Alpha grapes, description, photo, characteristic qualities, planting, care, pruning

Grapes are a berry that is found in different countries of the world and is famous for its aroma and taste.

Professional gardeners try to grow the best varieties in their gardens that meet high parameters.

The list of the best varieties also includes Alpha grapes. This article discusses its characteristics, care and planting technologies.

Content:

• Alpha grapes, description and photo
• Qualitative characteristics of the variety, taste, how it is used
• Where to buy Alpha grape seedlings, planting rules
• Growing Alpha grapes for wine: care rules
• How and when to prune Alpha grapes in the fall
• What diseases are you susceptible to?
• How to make wine, recipe

Alpha grapes, description and photo

Alpha grapes are most common in the north. Its homeland is the United States of America. By crossing two grape varieties - Riparia and Labrusca, an American scientist developed a new variety and called it Alpha.

An important advantage of the variety is that it serves as an excellent pollinator for other varieties of this family. The growth of the vine is observed constantly, the height can be nine meters, so the variety is a vigorous species. Throughout life, stepsons are formed, which greatly thicken the vine, so there is a need for pruning.

There are large leaves, with characteristic lobes and sharp teeth along the edges.The length of the foliage is twenty-five centimeters, and the width ranges from twenty to thirty-five centimeters. The inside of the leaf has a pleasant light green tint, and the outside has a richer green color and smooth structure.

Grapes bloom from early June until mid-July. On one shoot, several inflorescences are formed at once, which are bisexual.

Let's watch a video about Alpha grapes, what the bush and berries look like, characteristics of the variety:

Qualitative characteristics of the variety, taste, how it is used

The variety is used for various purposes, for example preparing delicious wine or for landscaping the area. Due to its high growth, some gardeners decide to plant this variety as an ornamental crop.

Among the main characteristics it is worth mentioning the following points:

• The maturity period is average.
• Average degree of resistance to various diseases characteristic of this culture.
• The clusters have a cylindrical or cylindrical shape. Their weight is a minimum of 90 and a maximum of 250 grams. If the vine is too thick, then it does not have enough strength to form a good bunch, in which case its maximum weight will be no more than seventy grams.
• Frost-resistant species. It was found that the root system does not deteriorate if the soil temperature does not drop below -12 degrees.
• Mature bushes are large.
• The leaves have three lobes and strongly pointed edges.
• Inflorescences are bisexual. One shoot has up to three flowers.
• The berries are the same size, round in shape, and color varies from purple to black. The weight of the berry is no more than 3 grams. The composition contains 16 percent sugar if the product is mature.
• Productivity is average. From one bush you can harvest up to 10 kg of grapes.
• The harvest takes place in the last days of September and the first days of October.

If we talk about taste, the product is acidic, so not everyone likes to eat fresh berries. Most often it is used to make wine or processed into juice. After any processing, the product retains its beneficial properties.

Alpha grapes increase hemoglobin, normalize blood pressure and cleanse the blood vessels of the heart. Thanks to high levels of glucose and fructose, the performance of the human brain is restored. However, caution should be exercised by people suffering from diabetes and high acidity.

Where to buy Alpha grape seedlings, planting rules

Before planting, you should purchase a high-quality and healthy cutting in advance. Purchases are made in specialized stores or on official gardening websites on the Internet. It is imperative to collect all the information on the selected variety; the seller or consultant must provide it.

Planting is carried out by rooting cuttings. If the seedlings are good, then there will be no problems with growth.

The growing process includes the following stages:

• To begin with, several good seedlings are planted. The cuttings become stronger in the ground and begin to develop.
• Ideally, more than 2 shoots should form. You need to choose the strongest and neatest of them, and break the rest. Do not use pruners under any circumstances, as pruning can damage the plant, sometimes leading to its death. If you break it with your hand, the place where it broke is not injured.
• It is believed that the Alpha variety is well accepted in any type of soil. However, it is recommended to use soil that contains sand. Soil moisture should be average.It is not recommended to plant grapes if it rained heavily the day before.
• A few days before planting, the cuttings are soaked in water.
• The depth of the hole is 80 cm.
• A drainage layer and soil mixed with mineral fertilizers are poured into the hole.
• A support must be installed for the vine, approximately in the central part of the hole.
• The cutting is inserted up to the neck and completely covered with earth.
• The plant is flooded with water.
• If several cuttings are planted at the same time, then the distance between them should be one and a half meters. If grapes are planted in rows, then the distance between them should also be taken into account so that when the bushes grow abundantly, they do not interfere with each other. The minimum row spacing is 2 meters.
• While the sprouts are young, they need to be covered for the winter.

