Ladies' Fingers Grapes: Characteristics and Description of the Variety

The origins of the Damskie Finger grape go back centuries. In 1613, the vine was brought to Astrakhan and Crimea from Asian countries, but the precise origins of this variety remain unknown. It is believed to have involved a long process of repeated selection of wild grape seeds.

In the East, it's called "Khusayne Bely" (White Husayn); in Russia, it's called "Bokalny" (Bogalny). Ladyfingers ripen only in warm climates, in the southern regions of the country. For the berries to be sweet and tasty, they require light, warmth, and moderate humidity.

Characteristics of the Bokalny variety

The Bokalny grapevine is vigorous. Flowers are produced by both sexes and are easily pollinated. The leaves are round, trilobate and five-lobed. The undersides of the leaves have small bristles, and their margins are raised. The petiole is open, and the stem is brittle.

The clusters are cone-shaped. Each bunch weighs from 400 g to 1 kg. The cluster length is 20-60 cm, and the width is 15-25 cm.

The variety's growing season is 130-140 days. The first fruits appear after four years of growth. To increase ripening, the vines are pruned to 8-10 buds.

Description of berries:

• size – large, 24-35 mm by 15-25 mm;
• shape – conical, elongated;
• berry weight – 5 g;
• color – light green with yellowness;
• the peel is strong and thin;
• bones - elongated, brown in color, practically absent;
• The pulp is juicy, sweet, and crunchy.

The sweet berry has a slight acidity. Sugar content is 16-18%, acidity 4 g/l. Rapid growth, the presence of bisexual inflorescences, and specific growing conditions result in yields of up to 35-40 tons of berries per hectare. Rain or a dry summer significantly reduces the yield. The grape harvest occurs in September.

Ladyfingers are used to produce white wines, high-quality raisins, and are simply eaten fresh.

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Advantages of the variety

Wine grapes have numerous medicinal properties. The vitamin complex and mineral salts contained in the berries are essential for the development and growth of a young body. They strengthen the immune system, help with coughs, improve digestion, have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, and prevent cancer.

Benefits of Ladyfingers:

• excellent taste of berries;
• high yield rates;
• high-quality bunches;
• does not require additional pollination, thanks to flowers of different sexes;
• thanks to its strong skin, it can be easily transported;
• the brushes remain on the vine for a long time;
• has healing properties;
• external aesthetic appearance;
• High-quality raisins are obtained from grapes.

Disadvantages of the variety

Despite its advantages and high yields, Damsky Finger grapes have their drawbacks. Temperature fluctuations, rain, and drought all affect the harvest. Disadvantages of Gokalny grapes:

• it is not resistant to low temperatures; in winter, when the temperature drops to -10 C*, the vine may die;
• often affected by various fungi, which develop in hot or rainy weather;
• high humidity can lead to berry rotting;
• demanding of care.

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Pollination

The key to successful pollination is sufficient sunlight. Flowers that have been in the shade for too long may not pollinate at all, and may shed flowers or fruit.

At low temperatures (below 14 degrees Celsius) and high temperatures (above 30 degrees Celsius), pollination slows down. At 35 degrees Celsius, the fluid on the stigma dries out, pollen does not adhere, and the ovary does not form.

During rain, pollen transfer is difficult, and the water can simply wash it away. Wind, however gentle, helps pollinate the inflorescence. The pollen easily lands on a neighboring flower, forming an ovary.

Husayne grapes bear flowers on a single bunch of both sexes. Bees, bumblebees, and flower flies move along the flowers, carrying nectar and pollen on their legs. If insects are scarce, winemakers place sweet traps between the vines. Grape flowers are not sweet and lack sufficient aroma to attract bees.

An inflorescence can contain up to 1,300 flowers. If every single one were pollinated, the clusters would not support the weight of the berries and would break off before ripening. To improve pollination, two rows of Damskie Fingers bushes are planted, with a third row containing a pollinator variety. This arrangement helps increase the grape harvest.

Diseases and pests

If the grape bushes are not comfortable—the climate is unsuitable, there is limited watering, or there is high humidity—then diseases will quickly take hold.

Diseases

During the rainy season, grapes need to be protected from fungal diseases. Remove rotting berries and infected leaves promptly, and ensure the fungus doesn't spread to neighboring plants.

