Libya grapes are a great variety for your table
There are two regions in Ukraine where the level of viticulture development is quite high - Transcarpathia and southern regions with Crimea. Wine-making is also developed in these regions, and they produce vintage white and red wines. Therefore, it is not surprising that all new varieties are being bred in Ukraine, and breeders are guided not only by the wine industry, but also working on the breeding of table grape varieties. And among the results of their work there are those that are worthy of praise. For example, the Libya grape variety, which you will learn in detail about from this article, where a description of the characteristics of the Libyan grape, strengths and weaknesses will be presented.
Content
Description of the variety
The Libya grape is a hybrid of two table forms of Flamingo and Arcadia, therefore it is also a table grape. Very early variety, ripening period is only 105-115 days. The first crop can be harvested in the third year. The bushes of Libya are vigorous, tall, and have a powerful trunk. Young shoots are light brown. The flower is bisexual, well-developed inflorescences, dense five-lobed leaves.
The clusters are medium-friable, cylindrical in shape, but often branchy are also found, in length they can reach more than 25 centimeters. The shape of the berries is not always the same - most are oval or ovoid in shape, sometimes they are rounded (their size is 25-28 mm in length and 18-20 mm in width, but they weigh 12-15 g). The color of Libya berries is pale pink, some are darker, they contain 1-3 seeds.
Advantages and disadvantages
In addition to the advantages already noted above (early ripening, beautiful clusters, tasty berries), Libya grapes have others. For example, good transportability, relatively high marketability of bunches (fruits can lie in storage for a month or more, while their shape, taste, aroma are not lost). But the main advantages of Libya grapes are stability and high yields, in this regard, it will give odds to some of the more popular varieties.
But, as always, there are some drawbacks. Gardeners often complain about insufficient coloring in the color stated in the description. Sometimes the trouble is not very good resistance of Libya to diseases, in particular to the most common - mildew and powdery mildew. But this problem can be solved with preventive fungicide treatments. The disadvantages include the insufficient frost resistance of the variety (only 20-21 degrees), because if we consider that Ukrainian breeders worked on its breeding, then one could expect that the grapes would tolerate lower temperatures.
Pruning features
One of the obligatory and most important agrotechnical techniques for growing grapes is pruning, because the further development of the culture depends on it. It should be started in the spring as soon as the frost is over. For the Libya variety, they usually make a short pruning of 2-6 buds, this method helps to significantly increase the yield, in rare cases they leave 7-10. If you want large clusters to form, leave no more than 2 ovaries. As for breaking off the leaves at the end of fruiting, it is recommended to leave all the leaves. There are no restrictions on the formation of the bush.In addition to pruning, attention should be paid to other aspects of plant care - watering, feeding, etc.
The grapes of Libya have recently been included in the State Register of Ukraine; in addition to the southern regions of the country, they are increasingly beginning to grow it in other territories. It is well suited for growing in a summer cottage.
Video "Characteristics of Libya"
This video examines the main agrotechnical and flavor characteristics of the Libya grape variety, as well as a demonstration of the harvest on the bush.