The hybrid Ukrainian white grape variety Bazhena was bred not so long ago, but has already gained popularity among domestic gardeners. As a descendant of the famous Arcadia variety, Bazhena grapes inherited the ability to produce a rich harvest. And besides, successfully resist various diseases.
But the Bazhena variety can hardly boast of the frost resistance of its parent. Therefore, it is not suitable for cultivation in the northern regions of the country. In the conditions of central Russia, it needs insulation and shelter for the winter.
This article will discuss the distinctive features of this variety, its advantages and disadvantages, as well as how to properly care for the Bazhena grape variety.
What are Bazhena grapes?
Bazhena grapes, or as it is also called "Bazhenov grapes", is a table variety of Ukrainian origin, which was bred by the breeder Vitaliy Zagorulko, by crossing the grape varieties "Gift of Zaporozhye" and "Arcadia". The goal of the breeder was to breed the largest grape variety that can be grown throughout Ukraine, Belarus, and the European part of Russia, and this goal was achieved. Despite this, the variety does not tolerate winter frosts below -25 degrees, and cannot be grown in regions with a harsh climate. In winter, the vine should be covered with cloth and cellophane.
An important advantage of the variety is its early maturity, because the crop can be harvested already 100 days after bud break. The variety is very resistant to fungal and bacterial diseases, and despite its strong and pleasant aroma, it is rarely attacked by wasps. The grapes themselves are quite large and can weigh up to 1 kg. The fruits are large, have a light green color, boast an abundance of pulp and juice, as well as the weight of one berry up to 20 grams. The taste of the fruit is remarkable in that it has notes of cherry and apple, and its peel is elastic, tender and gives only minimal sourness.
The variety has a fairly large bush, the trunk of which can reach 10 cm in diameter. The plant is characterized by a fast growth rate of the green part, and can be used as natural shading on arches, verandas, fences and walls. In addition, the variety is self-pollinated, and there is no need to plant grapes of this or related species with it. You can help self-pollination with an ordinary brush, treating the flowers on the vine with it, spreading pollen between them (the method is relevant in calm weather).
Benefits of the variety
This variety has many advantages, including:
- Large weight of beautiful bunches, large berries of a presentation. This hybrid among the early varieties has no competitors in these parameters.
- Resistance to mildew, oidium and other fungal diseases. In order for the grape bush to be healthy and bear fruit well, you will have to spend less time, effort and money. These advantages of the hybrid will be appreciated not only by experienced growers, but also by beginners.
- High and stable yield. So that the plant does not receive excessive stress, experienced growers advise the crop to be rationed.
- The grapes are distinguished by an excellent presentation of the collected bunches and a long shelf life. These factors play an important role when choosing a variety.Regardless of the purpose for which the grapes are harvested - for home use or for sale, the harvest will be stored without loss for a long time.
- When ripe, the fruits are resistant to temperature and humidity extremes. They do not dry out, crack or lose their taste.
- The flowers of this variety are bisexual, due to which the grapes do not have peas and do not need additional pollination. This saves time and effort in the spring. And you don't have to plant additional bushes to improve pollination.
Also, an important advantage of Bazhena is the pleasant sour-sweet taste of the fruit. The berries have a fairly high sugar content, and their taste is very harmonious. It will appeal to both family members and customers. Although Bazhena is a table variety, it can be used to make jam or compotes.
How to grow?
Since the variety is quite common, seedlings with a root system will be the best way to grow it, since they will provide the most optimal survival in a new place. Saplings should be planted in a sunny place, since the variety does not tolerate shade, and even a little shading will significantly reduce yields. Also, grapes should be planted on the south side of the fence, fence or other vertical elevation, so that young shoots are not exposed to the north wind.
This grape variety is perfectly adapted to growth and development on all types of chernozem, but at the same time it grows successfully on any other soils, with the exception of stony and clay soils. It is best to plant grapes on a hill, the height of which will be at least 10-15 cm, in order to reduce the effect of cold air on a young plant (cold air accumulates at the bottom). When planting several grape bushes, a distance of about 5 meters should be observed between them.
