How to care for grapes in the fall to ensure a good harvest and prepare for winter

Proper care of grapes in the fall not only increases the vine's resistance to frost, but also ensures intensive plant growth and health in the spring, which is reflected in the size and quality of the berries next year.

The bulk of the work takes place in October, but in the middle zone, preparation of grapes for winter should begin as early as the first half of September.

Caring for grapes in September and October

Autumn grapevine care has two goals: laying the foundation for high-quality fruiting next season and preparing the plant for winter. A vine is considered fully prepared for winter if it is healthy, free of pests and diseases, has well-ripened wood, has recovered the energy expended on fruiting, and has entered dormancy in a timely manner.

These tasks and growing conditions determine how to care for grapes in the fall. Here's a list of the main tasks:

• the last feeding of the season;
• grape pruning;
• root cutting;
• protection from fungi and insects;
• pre-winter watering;
• shelter for the winter.

Quality autumn care is especially important for late-ripening grape varieties, which have limited time to mature their wood and slow down their growth processes. When grown in a temperate climate, even mid-season varieties may not have time to prepare for winter. Therefore, two rules are recommended:

1. Autumn work should begin as early as possible—as soon as the vines have harvested the grapes. Preparation of early grape varieties should begin without waiting for the entire plantation to finish fruiting.
2. Care should be taken in advance to ensure the vines are not overloaded. If the plant expends too much energy on ripening the crop, it will be difficult to restore it quickly. It's worth sacrificing yield for the sake of the bush and thinning the bunches.

Fertilizing grapes in autumn

A grapevine depleted by fruiting lacks sufficient cold resistance and can freeze over the winter. Under cover, favorable conditions for fungal growth (for example, due to thaws) can develop, and in this case, the health of the plants in spring will depend on their immunity, so placing weakened grapes under cover is dangerous.

To avoid negative consequences, grapes should be fertilized in September. It's important to replenish nutrients, primarily potassium and phosphorus, as well as calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, manganese, zinc, and boron. Nitrogen is not recommended during this period, as it stimulates the growth of green mass, while grapes should be entering a dormant phase. Only young plants do not require fertilizing, as the fertilizer added to the planting hole should last for 3-4 years.

Fertilizer can be applied in liquid, dry, or spray form. For watering, dig a 10-cm-deep trench around the bush at a distance of 40 cm to ensure the fertilizer reaches the roots, rather than spreading and soaking the surface soil. For liquid fertilizer application in the fall, choose one of the following:

• 30-40 g of superphosphate and 20-30 g of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water;
• 20-40 g of potassium monophosphate for the same volume;
• extract of 200-300 g of wood ash per 1 liter.

Micronutrients can be added to the nutrient solution or applied foliarly. Spraying should be done in the evening: at this time, the leaves have a higher absorption capacity than during the day, and there is no bright sun that could scorch wet foliage. For foliar feeding, the concentration of the substance should be reduced to one-third of the volume calculated for watering.

• magnesium sulfate – 1 g per 10 liters;
• manganese sulfate – 2 g;
• boric acid – 1-2 g;
• zinc sulfate – 2 g.

The bush will receive sufficient copper and iron if treated with copper or iron sulfate as a preventative measure against fungal diseases. Additional spraying should be avoided to avoid poisoning the plants.

If foliar feeding is used for micronutrients, phosphorus-potassium fertilizer can be applied dry. To do this, simply incorporate 300 g of ash into the soil during digging, or add 10-15 kg of rotted manure or compost into a 20-25 cm deep furrow dug around the vine, then water the plant thoroughly. The fertilizer trench should be at least 40-50 cm from the growing point. Manure mixed with wood ash can also be applied as mulch. Only well-rotted organic matter is suitable for fall feeding; otherwise, the vines will receive excessive nitrogen.

Winter pruning of grapes

The key to autumn grape care is winter pruning. Its purpose is to rejuvenate the vine to maintain high yields, remove damaged areas, and thin out shoots to reduce the risk of disease. It's best to perform the procedure in two stages.

Preliminary trimming

This is done in September, when the bushes still have their foliage. The instructions for the first fall pruning are as follows:

1. Damaged and dry vines should be removed.
2. Cut off the growth from the main trunks that has reached 60 cm in height.
3. Shoots that have grown higher than 30 cm from the ground should be shortened by 15% of their length.
4. Trim the side shoots down to 2 leaves.

The cut areas should be treated with 3% hydrogen peroxide or a strong solution of potassium permanganate (concentration about 50 g per 1 liter of water). After the cuts have dried, seal them with garden pitch.

Basic pruning

The procedure should be performed 2-3 weeks after the leaves have fallen, when the movement of sap in the vines has already stopped, but before serious frosts.

Sequence of actions for trimming:

1. On last year's replacement branch, you need to remove the vine that bore fruit in the current season, cutting it as low as possible.
2. The shoot on the outer side (lower) of the fruiting link should be shortened to the level of 3 buds - a new replacement branch will be formed from it.
3. From the shoots on the inner side, 1-2 should be left for the fruiting stalk, trimmed back to approximately 6-10 buds. The exact number of buds to leave can be determined by the shoot diameter, adding 1 or 2 to it. For varieties with small clusters (less than 0.5 kg), add 3-5. This number will be the bud number on the fruiting stalk above which the cut should be made.
4. All stumps need to be treated according to the standard procedure: first with potassium permanganate or peroxide, and then with garden pitch.

The principle of this pruning is the constant renewal of shoots on the bush, eliminating branches older than four years. This allows three-year-old vines, at the peak of their fertility, to receive maximum nutrition.

