Hi, My neighbor had some grape vines, about 7 years old. I know it's the wrong time of year, but they started developing his property before I could try digging a couple up, and the excavator operator wouldn't accept my bribe to scoop it up (wrong bucket), so as a last resort I chopped one off. Here it is: It's 2 inches in diameter at the base and right now I have it sitting in a bucket of water. I think it's a concord vine. Can I graft the whole thing or a large branch of it onto rootstock? Where can I find this rootstock in the Lower Mainland? If not, is there anything else I can do? Rooting hormone? Thanks!
In my opinion trying to rescue this one is either impossible or not worth of time, effort and money. It would be much more feasible to buy a new plant at a nursery. Grapes grow very fast and, if you do it right, after two years you will have a lot of fruit already. Welcome to the forum.
Probably a lost cause, particularily given the time of year it was done, but if you're dead set on this particular grape, and can't find the same variety in a nursery, might as well take a bunch of cuttings and see what happens by spring. It's a long shot, and the timing is wrong, but tough vines like this often surprise. Worst case is what you're already looking at, which is nothing. Here's a good synopsis: http://www.bunchgrapes.com/cuttings.html
Thanks for the replies (and the welcome)! They didn't take away the other grape vines on Friday so I dug the other big one up with roots and everything last night and planted it today. Unfortunately most of the dirt fell away but I've wrapped it in burlap with a wheelbarrow load of the dirt it lived in plus some other stuff. I followed the directions in the link as best I could for the vine pictured and I cut up another vine and so I have a ton of cuttings. Hopefully, between the one with the rootball and the various cuttings SOMETHING manages to grow! And when you mention it, I'm not totally sure why I'm going to so much work for them. I think I am just being sentimental. They're so nice and thick and I've seen my neighbor tending them for years, it makes me sad to see them crunched up. Plus I like the grapes. Thanks again and if I have any success I'll post a follow up.
The problem with taking cuttings of your grape at this time of the year is that it is much too late for softwood cuttings and too early for dormant cuttings. The plant is far from being dormant, the leaves are still green and the fruit is not ripe yet. You will be veeeeery lucky if your cuttings will take root and grow. So, I wish you luck, and let us know later at spring how did it work. There is a better prognosis for the transplant, I believe, knowing how resilient Grapes are. For example, last fall I cut down below the ground level my Himrod Grape I wanted to get rid of. Surprise, surprise, this year it is back again and doing much better than ever before! Too bad your neighbour couldn't wait another month or two for the plant to became dormant and in better condition for taking cuttings and/or transplanting.
I had assumed, given the photo and description, that you had the top section of the vine, but none of the rootball. If there is/was in fact roots on the vine in the picture then yes, replanting it might see life emerge at the base in the spring, and this would be a better option than September cuttings, and the best option all round. Otherwise (as in no roots) despite the timing being highly unfavourable, and perhaps completely so--as I previously mentioned--taking cuttings would be your only 'hail mary' chance. But I've been surprised (especially with vigorous vines) how often one can get a cutting to strike, even when the timing is bad, and you only need one...make sure you are providing bottom heat, though-it will increase our chance of success. While you're at it (again, only as a desperate measure) bury the remainder of the main vine in a mound of soil--sometimes roots will form at the base of shoots, and new green will emerge from the buried section in the spring. But again, the timing is quite off for most of this, and this method, 'stooling', typically requires some root mass at the outset.
