Grape seeds «Dozen»

Grape «Dozen» - are medium-early ripening table grapes that are easy to grow on your own plot. The hybrid (ZOS-1 and Rizamat + SP) was bred in 2007 by Lugansk amateur gardener Alexander Ivanovich Kitaychenko. The characteristic features of the variety are resistance to frost, undemandingness, high yield and an unusual, pleasant taste of berries.

From the beginning of the growing season to harvest, 120–130 days pass; in the middle zone, the berries ripen closer to the second half of August. The variety is rarely affected by diseases typical of the culture; illnesses can only appear in epidemic years. The berries are practically not damaged by wasps and sparrows. Frost resistance is up to 23 degrees, and in snowy winters it increases to 25.

Characteristics of the bush and berries

The height of an adult bush is about 4 meters, the shoots are strong and ripen well during the growing season. The root is powerful, branched, the rooting of cuttings is excellent. A dozen begin to bear fruit in the second or third year after planting. On fruit vines, 3-4 clusters are formed, the bush can hardly withstand such a load, normalization is required. It is advisable to leave no more than 2 bunches on each branch.

The flowers are functionally female, and pollination is very good, stable without planting auxiliary varieties. The clusters are conical or cylindrical-conical, broad-shouldered, from 500 grams to two kilograms or more, the density of the cluster is average. The berries are oval or round, sometimes slightly flattened, from 12 to 20 grams. The color is very rich and bright, crimson-red with a lilac tint and a fairly dense waxy coating.

The flesh is crispy, juicy, the skin is dense, you can feel it when eating, but it doesn’t interfere. There are 4 seed chambers, berries with two seeds are often found, the grains are medium in size. The taste is rich, rich, balanced honey-floral, there is no nutmeg in the taste or aroma. The unique taste of Dozen grapes appears only when grown in an open, sunny place.

With proper formation of the bush, an adult plant produces up to 100 kg of harvest in one season; many gardeners share large figures. However, there are also those whose bushes begin to bear fruit only at the age of 4 or 5, while the signal clusters are small. The problem lies in non-compliance with the rules of agricultural technology, and not in the hybrid itself. Most often, the variety is grown for fresh consumption; the berries are suitable for making desserts. The fruits are often used to make juices, jams and various assorted fruits and berries.

Advantages of grapes

The variety is endowed with very good characteristics, which were tested and confirmed by winegrowers from Ukraine and Moldova. Problems during cultivation arise only in regions with cold and short summers, as well as in areas where winters are predominantly snowless. Hybrid features:

• great vigor of bush growth;
• good ripening of the vines;
• productivity;
• frost resistance;
• resistance to diseases and pests;
• high marketability of brushes and berries;
• when fully ripe, the fruits do not crack and practically do not fall off;
• good pollination;
• no peas;
• transportability and keeping quality (up to 2 months);
• Dozen cuttings have a high survival rate.

It is impossible not to note another advantage of the Dozen grapes - the bush can be planted in any convenient way, it is not necessary to prepare a large hole or fill it with a nutrient mixture. When planting using a simplified method (in a regular hole to the size of the seedling’s rhizome), fertilizing will have to be done from the very first year, and when planting in a prepared hole, fertilizer can be applied after the start of fruiting.