Pleven grapes: characteristics and description of the variety, planting and care

Pleven is a common Bulgarian variety. grapesAmong its positive characteristics, gardeners include exceptional cold resistance, Large fruits and good berry flavor. However, many winegrowers note that the variety is susceptible to diseases and pests and is extremely demanding of growing conditions. Pleven includes two more advanced varieties—Muscat and Stable. These are the ones winegrowers choose for planting on their plots.

General description

The Pleven variety and all its subspecies are considered table grapes. The berries are eaten fresh, used to make compotes, and used to make homemade wine.

The original Pleven variety is a vigorous, branched bush with shoots that ripen early. The grapes are large, oblong-round, weighing 5-6 grams. The skin is thick, light green, golden, and matte. The pulp is juicy and contains 6-8 large seeds. Fruit The flowers are collected in small, loose, cone-shaped clusters, weighing an average of 350-450 grams. The yield is above average, reaching approximately 60 kilograms per mature bush.

The traditional variety is less frost-hardy than its descendants, but overwinters quite successfully under cover. Pleven is susceptible to fungal infections and some pests.

All Pleven varieties ripen early (110-120 days). Young bushes begin bearing fruit in their third year, with peak productivity occurring between 5 and 8 years. The harvest ripens by mid-August. Ripe berries can hang on the bush for a long time without spoiling or falling off.

Pleven flowers are bisexual. Pollination occurs in any weather, with 100% fertilization.

Pleven Muscat

This Pleven variety was bred by crossing the Druzhba and Strashensky grapes. The resulting grape has an early ripening period, strong immunity to fungal diseases, and a high percentage of shoot maturity.

Muscat Pleven is a vigorous, leafy bush with long, powerful, climbing vines. Each shoot produces 2-3 hefty clusters weighing 600-800 grams.

The berries of the Muscat variety of Pleven are oval, pale yellow, almost white. They weigh 6-8 grams. The skin is dense and firm. The interior is juicy and fleshy, with a small concentration of seeds. The flavor is pleasantly muscat.

This variety produces well, yielding up to 15 kilograms per vine. The grapes are frost-hardy and overwinter successfully without cover at temperatures down to -15 degrees Celsius. Covering is recommended during cold winters with little snow.

Muscat Pleven is popular among summer residents for the excellent taste of its berries. This variety It's fairly easy to propagate, as cuttings have a good survival rate. Rooted seedlings quickly produce shoots during the summer.

Pleven is resistant

Also known by other names: Augustine and Phenomenon. These subspecies were bred from Pleven and Villard Blanc. This robust variety boasts good winter hardiness and excellent health.

The fruit ripens in mid-August. The harvest can be collected until the end of September. A two- to three-year-old bush can produce up to 30 kilograms of delicious berries. They are borne in loose, voluminous, cone-shaped clusters weighing up to 500 grams. The berries themselves are small, weighing 5-6 grams. Their skin is light green, soft, and almost translucent. All the berries are uniform in size, and there are no peas or underdeveloped berries among them.

This hardy grape variety is easy to care for. In mild, snowy winters, the vines can easily withstand temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius without covering.

Features of cultivation

Many gardeners claim that growing Pleven grapes is easy. While it does require care and attention, it rewards with a delicious and abundant harvest. Experts say this grape grows in virtually any soil, but performs best in loam and black soil. Furthermore, while most varieties of this crop prefer sunny locations, Pleven grapes can thrive in light partial shade. Furthermore, it has been noted that during the ripening period, the berries are often damaged (withered) by the sun, so it's necessary to shade the bush to preserve its marketable appearance. Pleven grapes can be planted in the southeastern part of the garden, placing the bush close to a house wall, garage, or tall fruit trees. However, in this case, the plants may compete for nutrients in the soil.

For better pollination, it is preferable for the vineyard to be exposed to warm winds, but without creating drafts or gusts.

Grapes can be planted in early spring or fall, in mid-September. Planting is done using mature seedlings or rooted cuttings. Cuttings are preferable to planting in the spring, as they have a harder time establishing roots and, if planted in the fall, may not have time to establish roots in their new location before winter. One-year-old seedlings usually establish well when planted in the fall.

