Grapes and rose. Why are they good around. Grapes: the pros and cons of joint plantings with other plants What is better to plant near the grapes

Many gardeners are sure that growing grapes is a rather difficult task, accessible to the “chosen ones”. We continue to refute this fundamentally wrong opinion. In the article "Smart Vineyard: Rooting Without Problems" we learned how to get an excellent annual seedling from cut cuttings in one season. In this article, we will talk about how to properly plant this seedling so that in the next 7-8 years there will be no problems with the power of the bush and its formation. This time we will figure out what katar is, how to properly maintain the soil in the vineyard and what plants can and cannot be planted next to the vine.

So, your cuttings are rooted and feel great. In autumn, these annual seedlings can be planted on permanent place, and this must be done in such a way that it would be necessary to water and feed the vine only two or three times during the summer. Experienced growers believe that a sustainable and strong vineyard can only be created through the organization of specially designed planting pits or trenches, equipped with deep watering and good drainage. How can this be done correctly?

Landing on Karasev

This method has been tested by many years of experience and provides good development bush with any method of formation. It is important to follow two basic rules here, which are that, firstly, the roots should not be buried more than 40 centimeters - this will contribute to timely heating and will not slow down the growth of the bush. Secondly, the roots must have a large supply of moisture, which can only be achieved at great depths. This seemingly contradiction can be avoided if the landing pits are properly equipped.

The depth of such a hole should be 70 cm, width - 40 cm, length - 80 cm, it should be extended in the direction from south to north. The dug earth is folded into a certain place, where it mixes with sand and humus (sand - one bucket, humus - two). Then we make drainage: at the bottom of the pit we pour a shovel of ash, on top of which a layer of gravel, crushed stone or expanded clay is laid 10 cm thick (this will be about 3.5 buckets).

On the south side of the pit, a piece of pipe with a diameter of 10-15 cm is stuck into the gravel - any one (plastic, asbestos-cement) will do. The length of the pipe should be such that it rises 7-10 cm above the soil surface. After that, various sticks and planks are laid on the gravel so that our drainage does not float with the earth from the very beginning.

Next, we fill the pit with a layer of earth mixed with sand and humus 20 cm high, and 10-15 cm north of the pipe we make a small mound, put a seedling on it, while spreading the roots well, and completely fill the pit with earth. When planting, the seedling must be tilted from the pipe to the center of the pit - this will provide it with good heating. When planting, the two lower buds are necessarily buried in the ground, one or two are left on the surface, depending on the intended formation of the future vine. We will talk in more detail about the formation methods in the following articles.

A bush planted in this way does not need to be fertilized in the first year, it is only necessary to water it, for which we pour 1-2 buckets of water into the pipe every week until mid-summer, depending on weather conditions. It is easy to water through the pipe, the water does not evaporate, and its consumption is much less. On the next year in the same way can be delivered to the roots organic fertilizers and various other supplements.

The pipe must be covered from above with a brick or tin can, this will protect it from clogging and getting inside any living creatures, for example, frogs or toads. In subsequent years, it is necessary to water and “feed” a bush planted in this way according to the usual scheme, which we will consider in more detail in the following articles.

Galkin trenches

The organization of special trenches, 70 cm deep, 30-40 cm wide, the length can be arbitrary, will help to enlarge the formation, strengthen the bushes and increase the amount of the crop. Drainage (crushed stone, expanded clay, gravel) 10 cm thick is also poured into the bottom of the trench, and pipes are installed every four meters. To prevent the drainage from swimming, slate or boards are laid on top of it, from above this entire “construction” is filled with earth mixed with sand and humus at the rate of 4:2:1 (earth, humus, sand, respectively).

Grape bushes are planted in ordinary pits on both sides of the trench at a distance of a meter and a half. The effect in this case is even better, since the trench is a huge container with an improved environment common to all roots. The roots of young seedlings very quickly find their way into the trench and develop well there, which helps to increase the power of the bush, which means that the amount of the crop also increases.

