How to Propagate Grape Vines through Greenwood Cuttings

Last week I made some cuttings of my ‘Concord’ grape vine in an attempt to make a few more vines. Grapes are great edible plants to have in the garden whether you like eating them at the table, making juice, or even making wine.  Grapes enjoy a full sun location. Here’s how to propagate grapes from greenwood cuttings.

How to Propagate Grapes from Greenwood Cuttings

Taking the Grape Vine Cuttings

I took about 6 cuttings from the grape vine.  I chose cuttings that were thick enough to stand upright when stuck in my medium.  The cuttings were all greenwood which means they were relatively new first year growth.  

Trim The Leaves Off

To reduce water loss I trimmed off some leaves from the cutting. If the leaves were small I left one alone and only removed the larger leaves. If the leaves were larger I cut the leaf into about 1/3 of its size and removed the rest. Too many leaves will overburden the plant with sustaining the leaves rather than making roots plus larger leaves require more moisture to maintain which they lose through transpiration.

Rooting Hormone

While I was getting my medium ready I soaked the cuttings in a jar with willow water.  The willow water probably isn’t necessary but the cuttings did need to be kept in water until I was ready to stick them in the rooting medium.  

I treated the cut ends of each cutting with rooting hormone then stuck them in a medium with equal parts peat, sand, and perlite.

EDIT: I don’t use as much rooting hormone as I used to. For many plants it just isn’t necessary. Grape vine cuttings will root without it so you can skip the rooting hormone but it may speed up rooting a little. Also rooting hormone contains antifungal properties which help when rooting cuttings. Alternatively you could water with willow water for a natural rooting hormone option.

Maintain the Humidity Around the Grape Cuttings

Then I watered the medium and covered with a plastic bag which I put in a shady spot in the greenhouse. The bag will keep a good level of humidity while they root. It’s important to keep them out of direct light when under the plastic since the heat and light will cook the cuttings.

How Long Does it Take for Grape Vine Cuttings Root?

The grape vine cuttings should show signs of rooting in 3-4 weeks and will be ready to pot at about 6 weeks. It will take a minimum of 3 years before you can expect first fruits from a propagated grape vine after you have planted it. Grapes love sunlight so when you plant it make sure it receives ample sunshine through the day.

Once you have potted up the grape vine cuttings in pots (or soil) begin fertilizing with a good nitrogen based fertilizer. For that I would recommend an organic type like blood meal or simply use rich compost.

Sources for Cuttings

While this post is mainly about greenwood cuttings in the spring if you contact local growers in the early winter they may be pruning their grape vines and let you take some hardwood cuttings home. Hardwood cuttings are easy to root as well and require a little less care since the leaves are no longer present. Look for pencil thick cuttings of first year growth with hardwood cuttings.

What Types of Grapes can you Root from Cuttings?

You can propagate many types of grape vines like Muscadine, Concord, Shiraz/Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and many others. If you are interested in learning more about plant propagation please peruse these plant propagation posts.