Vitis vinifera "Zilga", 3 l pot

• Type: Grape cultivar (vine)
• Latin name: Vitis vinifera
• Cultivar: Zilga
• Mature height: 200–300 cm
• Width: 150–200 cm
• Pot: 3 L
• Light: sunny
• Winter hardiness: needs winter protection in Estonia

Planting Plant in spring (late April – May) or autumn (September) in a sunny, warm and sheltered (best against a south-facing wall) spot with fertile, well-drained soil; sites with standing water are unsuitable. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot, mix the excavated soil with compost, set the plant at the same depth it grew in the pot and water generously. Space plants 1–1.5 m apart. A grapevine needs a support (trellis, wire or pergola).

Watering Water a young plant regularly for the first two years and more often in dry spells; an established plant needs watering only in long dry periods. Mulch the soil with bark or wood chips.

Pruning Prune in late winter or early spring before sap flow (March), but not while sap is running; form a strong trunk and leave a suitable number of buds on fruiting shoots; in summer remove surplus shoots and thin the bunches if needed.

Feeding and winter care Feed in spring with a complex fertiliser and after flowering with a phosphorus-potassium fertiliser; give no nitrogen in the second half of summer so the shoots ripen before winter. In Estonia a grapevine needs winter protection: in autumn take the shoots off the support, bend them down and cover with spruce boughs, fleece or soil; uncover in spring once hard frosts have passed.