Watering such a vineyard is simple - put a hose into the pipe, and water flows all night, the number of necessary irrigations for the whole summer is from 2 to 4, depending on the weather.

It should be noted that if you have loose fertile soils, then drainage is not necessary, you can fill the pits or trenches with well-ripened humus.

What is a cathartic and why is it needed (or not needed)

Under the cataract should be understood the removal of the surface (dew) roots of the vine, which are dew collectors. Let's figure out whether it is necessary to carry out cataring in your vineyard, find out its pros and cons.

Experienced growers remove surface roots for the following reasons:

phylloxera often clings to them;
they are always damaged by drought;
if at the end of summer, after dry weather, the air humidity rises sharply, the surface roots quickly collect moisture, which leads to significant cracking of the berries.

However, experts believe that carrying out katarovka is not always useful for grapes:

Firstly, the removal of dew roots is always wounds and stress for the plant, after cutting off the surface roots, some shoots may droop right before our eyes, since they fed on them. In addition, if the weather is damp and cool, a cathartic can contribute to the development of such dangerous disease like cancer of grapes. We will talk more about grape medicine in the following articles.
Secondly, in areas with heavy compacted soils, surface roots are simply necessary for grapes, especially in places with high level groundwater. When ground water rises too high, the deep roots suffer from a lack of oxygen, and the vine survives precisely at the expense of the surface roots, which serve as a kind of buffer that balances the soil water surges.

And in order for the surface roots not to lose moisture in dry weather, the soil under the bushes needs to be mulched. Mulch conserves water well and improves soil structure and fertility. More about this is described in the article "Organic farming: stop destroying the earth by digging and weeding". The mulched earth absorbs moisture from the air and contributes to its precipitation in the form of dew, respectively, moisture jumps are smoothed out, and dew roots do not suffer, in addition, cracking of berries is not observed during heavy precipitation.

How to properly maintain the soil in the vineyard

From the foregoing, we can draw some conclusions about the content of the soil under the grape bushes.

First of all, we organize “smart” pits or trenches to create an optimal watering and nutrition regime. Then we mulch the soil under the bushes with any available at hand. organic materials(straw, sawdust, husk, hay, cut grass). Aisles can be lawned or beds can be arranged there for growing various vegetables. About what can and cannot be planted near the grapes, we will talk a little later.

In any case, it is best to separate the lawn from the mulch with a border made of anything (boards, bricks, slate). If this is not done, there will never be order in your vineyard - the mulch will spill out into the aisles, and the weeds will crawl under the grape bushes.

If the weeds between the rows are mowed twice a month, they will disappear very quickly, giving way to meadow grasses, which are not only not afraid of mowing, but grow even better after it, as a result of which you will have a wonderful lawn between the grapes.

If you decide to organize a garden bed for vegetables between the rows, it is also better to enclose it with a border and raise it a little. More about this is described in the article "Organic farming: how to lay smart beds". However, not all vegetable crops can be grown next to the vine.

Useful and harmful grape neighbors

Allelopathy is the science of plants that studies their influence on each other in the process of joint growth. We talked about this in the article "Organic farming: intensive planting".

Regarding grapes, the well-known Austrian viticulturist Lenz Moser began extensive scientific experiments on this topic back in the forties of the last century. Even then, he noticed that different weeds affect the vine in different ways. For example, shepherd's purse and wood lice help the bushes develop, and yarrow, tansy, and wormwood weaken grapes. At first, Moser associated the oppression of the bushes with the fact that weeds take away moisture and nutrition from them, but then he noticed that even single weeds affect the condition of the grapes very strongly. It was noticed that the bushes weakened by harmful neighbors froze out in winter along with the roots, while the vine, overgrown with shepherd's purse, legumes or cereals, tolerated the cold normally.

