Problems propogating grape vine from cuttings

Discussion in 'Grapes and Grape Vines' started by Christina, Mar 2, 2009.

  1. Christina

    Christina Member

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    Hello,

    I am trying to transplant a grape vine (unknown variety- green, seedless) into a pot for indoor growth (until summer). After reading some literature posted on this website and elsewhere on the web, I took several cuttings (1-2 feet in length) a few days ago, in late February, trimmed the top and bottom of the cutting and have decided to try callusing half the cuttings and direct-planting the rest.

    Direct plantings- the interior of both ends of the cuttings was the proper light green when I planted, but now the visible top half interior has turned white (after 1 day). Is this a sign that my cutting is dying? I have kept the soil rather wet- am I over watering?

    Callusing- Is it important to wrap the entire portion of the cutting that is to be under the soil with the wet paper or peat? Or is just the bottom tip enough? Will this method still work if I cannot ensure total darkness or stable heat conditions between in the optimal range (80-85 degrees F)?

    Thank you for your help! Its important to me that these survive!

    Christina
     
  2. northerngrapes

    northerngrapes Active Member

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  3. Ralph Walton

    Ralph Walton Active Member 10 Years

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    And patience. I callus for about 2- 3 weeks before I expect to see much progress.

    Using a mix of perlite, sand and peat (1:1:1) the starting moisture should be what you are left with if you squeeze out (hard) all the water you can from a thoroughly wet mix. They need moisture but they also need oxygen. The potting mix is more important than how wet you leave it after watering as the excess will drain out within 10-20 minutes. Before budbreak and until the shoots reach ~6" they should be misted 3 times a day while the lights are on.

    You didn't ask, but the general trend in literature is that grapes don't respond much to rooting hormones (except for in vitro); I'm still testing but at this point I'd have to agree.

    The 80-85F degree heat is for the rooting zone; the tops should be kept cooler to retard any budding until there are enough rootlets to support the foliage. When the roots are ~4" they can be transplanted to individual pots and gradually ( I spread it out over 3 days) reduce the bottom heat. The room temp is kept thruout at ~70F; similarly I maintain a 16 hour photoperiod for the whole process.

    It is normal for the tops to dry at the pruning cut.

    Variety matters! The 2 most popular varieties (seedless green) in our area are Himrod and Interlaken, which are siblings (same parentage). The Himrod will practically root if you throw it on the ground (exaggerating a bit) where my last year's results on Interlaken are 1 for 10, within inches of the Himrod (10 for 10)

    Good luck.

    Ralph
     

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