Content
The Laura grape, which combines the best characteristics of Western and Eastern grape varieties, is distinguished by its unpretentiousness, excellent taste and excellent presentation. This table variety has long been popular with winegrowers - for three years it was one of the five most fruitful and delicious.
The Laura grape is listed in the register of varieties under the name Flora, but among gardeners it is known as Laura.
Characteristics of the variety
The Laura grape was cultivated by crossing different grape varieties and retained their best qualities. A detailed description of the variety characterizes it:
- early ripening - no more than 120 days;
- high sugar content and low acidity - their balance gives a unique taste with a light nutmeg aroma;
- the formation of beautiful conical clusters of the same size and weight;
- large light berries with a waxy bloom.
Grape bushes
Strong, medium-sized Laura vines grow very quickly and yield crops as early as the second or third year after planting. The bushes have a female flowering type and require manual pollination. The leaves are palmate-lobed, bordered with small teeth, the photo shows a grape bush of the Laura variety.
Too many fruitful shoots are formed on the bushes, which can give too much stress on it, so no more than 50 should be left. With an optimal load on the bush, it gives large brushes up to 40 cm long and weighing up to 1 kg and keeps them until frost. During the ripening period of the grapes, you need to pick off those leaves that shade the bunches.
If there are too few bunches of grapes on a bush, their size increases and the ripening period is reduced. The consequence can be the re-emergence of shoots before wintering and the depletion of the vineyard, which will lead to its death.
Berries
Crispy juicy berries with a thin skin have an oval shape and weigh 8-10 g. Due to their firm attachment to the stem, they do not crumble when picking grapes. The color of the berries is light lettuce, amber on the sunny side.
The sugar content reaches 20%. Due to its high sugar accumulation, the Laura grape variety is used to make sweet dessert wine. The fruits have a good keeping quality after being removed from the bush and perfectly tolerate transportation. The density of berries on clusters is average.
A description of the variety can be seen in the video:
Resistance
The Laura grape variety is unpretentious to growing conditions and has good winter hardiness, withstanding sub-zero temperatures up to 23-26 degrees. Subject to the rules of care, it ripens well in all regions and is characterized by high resistance to many common pathologies, such as gray and white rot.
disadvantages
The Laura variety also has certain disadvantages:
- deterioration of weather conditions leads to a decrease in its taste;
- too thin skin attracts wasps, grape yields do not differ in annual stability;
- with improper formation of bushes, the size of the berries decreases, and the sugar content in them decreases;
- the Laura variety has no immunity to some fungal diseases;
- overloading the bush with bunches lengthens the ripening period and depletes the vine.
Reproduction
Any breeding options are comfortable for Laura grapes: cuttings or seedlings.
Growing a seedling
You can grow a seedling of the Laura variety in different ways.
- Bend the vine shoot next to the bush and lay it in the soil to a depth of 20 cm. When young grape roots appear, cut the bush and replant it.
- Prepare a plastic bag with peat. Tie it to a vine shoot by placing the base of the shoot there. After the formation of the root system, cut off the shoot and transplant.
- When pruning Laura grapes, choose healthier shoots. Prepare a container with peat or fertile soil and plant shoots in it for the winter. During this time, it will have roots, and in the spring the grape seedling can be transplanted to the site.
Cuttings
Signs of aging of the grape bush are manifested in a decrease in yield, a decrease in the number of eyes on the shoot. The berries become small. But although the grape vine is aging, its powerful root system is able to provide the bush with food for a long time. Therefore, the vine is updated using cuttings:
- when pruning, select several shoots and place them in a cool place;
- then the grape cuttings are brought into a warm room and kept for several hours at room temperature;
- further, the cuttings are immersed in warm water, where they are kept for about an hour;
- the end of the cutting is cut at an angle at a distance of 1 cm from the lower eye;
- before the grafting procedure itself, the grape stalk is dipped into the humate nutrient solution and carefully inserted into the previously split and spread stem with a pointed end - one stalk on each side;
- the split point of the stem must be wrapped with a cotton rag;
- the joints should be lubricated with garden varnish;
- during the autumn grafting, the stem is sprinkled with earth, and the cutting - with sawdust and soil.
Planting Laura grapes
Correct planting of vines ensures sustainable development and high productivity of the plant.
The video shows the rules for planting grapes:
Site selection
To grow Laura grapes, you need to choose the right place and soil:
- the site should be located on a hill so that groundwater does not come close to it;
- if grape bushes are planted on a slope, it should be on the south side;
- any soils are suitable for planting grape bushes, except for heavy ones;
- the bushes should receive enough sunlight and heat;
- as a natural protection of grapes from wind and cold, you can use the walls of outbuildings or the dense crown of trees growing near.
Planting seedlings
For planting grape seedlings, holes should be prepared in advance at a distance of one and a half meters from each other. You need to step back from the wall half a meter. A gap of 2 m is left between the rows of bushes. The depth of the pits should be 2 times the height of the roots. Fertilizers are laid out in the holes and watered for 15 days so that the soil is saturated with minerals.
Seedlings of Laura grapes are placed in water the day before planting. After a day, their roots are slightly pruned, leaving the strongest ones. Next, they start planting: the seedling is lowered into the hole at an angle, the roots are carefully straightened and sprinkled with earth. They compact the soil around the shoot well and water it.
Care
The rules for caring for Laura grapes are quite simple. It is necessary to organize regular watering and timely pruning vineyard. No pruning is done in the first year.
Organization of watering
For regular watering, holes are dug around the bushes for drainage at a distance of up to 50 cm. Watering should be regular, but it should be stopped in damp and cool weather. If the heat is established, the frequency of watering the bushes is increased.
In spring and autumn, to retain moisture, the soil under the seedlings must be mulched, and in the summer it must be removed.You can not use humus as mulch, since bears or pathogenic microorganisms live in it. Regular feeding of grape bushes with nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus compounds is also necessary.
Diseases and pests
Despite the resistance of Laura grapes to many fungal diseases, oidium gives winegrowers a lot of trouble. Against this disease, large plantations are treated with chemicals, and home plantings are sprayed with solutions of potassium permanganate and sulfur.
Black rot hides in the soil. The bushes of the Laura variety are protected from it by treating with fungicides before wintering.
Pruning and sheltering for the winter
Laura grape hides for the winterif winter temperatures in the region drop below 15 degrees. Winter preparation involves medium pruning, which removes any damaged or diseased branches. The stem is coated with a thick lime mortar. The vine is bent to the ground and fixed in it with metal hooks. Sprinkle on top with soil 25-30 cm thick. Mature bushes can additionally be covered with straw or sawdust.
Testimonials
The high resistance of the Laura variety is evidenced by rave reviews.
Conclusion
Laura grapes have occupied a leading position among many other varieties for many years. With proper care, it will delight for a long time with its beautiful appearance and unique taste.