The same can be said about growing various vegetables next to grapes. For example, where soybeans grew, the shoots stretched up to 1.2 meters in length, and freezing was no more than 3%, and if potatoes were planted next to the grapes, the length of the shoots was no more than half a meter, and up to 22% of the bushes were frozen. Thus, Moser conducted a large number of experiments and tested 174 cultural and wild plants. The conclusion became obvious - some cultures stimulate the growth of grapes and increase its resistance to cold and disease, while others, on the contrary, inhibit vine. It should also be noted that bushes growing on clean soil were not always more developed than those under which plants useful for grapes grew.

Useful plants most often grown in gardens include: dill, cucumber, sorrel, peas, onions, radishes, cabbage of any variety, table beets, strawberries, melons. Of the flowers, asters, forget-me-nots, phloxes, and primroses are most useful for grapes.

Plants such as: parsley, eggplant, peppers of various varieties, potatoes, sunflowers, tomatoes, various varieties of lettuce, corn, from flowers - clematis, marigolds (calendula), cornflower, field bindweed should not be planted near grapes.

Organizing a vineyard, you should pay attention to this Special attention and plant next to the grapes only those crops that will contribute to its better growth and development.

So, now we know how to choose the most suitable grade or root a cutting of a vine we like by cutting it off at a neighbor's dacha. We figured out how to properly plant a young bush in order to provide it with nutrition and moisture for for a long time. We can now choose how to keep the soil under the bushes, and we know which plants can not and which should be planted next to the vine. It should be noted that when planting grapes, it is not at all necessary to organize a specially designated area for this, you can simply put a bush on a gazebo in the yard - but these are questions related directly to the formation. In the next article, we will take a closer look at this most difficult procedure for most gardeners. To be continued...

The neighbor living behind the door opposite is a master of gold, always ready to help, not like an elderly neighbor, from below, constantly breaking into a cry and collecting gossip about everything and everyone. This alignment happens not only in people, but also in grapes.

With some plants, he gets along well side by side, receiving only benefit from their neighborhood, but he cannot get along with other representatives of the flora, drooping from longing and a reduced number nutrients in the soil.

Grapes and pears are great neighbors

Even experienced gardeners sometimes begin to wonder: will the grapes like this - this is a plant, a bush with berries, onions, vegetables, other varieties of grapes, or is it better not to risk it and plant them in different corners of the garden, preferably opposite ones. In order to deal with doubts, this review was created. Below you will find out what grapes are ready to establish friendly relations with, and which plants can break out with hostilities. Beginning gardeners will also learn why to plant different plants next to each other.

Be friends with your neighbor, but hold on to your sword

Allelopathy - the science of friendship and enmity

Allelopathy is the property of closely growing vegetables, bushes and other plants to influence each other. The main culprit is chemical substances, secreted by each plant and forming a kind of biochemical protection: it is they who affect the neighbors quietly growing nearby. The influence can be either positive, stimulating the growth of a neighbor, say grapes, or negative, suppressing its development. The substances secreted by the green creature are composed of many elements, including sugars, acids, essential oils and toxins.

Allelopathy is important for people involved in agriculture, and is not important on an industrial scale or locally. Knowledge of this science will help summer residents to correctly place on small area vegetables, herbs and greens, thereby increasing the yield.

Bad neighbors of grapes: calendula (marigold), parsley, yarrow, clary sage

Pests are a real scourge for any dacha. They penetrate anywhere and everywhere. Having dug their teeth into their favorite onions, cabbage or grapes, they quickly spread through the garden, and if measures are not taken in time, you can forget about a chic harvest. The secret is that pests find their victims by smell.

If you plant, as an example, garlic or dill, then you can practically not worry about the vines.

The influence of neighbors on each other can be more complex than just negative and positive. So, corn planted with legumes will grow much slower than its counterparts, but the harvest will be richer.

Criterias of choice

The choice of what to plant with what is based on the following criteria:

In cramped and offended. It is recommended to arrange landings in such a way that they do not crowd, taking away crumbs of space from each other. Guides can be found in stores or on the Internet explaining how much space should be left between vegetables and bushes.

