Helios grapes

Every gardener dreams of growing table grapes on his site. For central Russia, this is still a rarity and a source of pride for the owner. The Helios grape variety will help bring the dream closer to reality - it is fruitful, quite cold-resistant, tasty and amazingly beautiful.

VN Krainov, a hereditary winegrower and national breeder, bred many varieties of grapes with remarkable characteristics. One of the best is the Helios or Arcadia pink variety, the parent varieties of which were Nakhodka and Arcadia raisins.

The table hybrid in the grafted and rooted culture is vigorous. The yield and taste have passed from the parental form of Arcadia, the pink color of the berries is a distinctive feature of the new hybrid. The trunk and vines of the grapes are brown, grow rapidly, occupying a significant volume on the site. Young shoots are lighter, golden, burgundy in nodules. The leaf blade is rounded, deep dark green in color, with a pronounced division into lobes.

Strong growth and powerful foliage make it possible to use Helios in decorating and landscaping gazebos, arches, terraces. Advantages of grapes:

• nutmeg taste;

• yield;

• early maturity;

• good immunity;

• transportability and long shelf life;

• lack of peeling and cracking of fruits;

• high marketability;

• not damaged by wasps.

The disadvantage is the variety's need for regular watering and feeding.

The shoots of the variety fully ripen in a season, the cuttings root well and are compatible with any rootstocks.

Helios refers to grapes with an early ripening period - 110-115 days, the first harvest in the southern regions of the country can be harvested in the first decade of August, in a temperate climatic zone - from late August to early September. Experienced gardeners leave the clusters until September when the weather is favorable. This leads to a greater sugar content of the berries, the grapes ripen better.

Large, conical, medium-friable, weight can reach 1.5 kg or more. The average weight is from 600 to 900 g. The grapes in the bunch are loosely adjacent to each other, but due to their size the bunch looks dense.

Large, oval, with a dense pink skin, not prone to cracking, the size is almost the same throughout the brush, 30-35 x 22-24 mm, weighing up to 15 g each. The pulp is dense, fleshy-juicy with 2 bones and eaten skin. Do not crumble. They contain up to 16% sugar, up to 6 g / l of acids. Helios grapes are recommended to be consumed fresh, they make wine, juice, compote from it.

Interesting, harmonious, with a pronounced nutmeg flavor, light fruity and floral notes are felt. The degree of sugar accumulation is high. The juice is colorless.

The hybrid enters the fruiting period in 2-3 years. Helios belongs to the high-yielding varieties, from one bush you can get up to 15 kg, subject to proper care and favorable weather conditions.

Helios is picky about soil, heat and moisture. The soil should be light, loose and nutritious. Acidity in the range of 4.0-8.0 pH.

You can grow a strong and productive vine in a sunny place, closed from cold winds. Grapes planted along the southern or southeastern wall grows well. Strong bushes require a lot of space, so the distance between them or to a neighboring plant of another species should be at least 2.5-3 m.

Agrotechnology for growing a hybrid to achieve the yield declared by the creators:

• watering - in spring, after a winter with little snow at a stable warm temperature, before and after flowering, during the formation of fruits and after harvesting;

• top dressing - mineral fertilizers are applied in spring, organic in spring and autumn;

• mulching - protects the soil under the bushes from drying out (dry chopped grass, straw, sawdust);

• pruning in spring to limit future stress on the vine;

• removal of excess green shoots and leaves during the growing season.

Pouring grapes is not recommended, it can reduce the quality and sugar content of the fruit. The norm to be adhered to is 30 liters per m2 of vineyard. With autumn watering - up to 50 liters per plant.

Due to the early flowering of grapes, returnable spring frosts can lead to the death of flowers and ovaries.

It is allowed to plant seedlings of Helios grapes in spring and autumn. In spring, plants are planted in a soil warmed up to + 10 ° C, the air temperature should be at least + 15 ° C. In order not to risk valuable planting material, it is better to wait until the threat of frost has passed. In autumn, it can be planted 2 weeks before the onset of cold weather and frost.

Planting holes or trenches are prepared in advance, at the same time a trellis is being built. You can plant grapes with cuttings or seedlings.

Planting rules for cuttings:

1. a hole is dug 25 cm deep;

2. the upper fertile part of the soil is removed to a depth of 15 cm, the soil in the pit is loosened to the required depth with a shovel;

3. arrange cuttings of 2 pieces in a hole, cover them with earth so that the upper peephole is at ground level or slightly higher;

4. watered with warm water.

When planting seedlings:

1. pits 80x80 cm in size are being prepared;

2. at the bottom, drainage from expanded clay or gravel is arranged; on the south side of the pit, a pipe is closed up through which water will flow to the roots of the plant;

3. a fertile cushion of soil mixed with mineral fertilizers (superphosphate and potassium), compost is placed on the drainage layer, wood ash is added;

4. a peg is dug in next to the seedling, to which the shoot is tied.

When planting more than 3 seedlings of the Helios hybrid in a row, it is better to arrange a trench 80 cm deep and up to 1 m wide. A fertile cushion is formed along the entire length of the trench. After planting, young plants need regular watering, loosening the top layer and mulching.

Helios belongs to bisexual grape varieties, which means that no special pollination procedures should be carried out. Pollination will take place with the help of wind, pollinating insects. To successfully set berries, warm weather, no precipitation and return frosts during the flowering period are required.

Held every spring, its goal is to prevent overloading the vines, so the plants are pruned, leaving 35-38 eyes for each bush.During the growing season, excess green shoots are regularly removed.

The Helios hybrid is considered to be quite frost-resistant, it is able to withstand temperatures of –21 ... 23 ° C, which is enough for successful cultivation of grapes in the southern regions of Russia. In the middle lane and to the north, the plant needs a mandatory shelter in the winter. The vines are laid on the ground and covered with various types of covering materials, pine spruce branches, fallen leaves.

Helios has a fairly good immunity to oidium, mildew - 3.5 points. It is slightly damaged by phylloxera and wasps.

The hybrid can be stored for a long time in the refrigerator or cellar. In the cellar, grapes are stored in wooden boxes with cracks; it is better to pour sawdust of deciduous trees on the bottom. The bunches are laid in one layer so that they do not touch. It helps the berries to survive by dusting them with straw ash. The grapes are stored by hanging on a wire or wooden lath, in this case the bunch is cut off along with a piece of vine - this prolongs the shelf life of the crop.