A team of professional breeders worked on the Flora grape variety (also known as Lora).
At the Odessa Institute of Viticulture and Enology named after Tairov (Ukraine), Muscat de Saint-Vallee was first crossed with a mixture of Muscat Hamburg and Hussein pollen. Later, the Queen of Tairov was added to the hybrid. The result was a complex hybrid of white table grape variety “Lora”. In 2011 it was registered in the state register of plant varieties of Ukraine under the name “Flora”. By this time, it has already spread among amateur growers due to taste and appearance.
Bunches and berries of “Flora” are large, beautiful (one bunch weighs from one to two and a half kilograms), a pronounced nutmeg flavor. Grapes are oval, light green, the skin is thin, as if transparent, with a characteristic matte coating. The berry has one or two stones.
Characteristics of FLORА grapes
Reaches grapes early, highly productive, easily adapts to weather and climatic conditions. It has a fairly high frost resistance (-21 – -23 degrees).
Very resistant to mildew, not damaged by gray rot.
“Flora” is best suited for fresh consumption. Can be stored for some time in the bushes, if you take care of protection from wasps. It is quite well transported undamaged, carefully collected, especially with preserved natural wax.
Not too prone to cracking. But care must be taken to ensure that the soil does not dry out.
The variety is light-loving. It is with plenty of light that it grows quickly and bears abundant fruit. It feels good on loose fertile moist and permeable soils, in particular on chernozem.
Feature of grapes “Flora” – female type of flowers. Therefore, it should be planted near another variety that is capable of self-pollination (“Flora” shows excellent results of cross-pollination), or pollination by hand. Spraying with growth stimulant gibberellin promotes more efficient pollination and then better formation of clusters (often without seeds).
Wood ash (2 cups), drainage (up to 10 cm of expanded clay, gravel or rubble), soil mixture (garden soil and mineral fertilizers) are poured into pre-prepared pits 70 cm deep.
The roots are deepened by no more than 45 cm. Only one bud is left above the ground. The seedlings are tied to a support. Abundantly watered after planting and regularly until mid-August. Adult bushes are watered as needed.
Planting grapes FLORA
It is better to prune Flora grapes in autumn. Shoots that grow too actively are pinched.
Like all high-yielding varieties, it needs to adjust the load on the bushes. It is advisable to leave one bunch on each fruiting shoot. Overloaded grapes can ripen longer, which will later have a negative effect on frost resistance.
It is not necessary to cover for the winter (depending on the climatic features of the region).
If necessary, cover with spruce branches. Before that it is necessary to spray with 3% solution of iron sulphate (300 g per 10 liters of water).