Good grape neighbors: dill, hyacinth, yarrow, strawberry

Light. Plants are desperately fighting for light, because it is the basis of their life. Many representatives of the flora are light-loving, so the main thing here is not to plant a light-loving, but low plant in the shade of a tall one. But some feel great living under other plants - which means that this greenery prefers shade to the sun. The former include dill, cabbage, and eggplant, and should be planted with neighbors of similar size. Basil, cumin, carrots - they like sparse shade and can be planted under dill, which gives enough light. Mint and periwinkle will not feel pinched if planted in dense shade.

Cabbage is an unfortunate neighbor, as grapes take away its light

soil and moisture. Useful substances and moisture are collected by the roots and nourish the plant. The lack of these elements turns into a depressed state, sores and slow dying. In human settlements where famine began, the locals, out of desperation, engaged in cannibalism and fought fiercely with each other for every moldy piece of bread. The same can be said about plants, but if only the strong and cunning survive in nature, then in the country the gardener can correct strict laws and avoid the death of participants in the struggle for food.

Legumes and grapes nearby grow well

“Correct” means to conduct a strict selection for the title of a neighbor, as simply abundant moistening of the earth and its enrichment with fertilizers good results will not give. Some vegetables, instead of stopping squabbling, grow a branching root system, which does not stop their spores. In addition, not all vegetables turn out tasty on rich soil: an excess is just as harmful as a lack.

Therefore, when choosing neighbors for grapes, the first thing to pay attention to is the roots and nutrient requirements.

Less dependent on other plants in the garden, vegetables with deep roots, in contrast to vegetables with a root system that lies close to the surface.

Care difference. Different cultures differ from each other in terms of care requirements. Some plants need a lot of moisture, others come from dry areas and do not like water. So, let's say cucumbers need a lot of water so as not to become bitter in taste, but onion excessive moisture is harmful, so planting these two vegetables together is a bad idea.

Corn is a very bad neighbor. because it takes nutrients

Crops also create inconvenience in terms of harvesting: one is already ready for use, and the other needs a little more time to ripen, as a result, the hand inadvertently grabs unripe fruits.

Choosing friends

In fact, there are a lot of plants with which grapes feel comfortable on the same bed. Best neighbors, TOP variations:

Helps get rid of excess moisture drainage system, or you can raise the bed with strawberries higher. The distance between berries and trellises varies from 50 cm to 1 meter.

Other grape varieties - but this issue should be considered separately.

Relationships of varieties

Novice growers are in no hurry to plant wards together different varieties. A justified fear, because cultivation takes more than one year. A person who has not planted this crop has to delve into everything according to books and advice from experienced people, he is surrounded by a sea of conflicting information, among which in the first place are the requirements made by vines to their owner - guardian. The fears are unfounded. Different varieties feel great together.

Different varieties of grapes bear fruit well side by side

The tradition of planting grape bushes together is connected with the nature of this plant. Varieties are bisexual and female.

The former pollinate themselves with their own fertile pollen. In female varieties, pollen is not fertile, that is, defective, sterile, it is not suitable for pollinating flowers, and without this, ovaries are not formed, and the harvest will not work. It is advantageous to plant female varieties together with pollinating varieties: a neighbor will pollinate the flowers of a sterile companion and contribute to the emergence of the crop. Pollination by an outside bush will also benefit and the yield from such a neighborhood will be higher, the berries will turn out larger and tastier.

Properly place together varieties that have the same fruiting time.

Whether enemies or friends

Onions, radishes and sorrel, beets and strawberries are not the only neighbors that have a beneficial effect; flowers, say pansies or asters, can be included in the list. Ambiguous compatibility with roses, fruit trees and shrubs. Roses in the old days were often planted between bushes with grape berries to protect them from being trampled by free-roaming cattle. Now that the problem with horses and cows is almost settled, there is one more reason why it is worth planting thorny flowers with grapes.

