How to treat grapes against diseases, pests, and insects: a list of preparations and traditional methods

Grapes, like other crops, are susceptible diseases and pestsThe gardener's task is to maintain its health and obtain a rich harvest. Preventative spraying with chemical and biological preparations plays a leading role in the difficult struggle for a healthy garden.

Why do you need to spray grapes?

Pathogenic spores float in the air, lodge in the soil, and "sleep" on weeds throughout the season. They constantly await favorable conditions for reactivation. Preventative measures alone cannot prevent disease. Therefore, special products have been developed that suppress the aggressive pathogenic environment and halt the progression of disease.

Timing of grape treatment against diseases and pests

It's better to start treating your vineyard early than to wait too long and let the vines become neglected. Spraying should be done in several stages, depending on the season:

1. In the spring. Grapevines are first treated for diseases and pests in the spring as a preventative measure, as soon as the snow melts and the vines become accessible. It's important not to miss the moment—all chemical treatments are carried out before the first leaves emerge. If no diseases or pests are detected during plant inspection, the wood is sprayed with ferrous sulfate as a preventative measure. Spring treatments are purely preventative in nature, that is, they protect but do not treat plants.
2. In summer. Spray grapes before flowering or during fruit formation. At the first sign of disease, apply systemic fungicides such as Strobi or Topaz. Ripening buds can be treated with Bordeaux mixture, copper oxychloride, and colloidal sulfur.
3. In the fall. Grapevines are treated for diseases and overwintering pests after harvest, and before the onset of persistent cold weather, the vineyard is sprayed with iron sulfate. This substance coats the entire wood with a thin layer, thus protecting the shoots from temperature fluctuations.

The most dangerous grape diseases

Grapevines are often susceptible to diseases such as powdery mildew, rot, bacterial canker, and others. All of these diseases pose a significant threat not only to the vineyard but also to neighboring plants. Infections can be suppressed in the early stages, and only if they are detected promptly and diagnosed correctly.

Mildew

Downy mildew is a fungal disease that causes yellowing and drying of leaves, stems, and berries.

Symptoms: The underside of the leaf becomes covered with yellow, oily spots. A whitish coating—the fungus's spores—appears on the surface. The disease manifests itself during warm, humid summers. Without treatment, the plant dies completely within a month.

How to treat grapes: To combat mildew, use a combination of treatments (Delan, Antracol, Azofos, Ridomil Gold, and copper-containing products). For prevention, use Hom, Bordeaux mixture (1% solution), and Zineb.

Powdery mildew

This disease is very easy to recognize by its symptoms. The leaf blade becomes completely covered with a white, powdery coating. Stems and leaves stop growing and become pale. As the disease progresses, dark spots appear on the foliage, seemingly scorching the leaves. They curl, and the tips die. The affected leaves eventually fall off. The disease can also affect fruit, preventing the berries from reaching maturity. The disease can also manifest itself during flowering. At this time, brown spots may appear on the wood, indicating that the infection is spreading rapidly throughout the bush and immediate action is necessary, otherwise 99% of the flowers will die.

Grapes should be treated against powdery mildew with sulfur-containing preparations (colloidal sulfur, Topaz, Topsin).

Rot

This fungal disease is unmistakable. Affected areas of the plant begin to rot, with wet, gray, putrefactive lesions appearing on the leaves and fruit. The infection progresses rapidly in a humid, warm environment, and slows down in the summer heat. The rotted areas gradually dry out, and the leaf blade falls off.

What to spray grapes with: Products such as Fundazol, Topsin M, Topaz, Captan, and others are used to treat rot. It is advisable to treat grapes against gray mold with potassium iodide. As a preventative measure, use Mical and Antracol.

Anthracnose

During rainy summers, anthracnose is highly likely. The disease manifests as small black spots on the fruit and leaves. The berries crack, and wasps begin to eat them. The bark crumbles and dries out, exposing green tissue. Grapevines require systematic treatments to combat anthracnose throughout the season. Copper-containing products alone are insufficient; a comprehensive approach is needed, including spraying with contact and systemic products, cleaning the area, and ensuring adequate ventilation.