Fungal diseases:

• oidium - a fungus that smells like rotting fish;
• Powdery mildew is a characteristic grey coating on the leaves;
• Mildew - yellow spots are present on all parts of the plant; after rain they turn white.

Measures to combat fungal infections:

• pruning infected branches in autumn;
• do not plant bushes in lowlands;
• observe ventilation conditions;
• treat plants and soil with copper sulfate;
• during the growing season use Bordeaux mixture;
• feed plants with potassium, phosphorus and mineral supplements;
• use medications: Fundazol, Efal, Belitol, Mikal, Stroviy, Sandofan and others.

Harmful insects

Grapevines are often attacked by leaf rollers, phylloxera, cicadas, mites, thrips, aphids, and weevils. Wasps eat the sweet pulp of the berries, causing significant damage to the grape clusters. Birds peck at ripe berries, damaging the clusters.

Pest control:

1. Sweet traps are made for wasps: jars, bottles with sugar or honey water.
2. Birds are kept in place by metal nets over bushes, rattles, spinning mirror balls, taut ropes or threads.
3. It is necessary to destroy weeds, loosen the soil, and dig up the area.
4. It is necessary to get rid of the dry bark and burn it.
5. Remove diseased plants from the area and burn them.
6. After the appearance of phylloxera, grape vines cannot be planted in the same place for more than 15 years.
7. Treat grape plants with Actellic, Fufanon, Aktara, and Alatar. These products are effective against aphids, mites, thrips, leaf rollers, and weevils.
8. Leafhoppers and phylloxera are destroyed with Confidor, Arrivo, Karate, and Kinmix.
9. Scattered between the rows, Mukhoed, Bazudin, and Zemlin will help against cutworms and May beetles.

Many pests can be repelled with a garlic infusion (100 g of garlic per 5 liters of water) or a decoction of onion peels. Treating the bushes with these solutions twice a month is sufficient.

Agricultural technology of the variety

Ladyfingers prefer a sunny, draft-free location. A south-facing slope is best. The groundwater depth should be 3-3.5 meters.

Landing

Grape seedlings are planted in the fall. If the bushes are planted in the spring, This is done before the buds open. The soil for planting cuttings should be warmer than 10 degrees Celsius.

For planting you need:

• the depth of the hole is up to 1 meter and the width is 80 cm;
• planting pattern 3 m by 5 m;
• the third part of the hole is filled with organic fertilizers or compost, superphosphate and potassium are added;
• pour sand and crushed stone into the hole;
• lime is added to soil with high acidity (150 g per square meter).

Before transplanting, soak the seedlings in a vermicompost solution for 24 hours. Make a mound in the hole, and place the plant's roots on it. Cover with soil up to the root collar, compact the soil, water with three buckets of water, and mulch the surface. Drive a stake near the seedling, and tie the plant to it.

In addition to cuttings, air layering, burying shoots, and propagation by root shoots are used for planting.

Care

Trimming and tying up the vines, timely watering, proper fertilizing, and preparing for winter are the main conditions for growing high-quality grapes.

Pruning and shaping bushes

For pruning, select diseased, old, or damaged shoots. The remaining shoots should be mature and medium-sized, up to 10 mm in diameter. Branches that are too thick break easily.

Techniques and conditions for pruning bushes:

• pruning with sharp pruning shears for a clean and even cut;
• cut old branches at a right angle and further from the base;
• young shoots are cut under the lower bud, leaving up to 3 cm in length;
• pruned branches are cut inwards towards the bush;
• leave only strong and healthy shoots;
• If possible, the cut site is processed.

Long pruning is recommended for the Bokalny grape variety. It is pruned to 9-12 buds, and side shoots to 5-10 buds.

Garter

If a gardener doesn't provide support for the grapevine, it will find its own, as it twines and spreads. Proper staking protects the vines from fungal infections. Staking allows light and ventilation to the vines.

In the spring, last year's shoots with dormant buds are tied up. The vines are pruned before tying them up. The branches are secured to a trellis or net. The distance between two posts is approximately 3 meters. Ropes or wire are stretched between them. The first is 40-45 cm above the ground, and subsequent ones are tied at the same distance from each other. Perennial branches are secured in a fan-shaped arc at a 50-60 degree angle or horizontally.

Young branches are tied up at the 3rd and 4th tiers. Horizontal tying helps prevent them from breaking off in windy conditions.