Mildew disease is a terrible nightmare for winegrowers, destroying their offspring and the fruits of hard work in the bud. Roses are also susceptible to this disease, and even to a greater extent, and if they are settled near the vineyards, between them, the flowers can be used as an alarm and a call for the mobilization of the viticultural team. Roses will also warn of an excess of heavy metals in the ground and decorate the garden with their presence.

Grapes and roses suffer from the same diseases, so they should be planted away from each other.

Fruit trees are another controversial neighborhood. Vines, no matter what variety, need sunlight, but if you plant them in a circle of shadow falling from the crown, growth problems will begin. The second problem is at the underground level. The roots of the tree are powerful and developed, the grape roots have nothing to oppose them. Tree roots will take away the lion's share of nutrients from their neighbor and the productivity of the latter will noticeably lag behind the bar. Almost the only fruit tree that summer residents can plant near the vines is a pear.

Pear is a recognized neighbor for grapes, both plants are tolerant of each other.

Neighborhood with currants and raspberry bushes is acceptable until the effect that the smell of bushes can have on vines and their fruits has not been studied. Indirect harm to the roots of the latter will bring care for currant bushes - they need regular watering in the summer, unlike grape roots. As a result, additional, dewy roots of the latter will develop to the detriment of the main ones, and this will lead to sad consequences from cracking berries to lowering frost resistance.

Currant - a neutral neighbor for grapes

Beware of Enemies

It is worth noting the fact that not all summer residents agree on the beneficial and negative impact plants to each other. Some believe that the sorrel and onion, noted in this article as useful plants actually harm the grapes. A recommendation is advice, and a garden is a garden of strife. In one dacha, the onion is a wonderful neighbor, and in the other, it is a blood enemy that has to be uprooted with a fight. Watch the behavior of the green wards and be sensitive to changes in their well-being, such tactics will help to avoid trouble.

Nettle is an antagonist of grapes and depresses it very much

You can not plant potatoes, eggplants and capsicum with grape bushes.

Weeds can be both pests and beneficial neighbors. If you plant bushes on bare ground, they will grow "with a creak" - slowly and sadly, lagging behind their counterparts growing on a green carpet. Grass acts as a kind of fertilizer for the soil, enriches it, saving it from overdrying and hardening. On bare ground, vines will not survive. WITH back side, weeds were not called weeds for their pretty eyes. Grass takes away nutrients from young plantings, which is why they cannot develop and grow at a normal pace, so an excess of weeds is just as harmful as their complete absence. The size of the weeds also matters: along the tall grass, pests deftly move from the ground to low-hanging clusters.

Weeds protect grapes from drying out

Good neighborhood is good for vines. Sow strawberries, radishes, but make sure that their presence is to the taste of the bushes.

No matter how much you say that grapes do not like competitors, but gardeners still try to save on space and plant neighbors to the grapes. In order to do less harm at the same time, let's remember which plants are compatible with grapes.

USEFUL

Sorrel, carrots, peas, White cabbage, cauliflower, radish, table beet, melon, radish, strawberry, cucumber, dill, beans, onion.

NEUTRAL

Cherry, pear, plum, apple tree, garlic, pumpkin, lettuce, garden purslane.

MILD HARMFUL

Parsley, eggplant, potatoes, capsicum, celery, gooseberries, physalis, caraway seeds.

HARMFUL

By by and large- these are all weeds: dandelion, wormwood, wheatgrass, plantain, bindweed, nightshade, yarrow, nettle.

And also, oddly enough, most flowers are harmful - marigolds, clematis, cornflower.

Contraindicated for grapes and lawn grass, however, like horseradish, corn, tomato, sunflower, cut onions.

But the most harmful neighbor for grapes is a walnut.

In addition, any neighbors root system located closer to the soil surface than grapes. They will have to be watered more often, which means that the grapes will develop superficial roots. Among other side effects, this will lead to cracking of the berries during ripening.