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Both rooted cuttings and annual bushes are planted in deep holes measuring 50 x 70 centimeters. Leave a gap of 70-80 centimeters between the holes. These are dug in the fall. A bucket of compost is placed at the bottom, then the soil and organic matter are thoroughly mixed. If the soil is dense, the bottom is drained with expanded clay or broken brick, and only then is organic fertilizer added. For the winter, the holes are covered with plastic wrap to allow the compost to rot, nourishing the soil layer. In the spring, a couple of weeks before planting the grapes, the holes are uncovered and filled with compost, cow manure, or chicken manure. Then, mineral fertilizers, primarily those containing phosphorus and potassium, are added.

Grape seedlings are planted so that the bases of the one-year-old shoots are 3-5 centimeters above the edge of the hole. The roots are spread along the bottom, preventing them from becoming tangled or bent. Moist seedlings take root better, so they are pre-soaked in a clay-manure slurry. As the hole is filled, the soil is periodically compacted with a foot. When the hole is two-thirds full, a bucket of water is added to improve moisture, then the soil is filled to the top.

Care

To get a decent harvest from Pleven, it is necessary to regularly carry out agricultural measures, otherwise the capricious crop will not produce an abundant harvest. harvestGrapes are in dire need of moist soil, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, pruning, and winter shelter.

Watering

In the year of planting, plants are watered up to 14 times:

• immediately after disembarkation;
• in April – 3 waterings;
• in May, June, July, August – 2-3 waterings;
• in September – 1-2 waterings.

During dry periods, the bushes are watered additionally, but not overwatered; grapes do not tolerate excessive moisture well. Observations show that with frequent rainfall and prolonged waterlogging, the berries crack and quickly rot. Therefore, in regions with uneven terrain climateIn areas where the number of sunny days is low and precipitation is above normal, vineyards have to be saved by constructing greenhouses that protect plants from excess moisture.

Grapevines are watered not at the roots, but in furrows created on the sides of the stem base. Water is applied in a thin stream (infiltration). If the grapevines are planted close to a house wall or fence, water manually with a watering can, using up to 5 liters of water per plant. It is important to ensure that the soil is moistened to a depth of 60-70 centimeters.

Trimming

Grape pruning can be done in both spring and fall. If pruning is done in the fall, even in southern regions, the bush will need to be covered for the winter, otherwise the cuts will freeze. In northern regions regions In the Central part of Russia, it is preferable to prune grapes in the spring.

A one-year-old bush should be trained in the spring. Two lower buds are left on the central shoot, and the rest are removed. Two lateral shoots, or vines, are grown from the remaining buds. These are positioned horizontally. In late autumn, when all the foliage has fallen and the green shoots have become woody, the shoots are shortened. One shoot is kept short, bearing two buds. The other shoot is left with four buds (and therefore longer). In the spring, the stems growing from the buds are sent upward at a slight angle. At the end of the season, pruning is repeated, leaving only two shoots on each vine. In this way, the bush grows two fruit-bearing shoots each year.

Replacement branches are left to grow vertically. During the warm season, new stems will grow from all the buds, which should be pruned back by 10-20 centimeters in early autumn. In the autumn, the outermost shoots of fruiting bushes are pruned, along with part of the branch.

In addition to formative pruning, sanitary pruning is also performed. This type of pruning involves removing all diseased, damaged, frost-damaged, or overcrowded shoots from the bush. Typically, these are not completely removed, but only the weak parts. It's important that the shoots grow outward, not inward, creating a lignified clump that cannot be untangled.

Top dressing

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If the soil was sufficiently fertilized when the seedlings were planted, the grapes won't need any additional fertilizer for three years. Only mature vines begin to actively absorb minerals, which will need to be supplied regularly.

The need for various nutritional components grapes The amount of nitrogen varies depending on the growing season. In the spring, the plant requires nitrogen. This element promotes the growth of new shoots and green mass. During this period, grapes are fed with urea or ammonium nitrate and organic fertilizers.

Phosphorus fertilizers, particularly superphosphate, are essential for grapes at the beginning of flowering. The more phosphorus in the soil, the larger the ovaries will be. Ripening of vines and berries is possible thanks to the presence of potassium in the soil. Potassium is essential not only for rapid ripening of the grape crop but also for boosting immunity and cold resistance. Therefore, it is important to feed the plant with potassium chloride.

Timing of fertilizing:

• in early spring after the bushes open;
• 14 days before flowering;
• before the fruits ripen;
• in the fall after harvesting.

