Propagating grape vines is an excellent way for home gardeners and hobbyists to get started growing their own grapes. Whether you want to grow table grapes for snacking, wine grapes for homemade wine, or just want ornamental vines to decorate your yard, propagating from cuttings can help you get vines adapted to your specific climate and soil conditions without spending a lot on nursery stock.
While grape vines can also be propagated from seed, cuttings offer a much quicker and more reliable way to get going. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk through the entire process of grape vine propagation from selecting and preparing cuttings to rooting and planting your new vines. With just a bit of effort and care, you can grow your own grape vines for pennies on the dollar versus buying them. Let’s get started!
Selecting Grape Vine Cuttings
The first step is picking out the vines you’ll take your cuttings from. Here are a few tips:
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Choose healthy, vigorous vines that grew well last year and produced lots of quality fruit. Avoid weak or diseased vines.
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Select vines that are well-suited to your growing conditions. Pick vines that have thrived in your area.
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For wine grapes, choose vines of the specific varietals you want to grow. Taste grapes first to ensure you like the flavor.
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Get permission before taking cuttings from someone else’s vines Be aware of patent restrictions too
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Take cuttings from the base or middle portions of last year’s shoots. The bottom and tip may be too weak.
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Pick shoots that are pencil-thick – around 1/4 to 1/2 inch diameter works well.
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Avoid overly thick “bull canes” which don’t root as easily.
Once you’ve identified vines to take cuttings from, you’re ready to start collecting them.
When and How to Take Grape Cuttings
Take dormant cuttings in late fall or winter after the vine goes into full dormancy.
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Use hand pruners to snip off shoots around 12 to 18 inches long. Make straight cut at base, angled cut at tip.
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Each cutting should have 4-6 buds. 3 buds should go below soil, 1-2 above ground when planted.
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Remove all side shoots and tendrils, leaving just main cane. Also scrape off bottom 1-2 buds.
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Group similar cuttings together and label each bunch by variety (if propagating multiple kinds).
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Store cuttings buried upside-down in moist sawdust or peat at 33-40°F until ready to root.
Taking cuttings during proper dormancy and storing them correctly until rooting is critical for success!
Rooting Grape Vine Cuttings
Getting cuttings to root can take some patience, but following a few key steps boosts your odds dramatically:
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Soak cuttings in room temperature water for 4-12 hours before planting to rehydrate.
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Use a clean, sterile potting mix in individual containers like cells or pots for each cutting.
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Dip cutting bottoms in rooting hormone powder to spur root growth. Let sit 10-30 seconds.
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Plant cuttings right-side up in mix, burying lower 3 buds and leaving top 1-2 buds exposed. Gently firm mix.
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Water lightly after planting to settle soil. Mist occasionally to keep slightly moist, not soaked.
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Place containers on heating mat or other heat source to maintain 75-85°F soil temp continuously.
Root emergence takes 4-8 weeks. Don’t disturb cuttings unnecessarily, but do occasionally check for root/callus growth.
- Harden off rooted cuttings by gradually exposing to sun/wind before planting outside.
With bottom heat, the right moisture level, and a dose of patience, your cuttings should be ready to move on within 2 months in most cases. Now the fun part begins – time to get your vines in the ground!
Planting Rooted Grape Vine Cuttings
Once your cuttings have rooted, here are a few options for getting them established in your permanent vineyard or garden:
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Plant directly in final location if hardiness allows. Space vines 6-8 feet apart in rows 8-10 feet apart.
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Transplant to nursery row with 1 foot vine/3 foot row spacing to let vines establish for 1-2 years before final planting.
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Pot up in 1-2 gallon containers to grow as patio plants or let gain vigor before planting.
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Give each new vine a 5 foot bamboo stake for support and attach loosely with plant tape or twist ties.
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Water weekly with 1-2 gallons per vine, adjusting for rainfall. More for potted vines.
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Install grow tubes or fencing to protect against rabbits/deer. Weed regularly to reduce competition.
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Prune back to 2-3 buds first year to promote root growth over top growth.
With good care your young vines should flourish! You can propagate more vines each year to steadily expand your home vineyard.
Grape Vine Propagation Troubleshooting
While propagating grapes from cuttings is fairly straightforward, you may encounter some issues along the way. Here are some common challenges and solutions:
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Cuttings failed to root – This occurs frequently since grapes don’t root easily from cuttings. Use more bottom heat next time, take cuttings earlier, wound the bottoms with a scrape or slice, and dip in rooting hormone to improve success.
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Leaves emerged before roots formed – Gently remove leaves to reduce water loss through transpiration. Consider more bottom heat and humidity next time.
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Roots didn’t grow much before planting – No need to worry. Plant anyway and provide ample water/nutrients and the roots will take off.
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Vines died back after planting – Could be due to transplant shock if roots were disturbed too much. Improve hardening off process and delay planting until roots fill container more next time.