Of particular note is the proximity of grape plantations to fruit trees. If they are placed near the roots, the grapes will suffer from shading. Even if you plant grapes at a small distance from the trees, then after a while the roots of the trees will penetrate into it, and the vine will compete with them. Therefore, it is better to plant grapes at a distance of 1.5-2 m from the periphery of the crown.

Many gardeners are faced with the fact that there is less and less space on the site, and I want to plant many different crops. I see only two ways out of this situation: either by an effort of will to limit unbridled desire, or to find some new ways to increase the "opportunities" of the beds. For example, grow other crops along with grapes.

First conclusions

About three years ago, we disbanded the bed with a remontant garden strawberries located next to the vineyard. Some whiskers survived, as they managed to crawl under the vine bushes. There the strawberries took root and grew. She felt great, although the harvest of berries was meager. Grapes clearly liked the neighborhood with strawberries. Self-sowing dill grew well nearby. Apparently, such a neighborhood did not irritate the grapes. The garlic planted nearby was powerful and tall, although its heads were smaller than we expected. Perhaps this is a coincidence, but there were no wasps on the side of the vineyard where the garlic was located. The eggplants were the worst. Seedlings planted between grape bushes weakened and practically did not increase in size. I had to remove it. Several vines under which she was planted had problems. These unsystematized observations of the joint cultivation of grapes and other crops became the beginning of a serious study of this issue.

The mutual influence of plants is of interest to many gardeners and gardeners. We all know that plants can help their neighbors, make them feel worse, or maintain a neutral relationship. Fierce wars are sometimes waged not only on the surface of the beds, but also underground. Where the roots are. We are not talking about a mass seizure of territories, when the main culture has neither a place nor a normal diet. Even can influence single plants growing nearby.

To figure out whether it is worth planting grapes together with other crops or keeping them isolated from them, the books of N. Kurdyumov and Lenz Moser helped me. The work "Viticulture in a new way" by the famous Austrian winegrower Lenz Moser confirmed my observations and the reliability of the opinions of familiar Ukrainian and Moldovan gardeners. In addition, the vast experience of this practice made it possible to substantiate bold conclusions. He warned that it is important to take into account the location of the site, the original soil structure, the age and nature of the formation of grapes, the season, climate and many other circumstances. Such a huge amount of factual material was analyzed that the experience of Lenz Moser is trustworthy.

Grape Friends

There are many plants that improve the condition of grapes. Lenz Moser wrote:

The opinion that the vine grows best on bare ground is just an old superstition. ... Grains get along well with the roots of the vine. Low-growing species of clover, vetch, pea, quinoa, veronica and so on also do no harm. Woodlice, stonecrops, some mosses even contribute to the growth of the vine.

Here is a list of plants that affect grapes positively. They are listed in alphabetical order:

Asters, arabis (alpine rezuha), aubriecia, horse beans, spring vetch, viola ( Pansies), gypsophila (kachim), peas, field buckwheat, doriknium, medicinal fumes, melon, strawberries, cereals (many), common ragwort, onion, alfalfa, mallow (forest and neglected mallow), chard, wood lice (star), forget-me-nots, cucumbers, stonecrop (white and hare cabbage), garden purslane, primrose (primrose), radish, soft wheat, mignonette, rye, beetroot (table and sugar), skortionera (black root), soybeans, prickly tartar (thistle), dill, phlox drummonda, cauliflower, large celandine, garden spinach, sorrel, sainfoin, multi-leaved ulcer.

Enemies of the grape

There are other less desirable plants for grapes. Lenz Moser remarked:

Wild field radish, shepherd's purse, field mustard, bluebells, field sow thistle, large nettle, carrots, celery, blueberries, bitter wormwood, St. John's wort and others harm the vine.

