshy tumor of white or brown color. In this case, the plant must be urgently destroyed so that neighboring bushes do not become infected.

This variety can be affected by such pests:

1. False shield - insects 2 mm in size, affecting the plant during the budding period.
   

2. Felt mite - an insect 0.15 mm in size, which is placed on the back of the sheet.
   

3. Leafloader - these moth-like butterflies, 2.5 cm in size, lay eggs from which caterpillars emerge, fold the leaves into tubes with a web and eat them.
   

4. A spider mite is a very small insect that weaves a cobweb on the back of a leaf.
   

5. Leaf phyloxera - an insect from the category of aphids no larger than 2 mm in size, sucking juice from leaves.
   

6. Mealybug (shaggy louse) - an insect that sucks juice from a plant, resulting in slower growth of grapes. It can be identified by secretions similar to cotton wool.
   

7. Wasps - if there are too many of these insects, they can reduce the yield by eating it.
   

   To protect themselves from pests and diseases, for the purpose of prevention, the bushes are treated with iron sulfate in a concentration of 1-1.5%:

   1. After the winter (April 1-10).
   2. After the harvest (in November).
   Important! Chemical spraying should not be carried out during the flowering period. With repeated spraying, change the drug, otherwise the plant may become addictive. So, the Sicilian grape variety has already managed to prove itself on the positive side, although it appeared recently. It has a pleasant nutmeg taste, large oblong berries that do not crack, good productivity and frost resistance, so you can safely proceed to its cultivation.