Bacterial cancer

The infection is caused by bacteria. The canker attacks the surface layer of the vine, causing necrosis of the affected areas. The disease typically appears in the lower part of the trunk. The lesions can be very small or quite large. Bacterial canker halts all biological processes in the plant. Sap flow is disrupted, and shoots become thin and brittle. If the lesions are small, they are cut out and the cut areas are treated with copper sulfate. Treating the grapes with hydrogen peroxide is not harmful. Treatment with immune-promoting medications is also necessary.

Traditional methods of processing grapes

Many gardeners are reluctant to use pesticides on their grapes, preferring to combat diseases and pests with traditional methods. Spraying grapes with baking soda, potassium permanganate, and iodine can help combat many fungal diseases.

Soda solution

Treating grapes with baking soda is an excellent preventative measure against gray mold, mildew, and powdery mildew. Baking soda also helps kill caterpillars and clean the leaves.

Pros:

• soda solution promotes plant rejuvenation;
• Treatment with soda leads to the destruction of weeds;
• Berries treated with soda solution become sweeter.

How to prepare and use a soda solution:

1. For gray mold, mix 70 grams of baking soda per bucket of water with some sunflower oil and grated soap. Apply the resulting solution to the affected plant parts.
2. For powdery mildew, mix a liter of water and a teaspoon of baking soda with liquid soap. Spray regularly throughout the summer, every two weeks. Finish spraying the grapes in August, when the fruit begins to ripen. Do not spray during flowering.

Spraying with potassium permanganate

Potassium permanganate is usually used as a protective agent. A solution of potassium permanganate is used to disinfect seeds and roots of seedlings. It is applied to plants during berry ripening, when other fungicides cannot be used.

Advantages of potassium permanganate:

• economical product: to prepare a solution you only need 1 gram of the substance;
• If you mix potassium permanganate with boric acid, you will get a good foliar fertilizer;
• Potassium permanganate is much cheaper than other preparations, but in many cases it works just as well.

Cons:

• Excessive concentration of potassium permanganate can lead to suppression and degeneration of plants;
• potassium permanganate is used only in slightly alkaline soils.

How to prepare and use a potassium permanganate solution:

For powdery mildew, dissolve 5 grams of manganese in 10 liters of water. The water should turn light pink. This concentrate is suitable for preventative treatment. If the disease progresses, increase the manganese content to 9 grams.

Iodine in grape processing

Iodine helps prevent mildew. However, it is only effective as a protective measure. Beyond its protective properties, iodine enriches the plant, improves the taste and nutritional value of berries, and helps the root system better absorb nutrients. Therefore, beneficial sprays are mainly applied during the ripening period. The benefits of this element are invaluable, although it can also be harmful to humans if overused. Iodine can be diluted with water and whey.

Uses of iodine:

1. For powdery mildew, add 2 drops of iodine per liter of water. Spray the berries most susceptible to the disease with this solution. You can spray the berries three times per season.
2. For mildew, mix 20 drops of iodine, 10 liters of water, and 10 Trichopolum tablets in a container. Apply the treatment regularly at 12-day intervals, starting in spring and ending with the fruiting period.

Preparations for processing grapes

To treat vineyards at different stages of their vegetation and disease development, fungicides are used, which come in two types:

1. Inorganic.
2. Biological.

In turn, inorganic fungicides are divided into:

• contact;
• systemic;
• complex.

Contact

Products in this group are used primarily as a preventative measure. They do not treat plants once the disease has already struck them. They can only protect grapevines from the penetration of pathogens into the leaf blades. When sprayed, the active ingredient reliably coats all plant organs with a thin but durable film, preventing fungi and bacteria from penetrating. The advantage of these products is that they are completely harmless to plants and humans. Contact products do not cause tolerance in fungi, and therefore they can be used repeatedly.