Diseases and pests
Considering the diseases of the Bazhena grape variety, it should be noted that this hybrid form is characterized by good resistance to diseases such as mildew and oidium, and it is not very difficult to care for it. Only periodic autumn and spring spraying with copper or iron sulfate is necessary. Such prevention is carried out in accordance with the recommendations. For example, ferrous sulfate is best used before bud break. Stronger fungicides are used only when a disease has struck the vineyard.
For this variety, phylloxera is a dangerous disease. If there was such a disease on the site before, it is better not to plant Bazhen there, since nothing good will come of it.
The most common insect pest is wasps - this variety is not particularly fond of. But, if hives are seen, it is advisable to destroy them immediately, and prepare a bait for the wasps themselves that will destroy them.
How to prepare the soil for planting?
Bazhena grapes can be planted in the ground without preparing it, but in this case, you should not count on a bountiful harvest in the next few years. Correct soil preparation consists in performing the following actions:
- In the fall, preparatory holes should be dug, 80 cm in diameter and depth;
- At the bottom of the pit, humus is laid with a layer of 10 cm, and mineral fertilizers are added in the region of 500 grams;
- Fill the resulting mixture with 30 cm of fertile soil, then mix it all with a shovel;
- Tamp the dug up soil, and from above fill the dug hole with similar soil, but without fertilizers (they can harm the root system of the seedling in the first stages of its growth);
- The prepared pit is filled with a bucket of water and left until spring;
- In the spring, a hole is dug to a depth equal to the length of the root system of the seedling, after which it is planted, covered and watered. Landing is over.
Growth features
Bisexual flowers are the guarantor of self-pollination, there are no problems with this, since many fruits are tied. Pollination can also take place with the participation of bees.
Rain, moisture are not terrible for Bazhena grapes, they will not affect their appearance in any way, but severe frosts are extremely dangerous. The maximum threshold of sensitivity is -21 ° С, at this temperature the vine will die, but there is a possibility that not all of them. For the winter period, this variety must be covered.
After planting, do not immediately wait for fruitfulness. The first fruits will appear only after three years. The grapes are quite resistant to external circumstances, lying on the ground does not deteriorate, resistant to rot by as much as 3.5 points.
Ripening is fast, from vegetation to maturity only one hundred to one hundred and eight days. In fact, at home, the harvest may take place in early August.
Follow-up care
Bazhena grapes require the following type of care:
- The grapes require abundant watering in the first weeks after planting, as well as during the ripening of the fruit. In general, the grapes are watered with about 1 bucket of water per week, and if the weather is abnormally hot, the amount of watering is increased to 2 buckets. In order for the soil to retain moisture as long as possible, it is recommended to mulch it with sawdust;
- For preventive purposes, in order to avoid damage to grapes by parasites and diseases of a fungal nature, the plant is treated with insecticides at intervals of 1 time for 2 years;
- Every year, prune weak shoots, and also cut the shoots by about 7-8 eyes, so that unnecessary parts of the plant do not pull on nutrients, impairing the ripening of the crop;
- Starting from the second year of life, feed the grapes with liquid mineral and organic fertilizers, especially during the flowering period.
Characteristics of bunches:
The bunches are large, the average weight is 0.7-1.5 kilograms. In those cases, if the care of the bush includes the normalization of shoots and bunches, then the weight of each brush can grow up to 2500 grams. Under favorable pollination conditions, the density of the bunches is higher than average, but more often it is average. The clusters themselves are conical, elongated, often branching. In length they reach 30-40 centimeters.
Output
Having made a detailed description of the grape variety presented in the article, the conclusion suggests itself that it is best to grow it in regions with winter temperatures rarely exceeding -23, maximum -25 degrees, and despite the fact that the variety was bred for the relatively cold climate of the CIS countries, residents of the northern regions should be abandoned. Otherwise, the variety is recommended to all grape lovers, including beginners, as it forgives many mistakes, and consistently brings several kilograms of berries from one bush, even if some rules in its content are not followed.