Grapes can be fed with single- and multi-component fertilizers. Minerals are alternated with organic matter. Grapes respond well to root feeding with manure, diluted cow manure, and compost made from grass, tops, and food scraps. Bird droppings diluted with water are also well absorbed. Ash can be used instead of potassium chloride; its composition is less aggressive and easier for the plants to absorb.

Shelter for the winter

Pleven is resistant to low temperatures, but can be severely damaged in winters with little snow and frost. Therefore, it is recommended to cover all varieties of this cultivar during cold weather. In the fall, the vines are removed from the trellis and carefully twisted, pinning them to the ground. This work is carried out from mid-November, when the constant temperature is below -5 to -8 degrees Celsius. The base of the bushes can be covered with sawdust, straw, or dry leaves. This mulch will warm the roots. Arches are installed over the shoots and covered with regular film or agrofibre. It is important that the vines do not touch the film, as this can cause rot. If you are concerned about the greenhouse effect, it is better to use a different covering material, such as spunbond or roofing felt.

Protection from diseases and pests

Pleven often suffers from pest attacks. Leaves are frequently attacked by phylloxera. This microscopic aphid destroys the foliage of the vine. Females lay numerous eggs on the underside of the leaf blades, which the offspring then consume. The larvae quickly spread throughout the vine, reducing productivity and stunting development. When phylloxera appears on grape vines, preventative measures are taken first: pruning out the affected areas, replacing the topsoil, and sprinkling the area with sand, including the inner layers where the roots are located. For severe aphid infestations, use strong pesticides such as carbon disulfide, Marshal, Confidor, Actellic, and Mitak.

The grape tormentor, also known as the grape leaf roller, causes serious damage to crops. This small, whitish moth lays eggs on the stems, leaves, and buds of plants. A couple of weeks later, olive-colored voracious caterpillars hatch. They feed on buds, flowers, and ovaries of grapes. Second- and third-generation caterpillars feed on the berries themselves. Grape tormentors can be controlled using biological pesticides (Karate, Alstara, Danadim, Fury, and others). Actellic and Fosbecid are the most effective chemical pesticides.

Sometimes, whitish lesions with a "web-like" structure can be found on the underside of leaves. This is the development of a fungal disease called mildew, the most dangerous for grapes. Depending on the temperature and humidity, the lesions can be brown, yellow, or dirty brown. The fungus causes necrosis of the leaf blade. The leaves wilt and fall off, leading to a general weakening of the bush and a stunted growth. The pathogen attacks not only the leaves, but also the stems, ovaries, and fruit – White, oily spots appear everywhere. Mildew can be controlled if you catch the emerging lesions early. This is when chemical sprays should be started. Plants are treated before flowering. However, if the disease continues to develop during flowering, copper-free products are used. Hom and Abiga-Peak are considered the main products for suppressing the infection.

Pros and cons of the variety

Pleven is a traditional grape variety that, along with many advantages, also has some disadvantages. Among its positive characteristics, winegrowers typically note:

• rapid growth of shoots and their good ripening;
• simple and effective reproduction;
• The berries are rarely damaged by wasps due to their tough, thick skin.

The disadvantages include:

• low stability to infections;
• the presence of large seeds in the pulp;
• plant requirements for watering;
• rapid drying of berries exposed to direct sunlight.

Gardeners' reviews

They grow Pleven Muscat.

This variety has a proven track record of being rarely affected by diseases and pests. It makes a fantastic homemade wine. I have two vines in my garden. Each produces 15-17 bunches, each weighing approximately 700 grams. The bunches remain ripe for a long time without falling off. They retain their flavor and marketable appearance for a long time.

Denis

The Pleven grape variety has virtually no flaws. It requires virtually no care; I fertilize it once a year in the spring. It's never prone to disease and overwinters well, albeit under cover. The grapes ripen by the end of summer. They take a long time to ripen, but it's worth it. The berries have excellent flavor. They're not sour, and the sugar content is just right. You can easily make wine or compotes. I tried propagating them once, and it worked. All the cuttings rooted. They grew quickly, and there was no waste. Overall, a very respectable variety.

Conclusion

Pleven is a relatively easy-to-grow, high-yielding grape variety. Its berries tend toward the mediocre, but most gardeners appreciate the sweetness and large size of the fruit. Growing grapes is easy, and even without much effort, you can annually harvest a good supply of large, beautiful bunches of grapes that can also be stored for a long time without losing their attractive appearance and balanced flavor.