How to Propagate Grapevine Cuttings

Grapevines perform double duty as useful and ornamental plants with their sweet fruit and attractive, palmate foliage. The regular pruning required to keep grapevines healthy and productive yields an abundance of cane trimmings, which can be used as cuttings to grow new plants. Propagating grapevines from cuttings takes little effort, as the canes are naturally vigorous and will put down roots within a couple of weeks. However, the chances of successful rooting are greatly improved by first treating the cutting with rooting hormone powder, which is available at most plant nurseries and home improvement stores.

Things You'll Need

• 2-gallon nursery container
• Coarse sand
• Loam
• Garden hose with misting nozzle
• Pruning shears
• Rooting hormone powder
• Paintbrush or cotton ball

Instructions

1. Start grapevines from cuttings in midsummer. Take the cuttings anytime between early June and late July when the parent plant is actively growing.

2. Prepare a rooting pot before harvesting grapevine cuttings for propagation. Fill 2-gallon nursery containers with a rooting mixture composed of equal measures of coarse sand and loam.

3. Run a garden hose into the nursery container until the rooting mixture is saturated. Let the water drain off for an hour before potting the grapevine cutting in it.

4. Locate a 12- to 15-inch-long portion from the tip of an established grapevine with a 1/4- to 3/8-inch diameter and three or more leaf nodes.

5. Sever the grapevine cutting a few inches below the bottom leaf node using pruning shears. Trim the tip of the grapevine cutting at a 45-degree angle with the pruning shears. Remove any side shoots.

6. Brush the lower half of the grapevine cutting with rooting hormone powder. Apply the powder with a paintbrush or a cotton ball.

7. Pot the grapevine cutting in the prepared rooting pot so the bottom half is buried. Press the soil mixture around the base of the cutting to hold it steady and upright.

8. Place the potted grapevine cutting in a sheltered spot with filtered light and warm temperatures. Keep the cutting protected from direct sunlight at all times while it roots.

9. Water the soil around the cutting every few days to keep it from ever fully drying out. Mist the foliage of the cutting every day using a garden hose with a misting nozzle to keep it hydrated.

10. Check for roots in two weeks by carefully trying to lift the grapevine from the soil. Slowly acclimate the grapevine cutting to stronger sunlight over the course of two weeks until it can stand direct sun for six to eight hours without wilting.

11. Transplant the grapevine cutting into a permanent place after it acclimates to strong sunlight. Plant it in a sandy bed that drains well.

References

• University of Minnesota Extension: Growing Grapes for Home Use
• University of Florida IFAS Extension: The Muscadine Grape