The Victor grape variety can become a real find for those who like light varieties of early ripening, all the more so if there is no problem with properly organized care. We suggest that you learn about the main features of this grape and the nuances of its cultivation in the middle zone of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

Selection history

The name of the variety appeared in honor of the breeder who was engaged in its breeding, namely Viktor Nikolaevich Krainov. This grape is relatively young: in Russia they learned about it only in the 2000s, and over the past 10 years its popularity has increased significantly. It is assumed that Kishmish Nakhodka and Talisman were used as the parent plants, which can be confirmed by the presence of their characteristic features in the new plant.

Did you know? According to rough estimates, for the production of one bottle of wine you will need about 600 medium grapes, and given that each of them contains 3-4 calories, the finished product will contain 1800-2400 calories.

Grade description

Next, we consider the features of the appearance of grapes and fruits of the Victor variety, as well as its pros and cons.

Appearance

On Victor grape bushes, large fruit clusters of conical shape ripen. The weight of one such cluster is about 500–700 g, it consists of large yellow-pink berries, each weighing 15–18 g. Some berries grow to 4–5 cm in length, are characterized by an oval shape and a slightly pointed end.

The longer the bunch warms up in the sun, the darker it becomes, but all grapes ripen simultaneously and evenly. The pulp of ripe fruits is fleshy, with a pronounced harmonious taste. The peel is of medium density and practically does not feel when grapes are consumed. The sugar content of this variety is in the range of 17–18%.

Bushes of the Victor variety are tall and have a good maturation of the vine. The leaves are saturated green in color, with a clearly visible triple structure. The flowers are bisexual, well pollinated and form ovaries. Under good growing conditions, a re-harvest of grapes can form on the emerging side stepsons, but experienced gardeners recommend periodically removing excess shoots so as not to overload the plant.

Grape application

Grapes "Victor" refers to table varieties, which means that it is great for fresh consumption and can be used for whole-fruit preservation.

Juice from the fruits turns out to be less saturated than that of wine varieties, but this does not interfere with its use for these purposes, the main thing is to choose the right recipe for making a drink. Also, grapes can be dried for raisins, which in the future is perfect for baking or cooking any other dishes.

Advantages and disadvantages

Grapes "Victor" has its strengths and weaknesses, which are sure to be known to everyone who wants to plant it on their site.

• The list of advantages of the plant include:
• excellent external data of grapes, which is largely due to their large size;
• the possibility of self-pollination due to the presence of bisexual flowers on the plant (you can not plant other varieties next to this grape, it will still not lose its yield);
• early harvest - with good care, you can enjoy the first grapes already in late July or early August;
• rapid bush growth and rapid ripening of the vine (approximately 2/3 of the entire length);
• excellent ability to root, regardless of soil composition;
• high winter hardiness of the vine (the plant tolerates temperatures up to –22 ° C even without shelter).

Did you know? In many European countries, where grape wine and grape itself are often consumed by the population, the percentage of cancer patients is lower than in states where people are not accustomed to these fruits.

• As for the disadvantages of the variety, first of all it is worth referring to them:
• increased attention of wasps that attracts its sweetness (to get rid of annoying insects, they are set traps - next to the grapes are containers with sweet but poisoned water);
• early flowering, although this feature is undesirable only for those regions in which late spring frosts are often observed (if the flowers freeze, it will not be possible to get a good harvest).

Rules and secrets of landing

Before proceeding to the planting of “Victor” grapes, it is necessary to select the highest quality seedling and to properly prepare the site, selected in compliance with all the requirements of this variety. Next, we learn what to look for when preparing for landing and what is important to know when performing this procedure.

How to choose quality seedlings when buying

For planting on a permanent place of growth, both one- and two-year-old seedlings are equally well suited - the main thing is that on their parts there should be no signs of disease damage or signs of disturbances in the cultivation.

Symptoms of an inappropriate plant in this case will be:

• rot on the rhizome or vine;
• cobweb or gray coating on leaves and shoots;
• mechanical damage in different parts of the seedling;
• holes in the sheet plates.

In addition, it is desirable that the selected specimen has at least 5-6 strong and healthy leaves. As for the root system, in healthy grapes it is necessarily white in a section, which can be seen simply by tucking the skin with a fingernail. There should not be any growths on the shoots, and the top section of a good seedling should have a juicy green hue.

Important! In order not to make a mistake in choosing a quality planting material, you can focus on the purchase time: traditionally the best seedlings appear on the market no earlier than mid-May. Immediately after the acquisition, the selected seedling should be placed in a dark and fairly humid room, and a few hours before planting, dip the rhizome in a solution of a growth stimulant. This will help the plant to take root in a new place faster.

Where to plant on the site

An ideal place to plant an acquired Victor seedling is a sunny, moderately windy place, cleared of thickets of weeds and shrubs. For decorative purposes, you can plant grapes on the south side of the house, at the very walls or fence, which will not only enjoy delicious fruits, but also decorate the territory.

It is good if there is a slight elevation in the selected place, which will help prevent the accumulation of moisture in the root system of the grapes. In this case, areas with close occurrence of groundwater should be avoided.

The soil for Victor grapes should be quite loose, light, and moisture-resistant. However, the plant feels rather well on medium-density chernozem or even loamy soils, so it can be planted almost anywhere.

Also find out if grapes can cause allergies and how they manifest.

How to plant seedlings

Planting of young seedlings in an open area is carried out no earlier than mid or late April, when the soil is warm enough. The place chosen and dug in the fall three weeks before the intended grape planting should be leveled and a small trench dug there, having fertilized the soil with organic and mineral fertilizers as much as possible.