Watering

In the summer heat, about 1.5 liters of water evaporates from one square meter of soil. Without water, the berries shrink, the leaves dry out, and the vines droop. The rhizome grows vigorously in search of moisture. The plant's energy is spent not on cluster formation, but on root growth. The roots damage neighboring plants.

Remove the top layer of water from the hole to prevent water from leaking out. One plant requires 5 to 10 liters of water. Water the grapes once a week in the evening during hot weather. You can add a complex water additive to the water. Water twice a month after a month, then stop watering in August to allow the bunches to fully ripen.

It's essential to water the plants when buds open, after flowering, and while the berries are ripening. When buds are forming and during flowering, stop watering to prevent the flowers from falling off.

Water only in furrows or rings around the bushes. Drip irrigation is best. After watering, it's best to fill the holes. This will help retain moisture in the soil.

Top dressing

If the soil isn't fertilized, it quickly becomes depleted. The grape harvest will decline.

In spring, apply nitrogen (urea or saltpeter) at the beginning of the growing season. In August, nitrogen supplements are harmful, as foliage will develop instead of flower clusters.

Phosphorus fertilizers are added at the beginning of flowering. Potassium is applied to plants in August, during the ripening period of the grapes. Copper promotes shoot growth and helps them survive frosts. Boric acid increases the sugar content of the berries and stimulates pollen production. Zinc supplements significantly increase the yield.

Approximate fertilizer scheme:

1. After wintering, add 15 g of potassium salt, 20 g of superphosphate, and 10 g of saltpeter per bucket of water. Pour this mixture under one bush.
2. Repeat the feeding 2 weeks before flowering.
3. Before berries form, phosphorus and potassium are used.
4. In September, use 25 g of potassium and phosphorus per square meter.

Every three years in the fall, spread cow manure along with ash, ammonium sulfate, and superphosphate under the soil. Add 1 g of potassium iodine to sandy soil.

Preparing for winter

After harvesting, the vines and leaves are treated with copper-containing products. This will kill the spores of various fungi. Spray the plants with copper sulfate per 300 g bucket of water. Spray the leaves with a nutrient solution: 10 g superphosphate, 5 g potassium magnesium sulfate per 9 liters of water.

Be sure to prune old and mature branches, leaving a small reserve of buds. Pruned bushes are easier to cover and will survive the winter better.

To cover the grapes Before wintering, dig trenches between the rows, lay the vines in them, secure them with staples, and cover them with 30 cm of soil. Mark the location of the soil with stakes. Instead of soil, you can use plastic film, straw, or modern covering materials such as spunbond, roofing felt, or foam. Soil is added around the film to prevent moisture from penetrating.

Storage of grapes

The bunches are harvested only in dry, clear weather. Wet berries will begin to rot. The bunches are trimmed carefully, holding them by the stems to avoid damaging the waxy coating on the berries. The grapes are placed in crates and transferred to a cool, dark room. Bright light reduces the sugar content in the grapes. The bunches are stored at 0°C* and 80% humidity. In a dry, warm place, moisture evaporates quickly, and the berries dry out. It's best to fumigate the room with sulfur (50 g per square meter), add saltpeter, and add dry sawdust. In this room, the bunches can withstand frosts down to -4°C.

You can hang grapes on a wire; they will be constantly ventilated and will not become infected with fungus.

The entire harvest should be inspected periodically. If signs of rot appear, infected clusters should be removed, otherwise the infestation will become widespread. The remaining bunches in the box should be washed and consumed. Further storage is not advisable.

Reviews

Svetlana, 38 years old

When covering grapes with straw, pay attention to the grain spikes. If they are present, mice will come to feast on them and may nest near the vines. They will chew through the entire vine. I sprinkled red pepper around the plants; it repels rodents.

Elena Dmitrievna, 56 years old

I covered my grapevines with soil for the winter, but after the winter, some branches were infected with fungus, and others froze. It's best to cover the vines with plastic or a natural material. After all, the soil may harbor fungal spores, and even soil doesn't always protect against frost.

Nikolai Ivanovich, 62 years old

I've been growing grapes for many years. I have five different varieties planted in my garden, including the Damsky Finger variety. The grapes are tasty and sweet, but they require regular feeding and watering. Without spraying, they are susceptible to fungal infections.