Classic universal grape variety “Vostorg”

Breeders are constantly working on grapes, crossing varieties and hybrids with each other. Thanks to this, wild plants with small tart berries turned into plants with large, sweet and aromatic fruits. Some of them are especially tasty fresh as a dessert on their own, while others are best suited for making wines and drinks.

There are also universal varieties. Delight is one of them. It is highly resistant to negative environmental factors and has large, aromatic fruits. What else is attractive about Delight and what varieties were bred on its basis, you will learn from the article.

General description of the grape variety Delight

Delight is an old strain. It was bred by crossing Russian Early, Zarya Severa, and Dolores. It was included in the State Register in 1922.

Delight is suitable for cultivation in most regions of our country, including Siberia and the Urals. It is also popular in Belarus, the Baltic states, and Ukraine.

Description of the grape variety Delight:

1. Bush. Medium-vigorous. Good ripening of shoots, of which up to 85% are fruitful. On a properly formed grape bush, up to 45 eyes are formed. The trunk and branches are powerful and durable. They bend, but do not break under the weight of the berries.
2. Leaves. The leaf blades are large, light green, with jagged edges.
3. Berries. Medium size, round-oval shape. The size of each reaches 27x24 cm, and the weight is 6-7 g.The fruits are white or cream in color on the shady side and yellow-orange on the sunny side. The skin is dense, but not tough. The pulp is crispy, juicy, non-watery, without mucus. The taste is sweet with a slight sourness, the aroma is rich. Acidity is 5-9 g per 1 liter. Berries contain up to 26% sugars of the total mass. There are a small number of seeds.
4. Bunches. The shape is usually conical, but clusters of irregular shapes are found. They are large, on average the weight ranges from 0.5-1 kg. The weight of the largest of them reaches 2 kg.
5. Immunity. High resistance to gray rot, oidium, mildew and other diseases. There is no immunity to phylloxera.
6. Productivity. High. An average of 8 kg of crop is harvested from one bush.
7. Maturation terms. Early. 105-120 days. Ripe berries hang on the bush and do not fall off for up to 2 months.
8. Drought resistance. Average.
9. Frost resistance. High. The plant tolerates frosts down to –25°C.
10. Bloom. Abundant. Negative environmental factors, except frost, do not affect this indicator. The flowers are bisexual. With insufficient pollination, the berries become small.
11. Transportability. High. The berries do not crack or wrinkle when transported over long distances.

Gardeners have noticed that Delight is practically not eaten by wasps. This is due to the fact that the berries do not crack and the sweet pulp is hidden under a thick skin.

Varieties based on Vostorg grapes

Many new varieties have been developed based on the Vostorg grapes. Let us consider those of them that retained the name of their ancestor in their name.

All of them are highly frost-resistant and suitable for growing in central Russia. According to reviews from gardeners, the plants are suitable for the conditions of Siberia, the Urals and the Far East.

Note! The colder the climate that Delight grows in, the later its fruits ripen.

Perfect Delight grapes

It differs from its ancestor in later maturation, which takes up to 130 days. The berries are white, larger (up to 10 g) and juicy. Frost resistance is also increased, since the hybrid can withstand cold temperatures down to –30°C without shelter. In warm regions, berries are ready for picking in mid-June, and in cold regions - in mid-August. It has increased resistance to cracking and rotting of fruits.

Muscat delight

An early hybrid of white grapes, the ripening period of which is 100-110 days. The berries are oval, smaller than those of Delight. The weight of each of them is on average 4.5 g. The fruits taste sweeter, since they contain about 28% sugars. Withstands frosts down to -30°C. The fruits are collected immediately after ripening, since they are not stored on the bush. Once assembled, they do not deteriorate for several months. The clusters have a conical or cylindrical shape. The maximum weight of each of them is 750 g.

Delight oval

The ripening period is 110-120 days. It is distinguished by large white oval fruits. The weight of each berry is 10 g. The pulp is sweet and juicy. The clusters have a conical shape. The average weight of each of them reaches 0.8-1 kg. The variety tolerates frosts down to –25°C. Features increased productivity.

Delight black

Relatively young tall hybrid. It is distinguished by the blue-black color of the berries, the weight of each of which reaches 12 g. The skin of the fruit is thin, the pulp is less sweet than that of Delight, since the concentration of sugars reaches only 20-21%. The clusters are cylindrical. The weight of each of them is 1 kg. The largest bunches weigh 2 kg. Has high productivity.

Grapes Delight red

Produces pink fruits. The berries are cone-shaped, slightly sour, sugar content – ​​20%. The weight of each fruit varies between 7-10 g. The clusters are cone-shaped or shapeless. On average they weigh 700-900 g, but can reach 1.5 kg. Withstands cold temperatures down to –25°C. Has immunity to all diseases characteristic of the culture.

Advantages and disadvantages

Delight is one of the most popular grape varieties. This is due to its advantages:

• high frost resistance;
• large sweet fruits;
• high productivity;
• immunity to most diseases characteristic of the culture;
• drought resistance;
• early ripening;
• good keeping quality;
• resistance to cracking and rotting of berries when left on the bush for a long time;
• high transportability.

The variety also has disadvantages. This is the need to form a bush, demands on the composition of the soil, and lack of immunity to phylloxera.

Is wine made from this grape variety?

Delight is a variety that is ideal for making homemade wine. The berries contain enough acids and sugars and almost no mucus.

It is important to pick fully ripe berries, but not to let them hang on the bush when ripe. Overripe, cracked and rotten fruits are not suitable. Therefore, it is important to carefully sort the bunches.

Advice! If the grape fruits are peeled from the branches, the wine will be softer, and if left, it will be tart.

Reproduction

Delight is propagated only vegetatively, since when using seeds, the resulting plants do not retain varietal characteristics.

