Gardeners who decide to grow grape vines (Vitis spp.) hit the exacta: the plants not only produce yummy fruit but also add ornamental value to the landscape. Hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 10, dormant grape vine cuttings root readily. In fact, cuttings planted in spring will bear fruit the following season. Take the cutting in spring just before the buds begin to swell.
Disinfect your pruning shears by soaking them for five minutes in a solution of 1 part of household bleach to 3 parts of water. Rinse them under clear water and allow them to air dry.
Choose a 1/4-thick cane that was produced last season. Cut it free from the plant close to its point of origin. Cuttings thicker than the diameter of a pencil are unwieldy, and thinner canes may be immature.
Inspect the cane for an area that contains the greatest concentration of buds growing close together. Include this area when you cut the cane to between 12 and 18 inches in length. Cut the top of the cutting diagonally, half inch above a bud. The bottom of the cutting should be cut straight so that it’s easier to tell the top from the bottom.
Dip the cut end of the grape vine cane into liquid rooting hormone and then wrap it in moist peat moss before enclosing it in a black plastic bag. Place the bag on top of the refrigerator where the cutting will receive the warm temperatures required for it to form a callus. Allow the cutting to remain here until it forms a callus, typically within two weeks. Check it periodically for signs of a callus and small roots.
Choose the sunniest spot in the garden in which to plant the grape vine cutting. Turn the soil and pulverize any large clods. Spread 2 inches of compost over the area and mix it with the soil, to a depth of 6 inches. Use a rake to level the soil and water it to a depth of 6 inches.
Insert the grape vine cutting into the soil far enough that at least four nodes are buried. You may have to plant up to half the cane or more to ensure four nodes are under the soil.
Give the grape vine cutting one inch of water a week if it doesn’t rain. During hot weather you may need to water more often. Stop watering after the cutting receives its last application of fertilizer for the season.
Wait until the cutting has 6 inches of new growth for its first dose of fertilizer. Combine 1 ounce of liquid fish fertilizer in 1 gallon of water. Mix the solution thoroughly and pour it onto the soil around the cutting. Repeat the application every week until mid-summer and don’t fertilize again until the following spring.
Things You Will Need
- Pruning shears
- Household bleach
- Liquid rooting hormone
- Peat moss
- Black plastic bag
- Fish fertilizer
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