The depth and width of the hole can be equal to 80 cm, but in any case it should be larger than the diameter of the root system of the seedling. If there is a chance of flooding of the site or stagnation of moisture at the rhizome of the plant, then it is useful to lay a drainage layer of broken bricks or expanded clay on the bottom of the pit, and fill the soil with fertilizers (preferably nitrogen-containing) to the top 1/3 of the volume.

The third layer of soil for the planting pit should be clean, free of any nutrients. It is on it that the seedling will be placed (this will prevent the likelihood of a burn from fertilizer applied).

For 2-3 weeks, the soil is well fed with fertilizers and sags a little, after which you can proceed to the grape planting. The planting process is simple: you need to place the seedling in the hole so that the root neck is higher than the ground line, and fill it with the remaining substrate. Important! If you have already used organic mixtures to fertilize the soil, then do not water the grapes with mineral preparations. The next top dressing of grapes can be done the next year, immediately after removing the shelter in the spring. All the earth poured into the pit must be periodically compacted so that there is no free space between the roots. The distance between adjacent plants should be at least 80-100 cm, and between the rows it is better to leave about 1.5 m of free space. At the end of the procedure, it remains only to water the grapes and mulch it with a layer of straw.

Features of seasonal care

Seasonal grape care for Victor grapes provides for the implementation of standard agrotechnical measures: watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil and trimming excess shoots. Also, do not forget about the mandatory garter of the vine and the need for sheltering grapes (mainly in the northern regions of cultivation).

Watering

For abundant and high-quality fruiting, Victor grapes need a sufficient amount of moisture, which will be evenly distributed throughout the root system. Lack of moisture, as well as waterlogging, are equally detrimental to the plant, therefore, determining the need for regular watering, it is worth focusing on the condition of the soil.

Also, weather conditions should be taken into account: during prolonged rains or just prolonged cloudy weather, the introduction of liquid should be minimal or it is better to stop it altogether.

On one adult plant during the growing season, 1-2 buckets of well-maintained warm water can be consumed (it can be heated in the sun), and the irrigation regularity is on average 1 time per week. After a month, this pattern changes, and the plant begins to be watered 1 time in 2 weeks. 2 weeks before the fruit ripens, the introduction of fluid is even more limited so as not to disrupt the natural process.

Did you know? Water temperature for irrigation can affect the speed of awakening of the vine. So, if the first spring watering is carried out using warm liquid, the grapes will recover faster from winter sleep, while cold water will slow down this process. With the advent of autumn, the soil under the plant is watered to prevent its cracking during frost, but if it rains constantly at this time, then this is not required.

Fertilizer application

The first top dressing of grapes is carried out a few weeks after removing the winter shelter and is subsequently repeated several more times during the season.

To prepare the nutritional composition, you can use the following components:

• superphosphate - 30 g;
• wood ash - 50 g;
• water - 10 l;
• cow manure - 2 kg.

This amount of fertilizer is enough for 3-4 small plants, and for large adult bushes, a little more fertilizing should be prepared. With the advent of autumn, nutrient components are introduced into the soil after harvest, pouring liquid fertilizer into the soil at a distance of 20-30 cm from the trunk.

Of the ready-made complex formulations, special attention should be paid to the Biopon, Ukravit and Clean Sheet products, the rules of use of which are indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging.

When using organics and mineral components, it is desirable to alternate them. For example, to increase the green mass of grapes in the spring, you can add a mullein solution to watering, but for the further formation of large and healthy ovaries, it is better to use phosphorus-potassium fertilizing.

Prop and garter shoots

Garter of the vine to the support is performed in early spring, after the completion of sanitary pruning. To ensure uniform development of fruit arrows and eyelets of the sleeve, they are tied to the lower trellis wire in two places at once, in the horizontal direction.

The displacement of any part up will lead to increased development of the eyes. The vines are attached to trellises or a metal mesh support using soft fabric ropes that cannot damage the skin of grapes.

Important! The garter procedure must be completed before the fruit buds open, otherwise there is a high probability of damage to them.

Soil care

For good growth and development of grapes, a sufficient amount of moisture and the organization of good air exchange at the root system are necessary. For this reason, after watering, it is necessary to loosen the soil, thereby preventing the formation of a crust on it. This procedure is performed after complete absorption of moisture, only fluffing the top soil layer.

At the same time as loosening, it is possible to weed the substrate, and to preserve moisture in the soil, it is useful to mulch the root zone of the plant with straw, laying it with a 10-centimeter layer. Excessive thickening of the variety by other crops should not be allowed, because for good crop formation between shoots there must always be good air circulation.

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Pruning

Proper pruning of grapes is one of the prerequisites for its abundant fruiting. Variety "Victor" must be cut, with both 3-4 kidneys (short pruning) and 8-10 kidneys.

In total, it is desirable to leave at least 35 eyes on the bush. In the summer, you do not need to trim the plant, with the exception of cases of active growth of a large number of side shoots (extra stepchildren can be broken out manually).

Wintering

Grapes "Victor" is characterized by quite good winter hardiness, because even without shelter it tolerates large temperature drops. However, in the northern regions with severe winters, shelter cannot be avoided, since there is a high probability of freezing of the vine.

Usually, 2-3 weeks before the expected frosts, shoots are removed from the supports and laid on the ground, covered with spruce branches, coniferous branches or a special agrofibre, which will protect the shoots not only from the cold, but also from pests.

In general, the variety "Victor" refers to those grape varieties that do not require close attention from the gardener, therefore, observing the standard agrotechnical requirements, it will be possible to enjoy delicious and juicy yellow-pink fruits very soon.