The list of these plants is also rather big. I list them in alphabetical order:

Amaranth (amaranth), eggplant, milkweed (hairy, black, etc.), thistle (thistle), blue cornflower, field bindweed, small-flowered galinsog, gaillardia, carnation, mountaineer, medicinal goulyavnik, elecampane, calendula (marigold), potatoes, clematis (clematis), nettle (all kinds), leek, flaxseed, white gauze, Canadian small-flowered, cypress spurge, hemp, corn, bluegrass meadow, dandelion, parsley, capsicum (sweet and bitter), black nightshade, tansy, plantain (large, lanceolate), sunflower, wormwood (common, field, bitter), millet, couch grass, ryegrass, lettuce, colza, tomatoes, yarrow, horseradish, fragrant chin, chives, curly sorrel, blue foxtail, green (setaria), field chick.

weeds

Weeds are both among the enemy plants and among the grape friends. Lenz Moser noted:

The bushes that grew on weed-free soil were almost half stunted, and the soil itself was bare, stony, and hard, while nearby it was soft and loose. On row-spacings without green manure, the soil could only be cultivated when it was wet, and large lumps were turned out, which dried out the next day. The harvest of these bushes was not as bad as one might expect, taking into account the growth of the above-ground part of the bushes. Subsequently, I stopped the experiment and sowed abundant green fertilizer, as I realized that without this, the bushes would die in about 10 years.
Weed growth in spring and in the first half of summer takes away a lot of nutrients and moisture from the grapes. At this time, there is an intensive growth of above-ground and underground parts of the bushes. It is necessary to process row-spacings in plantings of annual and biennial bushes. “But from the third year of row spacing, it is already possible to sow grasses. For this purpose, mixtures of low-growing clover species, park turf mixture or other low-growing grasses, such as wood lice, daisies, etc., can be used. ... You can leave naturally growing weeds in the vineyard, if they are not malicious. If sow thistle, wheatgrass or bluebells predominate among them, it is better to use sowing cultivated plants to prevent the wide spread of malicious weeds, since their foci are very difficult to eliminate.

An interesting clarification:

There is no need to cultivate the soil in close proximity to the trunk and roots. In many cases, this is even dangerous, as damage to plants is possible.

Weeds also have to be removed with low formation and with dense planting of bushes.

Here we must completely destroy the weeds, primarily due to mildew. If the weeds grow into clusters and even outgrow them, the clusters die from the fungus, despite all means of protection. It was not so in the old days. Before the appearance of mildew in the vineyards, our neighbors "cultivated" mainly wild millet, as well as some other weeds, and successfully used them as forage grasses. There is no doubt that it is thanks to this vegetation that the vineyards have remained healthy for centuries.

In 1941 - 1943, Lenz Moser was not able to take care of the vineyard (about 0.5 hectares), which was located on a mountainous area. The land was overgrown with tall weeds: thistles, nettles, quinoa, etc. However, the vineyards occupied by herbs grew, they managed to be preserved during the war years practically without damage.

Green fertilizers

For grapes, it is important that the soil is structured. The roots of green manure plants “penetrate deep into the soil, thus creating a connection between deep soil horizons and the external environment. When these roots die, the cavities left after them quickly fill the roots of the grapes, which find nutrients here in an easily digestible form. After incorporation, the green mass and roots decompose, turning into the best and cheapest humus.” And since the roots of such plants penetrate very deep (up to two meters), when they decompose, the nutrients are at great depths.

As a green fertilizer, it is possible to sow vetch, peas, oats, barley, buckwheat, fodder cabbage, rye, wheat, alfalfa, reps and some other fast-growing crops that give a lot of green mass from the end of July. In autumn they are smelled. In the spring, the grasses can use up the winter rainfall moisture that the grapes need.

Lenz Moser attached great importance to the fact that in the soil of the vineyards lived earthworms.

The vineyard, in the soil of which there are a lot of earthworms, is in good condition, but in the absence of them, the development of vine bushes worsens. If densely growing plants sown on green manure are rolled up and left dormant for several weeks, they form an excellent cover on the soil surface.