Then everything depends on proper care of the plant.

Growing Alpha grapes for wine: care rules

Great experience in grape care not required in this case.

It is enough to follow simple rules:

• Carry out watering. In the spring, the first watering is carried out, when the bushes are opened after winter shelter. Abundant pouring is carried out in the last days of May and continues until June. Simultaneously with watering, it is recommended to apply fertilizer; mix it with water. One bush uses four buckets, which is approximately 40 liters of water. If you water from a hose, then you need to install the hose directly under the bush, do not use a sprayer.
• Input of fertilizers. Feeding is carried out periodically throughout the season, except winter. Iron sulfate and chlorosis are used as fertilizer. These substances have a positive effect on the growth and development of the bush. You can also use organic nutritional supplements:
• chicken or pigeon droppings;
• herbal decoctions and infusions;
• wood ash (in this case, the product is mixed with water, proportion 1 to 2).

If you cannot prepare the fertilizer yourself, you can buy ready-made fertilizer at gardening stores. It is important to use such products strictly according to the instructions.

A support is being made. Since the vine grows upward very quickly, it is important to tie up the shoots to create support, especially for the lower branches, which bend towards the ground under the weight of the bunches. You can make an arch, the grapes will quickly unravel over it and create a beautiful decoration.

How and when to prune Alpha grapes in the fall

Pruning for grapes is very important; if the foliage is allowed to become dense, this will negatively affect the yield.

Before performing the procedure, it is important to know some nuances. In the autumn, when the bush is being formed, it is worth considering that the lower shoots are more fertile than the upper ones.

Immature shoots should be removed; they can be recognized by the color of the bark; it will be slightly greenish. Also, young shoots are cold to the touch, while mature shoots are warm. Therefore, before cutting, it is worth feeling the shoot with your hand; if it is cold, remove it.

Mature branches are cut to 10 eyes. The cut areas are treated with brilliant green.

At the end of autumn pruning, the branches should be pressed to the ground and covered with spruce branches, straw or other breathable material. If this is not available, use slate or roofing felt, but in this case it is important to leave small gaps so that the shoots are ventilated. Such shelter is performed only for young shrubs, and if the plant is more than 3 years old, winter shelter is not required.

Pruning is also carried out in the summer; it allows you to thin out the crown and regulate the growth of the bush.In addition, foliage is periodically removed so that it does not create a shadow for the berries.

What diseases are you susceptible to?

Grapes are susceptible to diseases, especially if the bush is not properly cared for.

The most common diseases of this crop/

How to make wine, recipe

For this grape variety, use the following recipe.

For preparation take:

• one and a half kilograms of sugar;
• five kilograms of grapes.

Cooking principle:

• The berries are picked and sorted, immediately removing bad or damaged ones. In this case, the bunches should not be washed, because it is on the skin that there is the yeast necessary for the fermentation of wine.
• The prepared berries are poured into a large container, for example a saucepan, and the berries are thoroughly mashed. There should be pulp.
• Some people add a few slices of apple for flavor if the grapes don’t have much flavor.
• The pan must be placed near heat and covered with cloth or gauze. After three days, the wine will begin to actively ferment and a foamy head will form.
• The pulp should be stirred every day; fermentation lasts from 5 days to a week.If fermentation is weak, you can add a little dry yeast.
• Now the cap is removed; the residual juice should be squeezed out through gauze. The purified juice is placed in glass bottles, sugar is added, and mixed thoroughly. It is important not to fill the bottle to the top so that there is room for fermentation.
• A medical glove is placed over the neck and pierced with a needle. Using tape, the glove is tightly secured to the neck. It is recommended to place the bottles in a room where the temperature is not less than 18, but not more than 22 degrees.
• Throughout the entire period, sugar is added several times; the more sugar, the higher the degree of wine.
• Fermentation lasts approximately 30 days. The result should be wine with sediment, and the medical glove will fall off. Now you need to carefully drain the sediment using a hose or siphon.

The wine is poured into bottles or bottles and left in the cellar. After 2 weeks, you need to check whether sediment has formed; if so, then you should pour the wine into a new container. Repeat the same procedure after thirty days.

Let's watch a video about making wine from Alpha grapes:

Wine can be stored for many years at a temperature of plus 15 degrees.

So, Alpha grapes are a very common variety that is actively used to make delicious wine or juice. It is important to water, feed and prune the bush in a timely manner, because this will contribute to a good harvest and protect the bush from diseases.