Testimonials
In addition to general information about the Bazhen grape, as well as the abundance of its photos, you should familiarize yourself with the opinion of gardeners who have already experienced it, which most often consists of reviews of the following type:
- Victor, 31 years old. The grapes make me happy with a bountiful harvest for 3 years in a row, and this despite the fact that the last year I did not fertilize it at all, and also forgot to insulate it in winter. The variety freely withstood the temperature of -21 degrees, which stood for about a month and a half. I recommend this particular variety for planting;
- Katya, 34 years old. I planted grapes about 4 years ago in my summer cottage, which is located not far from Kharkov, and so I want to note that I have no complaints about this variety, except for its weak frost resistance. So, this winter, the entire vineyard simply froze out, and this is at a short-term winter temperature of -27 degrees, which lasted only a couple of nights. I recommend this variety only to residents of the southern regions;
- Lisa, 48 years old. The Bazhena grape is my favorite in terms of cultivation and sale. The fact is that I sell my crops in the market and also deliver them to supermarkets. So, this variety has excellent properties in terms of crushing, and retains its original shape for a long time, even during long-term transportation.The fact is that the fruits are very tightly attached to the stem, and almost never get rid of it on their own, due to which it is possible to achieve similar properties. If you are a beginner and want to start a grape business, I would recommend Bazhena grapes for you, as one of the simplest, but at the same time delicious and beautiful to look at.
Grade Gift to Zaporizhzhia
Grape Gift to Zaporozhye has an early ripening period (approximately 130-140 days):
- The bunches are large enough (600 g - 2 kg) with aligned, large, elongated, closely picked berries.
- The average berry size is 33 x 25 mm, weight is 10-20 g.
- The sugar content is on average 16-18%.
- The acidity is 6-8 g / l.
- The pulp is fleshy and very juicy, with a pleasant taste reminiscent of an apple.
The flowers are functionally feminine, but even under unfavorable conditions they are very well pollinated.
Grapes Gift Zaporozhye tolerates transportation well, but the bunches must be placed in a box one by one. This variety is quite suitable for long-term storage. This is a dessert type of grape with sweet fruits, crispy and firm pulp and delicate skin.
Breeding history
Bazhena is a hybrid obtained 10 years ago as a result of crossing two varieties: Arcadia (also known as Nastya) and Gift to Zaporozhye.
Did you know? For the first time, grapes began to be grown in the Middle East (in Western Asia), as well as in the Caucasus and on the territory of modern Turkey and Iran. The history of the cultivation of this plant is from 6 to 8 thousand years.
Bazhena's “progenitors”:
| Bazhena | Arcadia | Moldova |
| Cardinal | ||
| Gift to Zaporizhzhia | Kesha-1 | |
| Tsytsa steady | ||
| Esther |
The author of Bazhena is the famous breeder V. Zagorulko, who lives and works in the village of Kamenskoye, Zaporozhye region, and over the past fifteen years has created many successful varieties and hybrids, distinguished by large fruits and bunches, as well as early ripening periods.
Yield
As already mentioned in Bazhena, 1 bunch can be from 0.7 to 1.5 kg, and there are also giants up to 2 kg. It takes only 7 to 10 days to form berries. Until September 10, the bushes are harvested. It's great that the flowers self-pollinate - this guarantees a constant and high yield.
On 1 branch, if not cut off, 3-4 clusters can grow, but experienced gardeners advise leaving 1-2.
Ripe grapes are collected in baskets, and then carefully transferred to boxes. They put them in the basement or in the cellar on top of each other. To ensure excellent ventilation, beams are placed under the bottom drawer. It may be stored for up to 1 month, a little more.
Early grape varieties do not last long. They are immediately eaten, juice is squeezed out of them, compotes are boiled. The bunches can also be stored in the vegetable section of the refrigerator. Within a week, two of them are better to eat. Most often, such delicious grapes are quickly eaten by the whole family.
Testimonials
Lera.
We have been dealing with this variety for several years now. It hibernates quite well, we cover it. I have not yet encountered diseases, although I always process it. I don't really like sweet varieties, so I really like Bazhena. The sweetness is minimal, well, just what the grapes should have.
Dmitriy.
Today we bought a couple of bunches in the market. Previously, it was not, this is a new delivery. To my taste, I strongly reminded Arkady. At first I even thought that they had put the wrong name by mistake, but no, I read it on the Internet, however, they are very similar to each other.