Under it, earthworms are bred in huge quantities. In soils poor in humus, they are almost absent.

In order for the grasses in spring and in the first half of summer not to take a lot of moisture and nutrients from the grape bushes, they should be mowed regularly, leaving a green mass on the soil. Over time, the cover layer will build up - the basis of humus, which inhibits the growth of grasses.

In the ninth year after the sowing of grasses, a humus layer 6-8 cm thick covering the soil was formed in the vineyard, and the soil was as soft as Persian rug, thanks to which it completely absorbs the moisture of even the largest precipitation, soil erosion or water runoff, even on steep slopes, is completely excluded.

Lenz Moser noted that such a technique is possible only with mature and strong grape bushes. Their harvest is greatly increased. In young and weak bushes, some growth suppression may be observed at first. For example, barley inhibits the growth of seedlings, but later only brings benefits.

Some of the conclusions drawn by Lenz Moser seem very bold. The author understood this very well. People who visited his vineyards "said that they would never have believed anything like this if they had not seen it with their own eyes."

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The neighborhood of some plants is favorable. For example, basil can help grapes develop more actively, and rose can resist pests.

Experience of Lenz Moser: what to plant with grapes

Significant research on the compatibility of plants with grapes was carried out by the famous Austrian wine grower Lenz Moser, who tested more than 170 cultivated and wild plants and presented his findings in the book “Viticulture in a new way”. The vine growing on his clean soil did not always feel better than with its neighbors. Grapes overwintered and developed better when its row-spacings were tinned with certain plants, or they grew nearby. Different weeds also affected the grapes in different ways. On the control inter-row spacings, Moser constantly kept the soil clean, on the rest he destroyed the weeds from March to July, but from August the weeds grew freely there, they were plowed in late autumn. The result was visible from afar - bushes that grew on soil without weeds were almost twice as slow in growth. Moser advised vine growers who cannot sow green manure from the list of useful cereals to leave naturally growing weeds in the vineyard, if they are not malignant. If among them there are more sow thistles, wheatgrass or bluebells, it is better to use the sowing of cultivated plants. Even solitary weeds of this type, growing close to the grape trunk, had an unfavorable effect, and no less strongly than their whole groups.

Modern Observations: What Depresses Grapes

Many growers agree with Moser's observations that calendula (marigold) inhibits young seedlings and even adult grapes when adjacent within a radius of up to 3 m. There is no disagreement that yarrow and parsley negatively affect young seedlings (you can notice a clear developmental delay), but there is no noticeable negative effect on adult grapes. It is clearly harmful for grapes to be closer than 3 meters to perennial colored peas and clary sage.

Modern observations: what helps grapes

Dill, sorrel, celandine and strawberries have a good effect on the vine - seedlings next to them get sick less. Where sorrel grows, both mature grapes and young seedlings give stronger growth even with insufficient watering. Add to the compatible (neutral) bulbs - hyacinths, daffodils, tulips. Basil, borage and spinach contribute to the intensive growth and development of grapes, as they contain a biologically active substance - saponin.

Grapes and roses

It is known that in Europe for a long time at the beginning of the vine row (or in front of the trellis) a rose bush was planted. It seemed that the roots of such a beautiful neighborhood lie in tradition medieval Europe. The horses grazed where they wanted, but when they pricked themselves on a thorny rose bush, they turned back and did not trample the vineyards. Yes, and therefore also. But also in memory of a later sad event, when the grape pest - phylloxera, brought to Europe from the New World in the 19th century, destroyed almost all the vineyards of France and neighboring countries. Roses and grapes in the garden are ideal neighbors. And they have the same agricultural technology, and shelter (for covering varieties). The rose bush at the beginning of the row shows if the vine is healthy. They have the same pests and diseases, and the rose falls ill first, as an indicator warning of the danger threatening the grapes, and the grower can have time to do preventive treatments. There are far fewer diseases and pests in the grape north than in the south, but still they exist.