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Vines grew poorly first year – Weak growth the first year is common. Ensure proper watering, nutrients, and light. Prune back and vines should improve in year 2.
Don’t get discouraged if you hit some bumps along the way. Troubleshoot issues, learn for next time, and try propagating more vines. Experience will bring greater success and before you know it you’ll have a thriving grapevine nursery!
Tips for Different Grape Varieties
While technique remains mostly the same across varieties, here are some tips when propagating specific grape types:
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Table grapes – Opt for self-fertile cultivars like ‘Thomcord’ if you only want to grow one variety. Size for eating is priority.
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Wine grapes – Stick with varieties suitable to your climate. For reds, ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’, ‘Merlot’, and ‘Syrah’ are popular choices. For whites: ‘Chardonnay’, ‘Riesling’, ‘Sauvignon Blanc’.
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Muscadines – Require hot, humid climates. ‘Carlos’, ‘Noble’, and ‘Fry’ recommended for fresh eating. ‘Carlos’ and ‘Noble’ good for wine.
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Seedless grapes – Tend to root a little more difficultly. ‘Thomcord’ seedless table grape a good option. Provide extra bottom heat when rooting.
No matter the variety, the propagation steps stay fundamentally the same. Pick healthy mother vines and take dormant cuttings with plenty of nodes. Root with bottom heat and plant properly spaced in prepared soil. With good care, you’ll achieve success propagating almost any grape variety.
Final Thoughts
The keys to success are:
- Selecting high-quality wood from vigorous mother vines
- Taking properly-sized cuttings at the right time of dormancy
- Storing cuttings correctly until ready to root
- Providing constant bottom heat and ideal moisture levels
- Allowing 4-8 weeks for roots to develop before planting
Follow the steps outlined and you’ll be harvesting bountiful, beautiful grapes from your own propagated vines in no time. Get growing!
Removing the Cuttings from Storage
In the spring after the soil shows signs of warming, above 55°F, cuttings can be placed in the nursery. At no time should cuttings be allowed to dry out.
The nursery must be located where irrigation water is easily accessible. The soil should be free of weeds and weed seed as much as possible, well-drained, and should not receive a lot of runoff water from buildings. If needed, work compost or well-rotted manure into the soil to increase nutrients and organic matter. Some shade is acceptable, but the site should have plenty of sunlight for 8–10 hours a day.
The soil can be sterilized by solar heating with a black plastic covering—a process called “solarization.” Cultivate the site well and water it well. When the soil is drained but still moist, cover the area with 4 mil black plastic sheeting; moist heat is much more effective for sterilizing the soil. Seal the cover around the edges with soil; this will help retain the heat, but more importantly the cover will remain in place during high winds. The minimum time for a good solarization is two weeks, but if time allows, leave it for a month or more. The heat generated under the plastic will be sufficient to kill most of the weed seeds in the soil, as well as common pathogenic organisms.
Planting in the Nursery
Cuttings should be soaked in water for a several hours before placing them in the nursery. It is not necessary to use any type of root-promoting substance; in fact, these materials may actually reduce grape rooting.
Plant the vines in prepared soil in rows in the nursery. Rows should be spaced far enough apart so they can be easily tilled. Place individual cuttings about 4 inches apart in the row, making sure cuttings have the slanted cut up.
Use whichever irrigation method is preferred. Sprinklers, furrow, flood, or drip—all work well. The important thing is to give cuttings adequate moisture so they will produce good roots.
Easiest Way to Grow Grape Vines from Cuttings
FAQ
Can you grow a grape vine from a cutting?
Grape growers often want to increase the number of vines in their vineyards, or develop new plantings by using their own cuttings. Through propagation, growers can select healthy vines for making cuttings, potentially select a particular strain of a cultivar, and also save money.
How to start a grape vine?
- Planting Time: Plant grapevines in early spring, after the last frost, allowing them time to establish roots before their first winter.
- Source: Purchase grapevines from a reputable source to ensure disease-free plants.
How to propagate grape vines?
Stem layering is done in grape vines, citrus, and jasmine. Here, a new plant can be propagated by bending the lowest branch of the plant into the ground and covering it with soil in such a way that tip of the branch would be exposed to the sunlight.
Can You propagate grape cuttings?
When it comes to propagating grape cuttings, you can use either hardwood cuttings or greenwood cuttings. Hardwood cuttings are taken from the dormant woody vines of grapevines over the winter, and greenwood cuttings are taken from the still-green vines of flourishing green plants.
Can you grow grape vines from a cutting?
When taking grape vine cuttings, you can start with hardwood or softwood cuttings (green grapevine cuttings). The most important piece to know is that you’ll need several healthy leaf nodes or buds per cutting. As long as the buds are healthy, even starting from dormant grapevine cuttings can often result in new grape vines!