How to Seed a Grape Vine

While grafting is perhaps the surest and easiest way to grow grape vine, it is also possible to grow grape vine from seed. The first method is to merely toss ripe or overripe grapes in the area you wish grape vines to grow and let nature take its course. Wild grape seeds will work best for broadcasting. The second method of seeding a grape vine, detailed here, begins with germinating the seeds. This technique requires quite a bit of patience, but the rewards of growing grapes from seeds you germinated makes the effort well worthwhile.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Grape seeds
• Paper towel
• Plastic sandwich bag
• Pot with soil
• Fertilizer and water

1. Remove seeds from the grapes you wish to grow and allow them to dry for a couple of weeks. Wild and concord grapes are said to be among the easiest to grow from seed.

2. Place the dried grape seeds inside a wet paper towel. Then place the towel and seeds inside a plastic sandwich bag. Make sure the plastic bag is sealed. Also note how many seeds are inside the bag so you can keep track of how many seeds germinate.

3. Store the bag containing the seeds in the refrigerator for the winter. This may seem like forever, but grape seeds need to be planted at the correct time. The time the seeds spend in the refrigerator mimics dormant season.

4. Determine when the last frost occurs in your area. One month before this date, remove the seeds from the refrigerator and plant them about a half inch deep in a pot containing good potting soil. The soil should be damp but not soggy. Place the pot in an area that gets natural sunlight or grow light. The pot should be kept in an area that is approximately 70 degrees.

5. Check for germination. Grape seeds should germinate in approximately 30 days, but don’t expect them all to germinate. If half of your seeds sprout, consider yourself lucky.

6. When the grape seedlings have their second set of leaves, plant each seedling in a separate pot. When the seedlings reach a height of 4 or 5 inches, you can plant them permanently in the ground where you want them to grow. Fertilize and water as needed to promote healthy growth.

Tips & Warnings

• Any grape seeds that don’t germinate in Step 5 can be put back into the refrigerator. After 4 weeks of refrigeration, the seeds can be replanted according to the directions in Step 4. This additional refrigeration time may or may not help the seeds to germinate. It’s worth a try, though. You have nothing to lose.

[curiasidad]

on 4/9/2009 i keep reading comments on the web that grapes, when started from seed, can't be expected to grow "true-to-type" ... what does this mean? I wanted to experiment with some seeds from wine grapes and now I am wondering if after two years of nursing the my starter vine if the fruit will likely be quite different than the grapes I took the seeds from. Thanks!

[peavey]

on 10/24/2008 Great information, thank you. I was given some concord grapes and while snacking on them I started wondering if I could grow my own. Your article explained the process very well.