How Grapes Grow: The Vine Made From a Cutting, by AllNatureExplained on YouTube. 6 min 10 s.
- Video length
- 6 min 10 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes to prepare
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Take your cuttings in winter while the vine is dormant. Choose a healthy, pencil-thick cane from last year's growth, with no soft green tips or damaged bark.
Cut the cane into lengths of about 30 cm, each with three or four nodes. Make a flat cut at the bottom and a slanted cut at the top so you know which way is up.
Push each cutting into a pot of free-draining mix, burying about two thirds of it. Leave two buds above the surface and firm the soil around the stem.
Water well and keep the pot cool but frost-free. A pale callus forms at the buried base before any roots appear, so do not pull the cutting up to check.
Wait six to eight weeks. The plant's own auxin moves down the stem and turns cells near the cut into roots, which grow before the top shows any sign of life.
When the top bud bursts into a folded leaf, move the pot into brighter light and keep the mix just moist, never soaked.
Give the shoot a cane or wire to climb. The tendril is a flower cluster that never flowered, and it will coil around the support into a spring.
Let the vine grow through its first summer, then prune off nearly all of that growth the following winter to build one strong trunk.
Plant out in full sun in well-drained soil once the roots fill the pot. Water deeply through the first year and keep the ground clear of weeds.
Tips and common mistakes
Take twice as many cuttings as you need, because some will fail to root.
Label each pot with the variety and the date so you can compare results next spring.
Use a clean, sharp blade and wipe it between cuttings to avoid spreading disease.
In most wine regions vines are grafted onto American rootstock, so buy grafted plants if phylloxera is present in your area.
Questions
How long does a grape cutting take to root?
Expect roots in six to eight weeks in a cool, frost-free spot. The first leaf usually appears around the same time, so do not give up on a bare-looking cutting.
Can I root grape cuttings in a glass of water?
You can, and roots often appear, but they are brittle and break when you pot up. Free-draining soil gives a sturdier root system.
When will the new vine give grapes?
Usually not in the first year. Let the plant build a trunk and roots first, then expect small bunches from the second or third season.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
