Surgeon's Memory Grape: Characteristics and Description of the Variety, Planting and Care

Every gardener or professional viticulturalist dreams of getting an excellent grape harvest. Amateur grape breeders They strive not only to cultivate existing varieties but also to create new and original ones. Through extensive trial and error, the breeders succeed in developing new hybrids that boast unpredictable flavors, increased frost resistance, and disease resistance. One such hybrid is "In Memory of the Surgeon."

Description of the variety

The hybrid table grape "In Memory of the Surgeon" is a pink variety popular with both gardeners and commercial producers. The berries are used to produce:

• wine;
• liqueurs;
• compotes;
• drinks;
• baby juices and purees.

Moreover, the fruits are very attractive in their natural state, with a bright but unobtrusive strawberry flavor. The hybrid is the result of crossing two parent varieties: Kesha-Talisman and Kishmish Mirage. The variety was developed by Yevgeny Pavlovsky, a student of the "father" of modern viticulture, Ivan Kostrikin, a scientist at the Potapenko All-Russian Research Institute. As one of the best and most promising hybrid varieties in his collection, "In Memory of the Surgeon" has repeatedly won awards at the international winegrowers' competition in Crimea.

Just a few years ago, the variety was undergoing its initial trials, but its characteristics were not fully confirmed. In the years following the hybrid's creation, in various vineyards across many regions, the variety proved itself to be a promising crop, becoming popular with winegrowers throughout the former CIS.

This variety is distinguished by slightly elongated berries with a raspberry hue and medium-thick skin. At technical maturity, the fruit weighs 7g-10g with juicy, sweet flesh, a slight tartness, and a delicate muscat aroma. The berries have a sugar content of 16%-19%, and a tartaric acid content of 0.60% per 1,000 ml of juice.

The hybrid produces higher yields when cultivated, so to prevent pea-shaped plants, the bushes need to be unloaded. Having inherited the parent variety's tolerance to low temperatures of -21 to -24 degrees Celsius, 'Pamyat Surgeon' easily survives winters in southern regions without cover. However, in central and northern regions, the bushes should be covered. The choice of covering material depends on the fall pruning technique.

This hybrid table variety is one of the early varieties, suitable for the southern and central regions. It takes about four months from bud break to the technical ripening of the bunches.

Characteristics

Harvesting of 'Memory of the Surgeon' clusters begins in the first ten days of August and ends in late September. The hybrid is distinguished by its varietal characteristics:

Advantages

"In Memory of the Surgeon" is popular with consumers not only for its excellent presentation. The grapes also have many advantages:

• early ripening;
• high density of pulp and strong skin;
• good transportability;
• frost resistance;
• the percentage of cuttings that form roots reaches 80%-85%.

Flaws

Like any crop, when growing 'Memory of the Surgeon' it has its weaknesses in the form of:

• decrease in yield in case of grafting of vines onto another variety;
• weak resistance to fungal diseases, bacterial cancer and callus;
• attack by wasps due to the aroma of fruits;
• peas due to improper formation of the vine or lack of nutrients.

Pollinator varieties

If the air temperature is low at the beginning of the hybrid's flowering, pollination is very slow. As a result, the vines produce poorly formed, sparse clusters, and the yield is reduced severalfold. If the air humidity during flowering is above 80%, the stamens become over-watered, and pollen has difficulty moving in the air. If the air humidity is low, below 20%, autogamy is also hindered.

Therefore, experienced winegrowers, to be on the safe side, plant pollinator varieties next to the hybrid "In Memory of the Surgeon".

Planting pollen-carrying raisin varieties gives good results:

• Veles;
• Kishmish Sprinter;
• Prime Minister;
• Lowland 2;
• Northern AZOS;
• Venus;
• Rusball;
• Zaporizhzhya;
• Reliance;
• Einset;
• Moldavian.

Cultivation

Despite the increased demands on agricultural technology, gardeners in the southern and central regions are successfully planting "Memory of the Surgeon" bushes, achieving good yields. If you want to plant the hybrid, mid-May to early June is the optimal time to purchase seedlings for planting.

Young plants require nutritious, loose soil for growth. The hybrid thrives in black soil with a high humus content. 'In Memory of a Surgeon' will also thrive in rocky or sandy soil, with humus from plant and animal remains added to the planting holes. Clay and peat soils are the least favorable for the variety, so before planting the cuttings, line the bottom of the hole with some lightweight, porous building material or crushed stone.

