Although it is possible to grow grapes from cuttings that are simply pushed into the ground, additional preparation results in larger plants with stronger roots in less time.
Dormant cuttings are prunings made after the growing season, any time from hardening off until new growth begins again in the spring. Before choosing a vine from which to take your cuttings, observe the vines during the previous growing season. Select a parent vine that is healthy and productive and has no discoloration from fungus or other diseases.
Choosing and Making Cuttings for New Grapes
Make cuttings from new shoots or canes that grew in the growing season just ended. The first one or two feet of the base of the shoot where buds or nodes are closer together is the best wood to use. Roots spring from nodes so the more nodes the better. In addition, the canes closest to the old wood will be the most mature and contain the most stored food, beneficial to the new plant until it can produce its own food.
A well-matured grape cutting will have a small, tight pith in the center with a round cross-section of dense, light green wood. Poorer grape cuttings have a large spongy pith, flattened cane and immature yellowish wood.
Ideally cuttings should range in thckness from the diameter of a pencil to about 3/4 of an inch. The cuttings can be anywhere from 12 to 18 inches long. Ensure that the top bud is not squashed or damaged as this bud produces the new vine. There should be at least 3 buds on the cutting, preferably 4 or more.
Make your top cut on the diagonal at least 1 inch above the bud. Make your bottom cut a straight cut no more than 1/4 inch below the bud. As cuttings planted upside down are unlikely to grow, this method helps to identify which end of the cutting is up and which is down.
Storing Grape Cuttings
If cuttings are to be stored over the winter, tie them in bundles using a non-rotting plastic twine or wire. Loose storage may cause them to rub against each other, damaging buds. Wrap the cuttings in moist paper or damp peat moss and place in a sealed plastic bag. Cuttings can be stored in the crisping drawer of the refrigerator, in an unheated building or any place they can be kept cool without freezing.
Preparing Grape Cuttings for Planting
Two to four weeks before planting take the cuttings out of their bag and stand them in water overnight to allow them to take up water. To hasten callusing at the bottom end of the cuttings, dip the cuttings in rooting hormone used at medium strength. Callus is the white lumpy tissue or membrane that forms over the cut end where roots will develop.
One method of grape growth promotion is to put the cuttings in a black plastic bag along with damp paper or peat moss and place the bag on top of the refrigerator. Cuttings should root and form white shoots in less than a month.
Another method is to pot up the cuttings in individual plant pots or a multi-celled plant tray using a light soil. After making a hole in the soil insert the cuttings into the hole, press soil around the cuttings and water. Set the pots on a heat mat and keep in a cool area out of direct sunlight. Cuttings will root in two to four weeks.
Plant outside when all danger of frost is past and soil is warm. A good rule of thumb to follow is to plant out your new grape cuttings at the same time tomatoes are planted as the cuttings have similar heat requirements.
Related Articles:
Tips for Growing Grapes - How to plant and care for grape vines.
Choosing Grape Varieties - Growing the right grapes for specific conditions.
Grape Vine Winter Care - How to prepare vineyards for cold weather.
Resource:
The Grape Grower: A Guide to Organic Viticulture by Lon Rombough
Chelsea Green Publishing, 2002
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