Along with their advantages, such products have a significant drawback: the active ingredient's effectiveness is short, about 10 days. After that, the treatment must be repeated.

Contact treatments begin in early spring, before pathogenic bacteria appear in the garden. The first spraying is done before the leaves emerge. Copper-containing products should not be used during flowering.

Systemic fungicides

Such preparations are used to treat already diseased bushes. Their principle is that the active ingredient penetrates the plant and attacks pathogens directly on the "battlefield." The advantage of these preparations is that they reach the target within minutes of spraying and begin to attack the pathogen from the inside, blocking its vital functions. The fungus can no longer reproduce. It is destroyed at the cellular level and quickly dies.

Systemic fungicides are commonly used at all stages of the disease's development. Their effectiveness is unaffected by weather conditions: they are not washed away by rain or evaporated by sunlight. The product's effectiveness lasts up to three weeks. The only drawback of systemic fungicides is that pathogens develop resistance to a particular active ingredient over time. Therefore, treating grapes with the same product multiple times is pointless, as the fungus will not respond to the poison. It is recommended to alternate systemic fungicides containing different active ingredients.

Combined fungicides

These products are also called complex. This means they contain several active ingredients that not only treat the plant but also protect against diseases and pests. Furthermore, in many cases, complex pesticides boost plant immunity and improve vitality. They work by killing microbes inside the plant, while the other acts on the plant's surface. Some even penetrate to the roots, providing reliable protection against pests.

The disadvantage of combination products is their toxicity: improper treatment can lead to serious poisoning of humans and animals, and the death of the grape bush.

Biopreparations

Biological products are based on beneficial microorganisms that possess specific properties. Some biological products are effective against insects, others against pathogens, and still others restore the vitality of damaged plants. The advantages of biological fungicides include their non-phytotoxicity. They do not accumulate in tissues and fruits and do not harm humans or animals. They are non-addictive. pests and pathogensThey have a relatively long lifespan. There are products based on fungi, bacteria, and nematodes. They can be used not only on grapes, but also on soil, seeds, and the roots of seedlings.

Fungicides

If the disease does not subside, then begin treating the vineyard with strong chemicals.

The best fungicides:

Insect repellents

Grapes are attacked by various insects, which can reduce a vine's yield by up to 50%. Pests reach grapes through weeds, airborne pests from other areas, and soil contamination. Most commonly, aphids, leaf rollers, and mites must be controlled. Bee swarms often settle in the vineyard, and wasps also damage it. These pesky insects reproduce very quickly and are reluctant to leave their chosen plots, even under the most severe pressure. Broad-spectrum chemical insecticides help control these pests.

Popular drugs:

Prevention of diseases and pests

Keeping a vineyard healthy is possible with proper and regular preventative maintenance throughout the year. This includes not only spraying with pesticides, but also periodic inspection of bushes, pruning, watering and fertilizing, and soil cultivation.

Preventive measures:

1. Grow grapes in sunny areas with low groundwater levels.
2. Water the bushes at the roots so that the foliage remains dry.
3. During to prune grapes, removing all damaged and weakened branches. The plantings should not be too dense. Air and sunlight should freely penetrate the center of the crown.
4. Constantly monitor the cleanliness of the soil: promptly remove weeds, fallen leaves, and berries.
5. Avoid condensation on the bottom of the bush.
6. Fertilize properly. Nitrogen should only be applied during the first growing season. In midsummer, grapevines require phosphorus and potassium.
7. Mulch the area under the bushes with humus or compost.
8. Tie up the vines so that they are evenly attached to the trellis.
9. All pesticide spraying must be completed 3 weeks before harvest.
10. In autumn, remove all plant debris from the area.
11. Cover the vines securely for the winter, avoiding their freezing during cold weather.

Conclusion

Grapevine treatments are essential throughout the season. With the right product and timely implementation of vineyard health maintenance, you can quickly eliminate this dangerous infection and, while still rare, this pest.