Landing

Before planting outdoors, young vines should be hardened off. Even if the seller assured you they had carried out the necessary hardening procedures when you purchased the variety, it's best to be on the safe side. Plants that haven't been hardened off will not thrive and will become diseased. Such seedlings will likely fail to produce a harvest, or they may simply die before they even begin to grow. After hardening off the grapes for 7-10 days, proceed to planting.

• Having dug a hole 50cm-70cm deep, divide the selected soil into three parts, leaving the top layer of 20m-30cm for laying on the bottom of the hole;
• Having removed the roots of weeds and the larvae of insect pests, place a 15cm-25cm layer of drainage on the bottom of the hole, then pour in the remaining fertile soil;
• then place 2 buckets of well-rotted cow manure mixed with 1 kg of wood ash and 1 glass of nitroammophoska;
• place the seedling in the hole so that its heel is located 20cm-25cm below the ground level;
• cover the cutting with soil 6cm-7cm below the bud level, compact the soil to eliminate voids;
• After watering the plant with 20 liters of warm water, add more soil without compacting it. For good aeration, the top layer of soil should remain loose;
• Place a 20cm-25cm layer of organic matter around the plant: hay, straw, or wood shavings mixed with saltpeter;
• To provide temporary support, drive wooden stakes or metal rods next to the plant, and as the seedling grows, tie them up.

Bush formation

Even without experience in proper shaping, a novice grape grower can manage pruning and shaping by following certain recommendations:

• During the first growing season, the future bush should be guided in the correct growth direction so that it produces a pair of strong shoots by the end of September. To achieve this, immediately after planting, prune out all excess side shoots, leaving the two strongest ones.
• To ensure healthy, strong vines mature in the first year, ready to be laid down for the winter in October, the plant needs to be fertilized twice during the summer. The first foliar application of nutrients should be carried out in mid-July at a rate of 20 g urea, 20 g superphosphate, and 1 g potassium permanganate per 10 liters of water. The second application should be carried out in early September at a rate of 10 g urea, 20 g superphosphate, and 30 g potassium per 10 liters of water.
• After the vines have successfully overwintered, in the second year, install a support trellis over the bushes and tie the plant to it at the end of May. For the second season, train three fruiting vines, spaced 60-70 cm apart. Prune out any excess side shoots. Neutralizing weak shoots will allow strong fruiting branches to form the following year.
• In the third season, the plant fully enters fruiting. Pinch out the buds that have emerged on the shoulders of the bushes, leaving only those on the fruiting vines. In the third year, train the plant into four branches, which will form berry clusters after flowering. When numerous inflorescences form on the vines, leave only two or three of the most vigorous ones. Remove the remaining clusters, as overloading the bush will cause the berries to be half as small, and the clusters will begin to turn pea-sized.

Preparing for winter

Although the hybrid can withstand temperatures down to -24 degrees without cover, it should be covered in regions where winter temperatures drop below -19 degrees.

Inexperienced grape growers, finishing the season in their summer cottages in mid-October, rush to cover their crops. However, until the first sustained frosts of -5 to -7 degrees Celsius, the plants are physiologically unprepared for winter. Under the covering material, they will actively respire and rot.

By the beginning of winter, the hybrid should be prepared during fruit ripening. To do this:

• At the end of the season, feed the plants with phosphorus and potassium, which will increase the winter hardiness of the bushes and accelerate the maturation and lignification of shoots;
• cut out all green shoots and “spent” fruit vines;
• carry out moisture charging, which protects the root zone of the soil from the formation of voids into which frosty air will penetrate.

Reviews

Winegrowers and amateurs who have planted the hybrid "In Memory of the Surgeon" on their plots share their impressions.

Andrey, Moscow region

'Memory of the Surgeon' has been growing in my vineyard for four years now. It's a very good variety, but it's susceptible to powdery mildew. Preventative treatments are essential, as the pathogen's infestations cause buds to rot and the fruit to rot. The berries are large, tasty, and ripen early, but are susceptible to wasp attacks.

Nina Krasnodar

In our climate, the hybrid form "Memory of the Surgeon" performs excellently. By mid-August, it gains sugars and ripens. I note the good ripening of the vines, and with preventative fungicide spraying, there is no disease.

This hybrid table grape has rightfully earned the respect of winegrowers in the southern and central regions for its high-quality berries, frost resistance, and good rooting ability. Its pinkish-purple clusters are a delight to the eye both on the produce counter and in a bowl on the kitchen table.