Root catarrh

At the same time as the preliminary pruning of the bush (in September), you can also perform root pruning, known as root-cutting. This involves removing the small (dew) roots located in the upper soil layers. This part of the root system is the first to suffer from soil freezing in winter or drying out during dry summers and is the least resistant to damage by grapevine aphids. Root rot of the small roots can also spread to the main root.

Rooting is essential if regular care is not available. However, if the vine is under constant supervision, root removal can be done as an optional precaution.

Cataract procedure:

1. Loosen and remove a 20 cm layer of soil from the tree trunk circle.
2. Cut off the dew roots near the trunk, leaving no stumps.
3. If the plant is mature, this layer may also contain thickened roots. These should be pruned gradually over 2-3 years, removing 30-40% of the shoots at a time.
4. Disinfect the cut sites with a solution of copper sulfate (3%) or boric acid (1%).
5. Let it dry.
6. If desired, you can wrap the root with plastic wrap, but do not tighten it too tightly. This technique will delay the next root canalization procedure by 2-3 years.
7. Return the soil to the tree trunk circle.

Pest and disease control

Pest and disease treatments should be carried out immediately after harvest. It's important to prevent the spread of insects or fungi on the vine as quickly as possible—this will increase the chances that damaged plants will have time to recover before winter. Furthermore, many pests transition to the larval stage by winter, making them immune to some pesticides.

In the case of autumn treatment, the use of chemicals is justified; they are safe for the following year’s harvest, but more effective than biological and folk remedies.

1. Depending on the type of pest, insecticides and acaricides should be used - "Actellic", "Oxychom", "Dimethoate" and others.
2. To combat fungus, you need to treat the plant with 5% iron sulfate, and in October, after the leaves have fallen and pruning has been done, spray with a 3% solution of copper sulfate.
3. In addition to these measures, you can use biological products (Fitosporin, Gliokladin, Gamair, Trichodermin), but you should pay attention to the air temperature required to maintain the working properties of the product.

If the treatment is of a preventative nature, the following scheme is recommended:

1. After harvesting, treat the plants with a lime solution for pest control. To do this, add 1 kg of quicklime to 3 liters of water. Once the solution has reacted, add 7 liters of water.
2. After the leaves have fallen, carry out deep digging of the soil to destroy the mycelium and kill the larvae overwintering in the soil.
3. In the first half of October, spray with a solution of 10 tablespoons of salt and 5 tablespoons of soda per bucket of water.
4. After pruning, bend the vines to the ground, preparing them for covering.
5. Shortly before insulating the bush for the winter, spray it with 3% iron sulfate.

In this case, in the spring, after removing the cover, it's necessary to treat the bushes with a 1% copper sulfate solution. Remember to spray not only the vines but also the soil around the trunk.

Pre-winter watering

Autumn grapevine care in September in the temperate climate zone involves continuing watering as usual, except during periods of rainy weather. A lack of moisture prevents the wood from preparing for the winter season.

Maintaining moisture is especially important if grapes are growing in sandy or sandy loam soil. In this case, the vineyard should be watered frequently, in small amounts, while plants growing in clay or black soil require less frequent but more abundant irrigation.

After the leaves have fallen and the main pruning has been completed, but before the soil freezes, a moisture-recharging watering should be applied. Water should be poured into 10-cm-deep trenches around the bush. On average, each plant requires 5 full buckets of water. Old and mature vines will require up to 10 buckets, while young plants will need 10-30 liters. Sandy soil requires an increase of up to 6 buckets (relative to the average), while clay soil requires a reduction of 2.5-3 buckets.

Covering vines for winter

Grapes should be covered before the temperature reaches -5°C. The vines should be bent to the ground even earlier, to prevent the first frost. Frost-damaged wood loses its flexibility, so the vines may crack when laid down.

If overheated, the root system of the bushes can rot. It's best to initially apply a light covering and then strengthen it later. Another option is to remove the covering during autumn warm spells. In regions with snowless winters, a more substantial covering is required, but the material must be breathable—a lack of ventilation will cause condensation, which can lead to fungus and mold.

Covering an adult bush

Grape vines should be untied from their supports and bent to the ground, preferably secured with hooks. They should be covered with spruce or pine branches. Spruce branches are considered the best cover for grapes, as they retain a layer of snow and allow air to reach the vines.

Covering seedlings and first-year plants

Bushes planted last spring or just before winter require more careful insulation—it's recommended to bury the shoots. To do this, dig furrows about 30 cm deep around the bush. The shoots, previously tied, should be carefully placed in the trench, being careful not to damage them, and then covered with three layers (approximately 10 cm each): soil, humus, and another layer of soil.

Problems of autumn care

The main problem with grapes during autumn preparation, which can occur even with proper care, is a delay in the wood's ripening process. Gardeners typically discover the problem in October, when it's time to prune the plant and the bush is still green. In this case, you can help by artificially accelerating ripening. Lay the vines flat on the ground and cover them with a material with good thermal insulation. After the wood has ripened, remove the cover, perform the necessary treatments (pruning, preventative treatment, pre-winter watering), and then cover them for the winter as planned.

It's advisable to take steps to stimulate wood maturation well in advance. Besides covering the trees in October, two techniques will help:

1. In late August and early September, you should stop watering your grapes. If the weather is hot enough to cause the plant to suffer without irrigation, you can provide moisture along with a root fertilizer containing potassium and phosphorus.
2. In September, you need to carry out an unscheduled spraying with fertilizer containing potassium and phosphorus (20-30 g of each substance per 10 liters).

Autumn preparation for winter, no less than spring work and care throughout the season, determines the future volume and quality of the grape harvest. Plants that survive the winter successfully grow quickly, suffer less from diseases, and have sufficient reserves to produce fruit.