Best time to plant from cuttings

Thad,

Wait until the spring when you do your pruning. Take healthy canes about the size of your pinky and cut them to about 5 buds long. Plant them so ONLY ONE bud is above ground and WATER THEM REGULARLY( make sure they are put in right side up ) , at least once a week heavily. You could put some rooting hormone on the bottom to encourage rooting. They're are other ways and techniques but this is the easiest and you should get at least 95% success. Do NOT fertilize! Also , if you mulch with straw or newspaper that would be even better.

Bob

Thad, go to

and follow the instructions. You must callous the cuttings before planting. The article says it all. Good luck.

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page

Very good article on cuttings! A couple of other useful notes: - In Niagara we usually take our cuttings in December, before the severe cold causes bud injuries

- it is normal to disbud all but the 1 or 2 top buds to prevent suckers later

- unless growing in pots, don't plant them until the ground has warmed up after callusing

Joe

when's the best time to prune? My friend who lets me have all hsi concord grapes (the only grape truly available in quantities around here next to Niagara) has a section of bush that is just wild and overgrown. The harvest was "ok" but I think would have been better, sweeter, more mature if it wasn't so bushy..... so I thought about pruning them back.... Thanks. Rick

I prune in the spring. I take cuttings with 5 buds and strip off the bottom two. I cut diagonally through the bottom bud. I push these into the ground in my mother bed leaving three buds to grow. The following year I transplant, pruning off all but the best whip to tie to the trellis. I get about a 90% success rate.

If you don't know what is the best time for your region and variety; experiment. Take cuttings a week apart at various stages of budding from tight to small leaf. Record the times and results.

In my case I have found it does not matter much if it is swollen bud or small leaf stage. Lack of moisture in the soil seems to be the killer.

I read somewhere to store the cuttings upside down if you have to keep them for a while before putting them in the mother bed. Not sure why. I usually prune and plant within a couple of hours.

Mike

grow>when's the best time to prune?

Joe,

The answer to the first is yes. You will get good callousing where the buds have been trimmed.

My comment on the second is I thought this was self-evident. You do have to keep the callousing mix cool so the buds don't break and try to send shoots to the surface. I callous in a wooden box filled with potting soil and kept damp but not thoroughly wet. I move the box from garage to an area under a live oak tree that never gets direct sun. If I had a cellar, the whole operation would be done there until planting time.

In the past, I've planted my cuttings in plastic pots. In June, I cut the bottom out of the pots, slit them up one side, plant the pot in a prepared site, and just before packing the dirt around it I pull out the shell of the pot. This usually leaves the roots undisturbed, but does disturb the potting mixture a bit and that affects the roots somewhat.

In the future I will use Monarch biodegradable cardboard plant bands. These are square, open bottomed, with holes in the side for the roots to escape, and planting them doesn't disturb anything. See

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page

Thanks everybody for you help! I've gotten more information from just asking one question. I love this site and how everyone is so generous. Thad

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