There are 3 methods of vegetative propagation of grapes:

1. Cuttings. The most common way.The planting material takes root well, but you need to harvest 2 times more branches than the desired number of seedlings.
2. Graft. This method of propagating grapes involves grafting cuttings of Delight onto the rootstock of wildflower or other varieties. In this way, it is possible to obtain a hardy plant that is resistant to all grape diseases. Grafting is considered the most reliable way to grow delight.
3. Root shoots. This is a less common method of propagating grapes. To get planting material, you have to wait a long time and there are not many seedlings. Nevertheless, the root shoots take root well.

For grafting and cuttings, branches 10-12 cm long are cut at an angle from a healthy mother plant that has already bear fruit. They should have at least 2-3 eyes. The cuttings are treated with heteroauxin and a solution of potassium permanganate and stored in a cool place or refrigerator until planting.

Planting seedlings

You can purchase ready-made seedlings of Delight in nurseries and on the market. Choose 1-2 year old planting material. The seedlings should have several branches, healthy living buds, and the root system should be well developed, without rotten or dry roots.

Seedlings are planted in a permanent place in the spring, when the soil warms up, or in the fall after leaf fall. Autumn planting is preferable, since in this case the plant will quickly take root over the winter before spring. When planting in spring, the grapes will need constant care.

For landing choose areas that receive maximum sunlight. Groundwater should lie no closer than 1.5 m to the surface.

The site is prepared a month before planting. It is weeded, dug up and watered with a solution of copper sulfate.

How to plant Delight grape seedlings:

1. Dig holes with a diameter of 60 cm and a depth of 40 cm.
2. Drainage is poured onto the bottom (shell rock, crushed stone, expanded clay).
3. The soil removed from the hole is mixed with 6 kg of rotted manure, 1 kg of ash, 20 g of potassium sulfate and 30 g of superphosphate, and a bag of sand.
4. An earthen mound is formed at the bottom of the hole.
5. The roots of the seedling are soaked for 6 hours in the Kornevin solution. If the root system is of a closed type, then this is not necessary.
6. The seedling is placed in the center of the hole. The roots are evenly distributed around the mound.
7. The soil around the seedling is compacted. Then the grapes are watered with 1-2 buckets of water.
8. The tree trunk circle is covered with mulch. Use hay, straw, peat or humus.

Subtleties of further care

In order for the grapes to fully develop, it is important to properly care for them. The list contains the basic rules:

1. Watering. Although Delight is drought tolerant, it does need watering. In hot, dry summers, grapes are watered 2 times every 7 days. If the summer is rainy, then the amount of watering is reduced. Use settled water at room temperature. 1 liter of water is poured under one plant.
2. Feeding. Fertilizers are applied once a month. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers and manure diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 alternate. Fertilizers are applied the day after watering.
3. Topping. In spring, shoots are pinched, leaving 4-10 eyes on them. Remove excess leaves that shade the bunches. The fewer eyes, the larger the berries will be.
4. Trimming. It is recommended to form a plant in the spring. The grapes are given a crown or spherical shape. In the fall, sanitary pruning is carried out, removing old, damaged and diseased branches.
5. Preparing for winter. In autumn, all leaves and plant debris are removed from the site. The vine is bent to the ground and secured with a bracket. Covering the grapes only if the winter turned out to be frosty but snowless.

Disease and pest control

Delight is immune to most grape diseases. Pests also rarely attack it. Despite this, it is important to follow the following care rules:

1. Site cleaning. Throughout the summer, the soil around the bushes is regularly cleared of weeds - sources of diseases and pests. It is important to carry out autumn cleaning of the site.
2. Trimming. In the fall, sanitary pruning is carried out. The grapes are shaped so that its branches are not located too close to the ground, and the leaves do not create shading.
3. Preventive treatments. In the spring, before flowering, the plant is sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate. The treatment is repeated after heavy rains. Once a month, the grapes are watered with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate. Treatment is also carried out after prolonged rains.
4. Landing. Plantings should not be thickened. The distance between plants is 4-6 m. Before planting, planting material, garden tools and soil must be disinfected.

Harvest and storage

In cold regions, Delight ripens in August, and in warm regions as early as mid-June. It is not necessary to pick the fruits immediately after they ripen. They are able to hang on the bush and not deteriorate for up to 2 months.

The harvest is harvested in dry, sunny weather. Store in a cool place directly on the bunches.

Gardening tips for growing

Most gardeners believe that Delight grapes fully live up to their name. Some of them know a few of his secrets successful cultivation.

Igor, Zheleznogorsk: “I live in the Moscow region and have been growing Delight for 10 years. I've tried many other modern varieties, but this is my favorite. Easily tolerates our cold winters.I noticed that if there is no snow, the vines may freeze. To prevent this from happening, I cover them with film and branches. I use only natural fertilizers - ash and mullein. I bury it right under the bush. I really like the berries, which are great for wine.”

Irina, Sochi: “Delight has been growing on our site since my childhood. Very easy to care for grapes. All that is required of the gardener is to water, feed and shape it on time. Moreover, if you forget about it for a couple of weeks, then nothing bad will happen. I grow grapes for food, so I leave only 5 eyes - this way the berries turn out large.”

Victor, Kursk: “I like Delight Red. It has beautiful pink berries and a sweet-sour, refreshing taste. Easy to care for. It is important to plant it in the sunny part of the garden, since in the shade the fruits turn out sour.”

Conclusion

Delight is an old grape variety that has not lost its relevance to this day. Based on it, many hybrids have been bred. They are united by high frost resistance, tasty, large fruits, and resistance to most diseases.

Caring for grapes is easy. Timely watering, fertilizing and shaping will be enough for the plant to enjoy high yields.