Do grape seeds grow?

Yes, they can, but they will not produce true to variety. To propagate a particular variety you need cuttings.

listen to the other posters :) anyway, I've asked a similar question about plums(did I ask here?) and have heard disapointing answers.

but i'm gonna give it a shot anyway. I have about 100 pits from my first batch that i saved and will try germinating them indoors so I'll hopefully have plum seedlings to plant when the snow thaws. some have said it would take 5-10 years before any fruit shows, but I am not really worried. more plum plants mean less grass to mow.

Yes, they do. As Paul mentioned, they may not reproduce "true" to variety, but you can play with creating your own variety.

An easier, faster, and more predicatble way of getting vines without buying stock is to take cuttings from existing plants and rooting them (creating clones of the original plants). It's really easy - and you can have vines growing the very next season. Drop me a note here if you'd like details.

Very interesting!

I wonder, if all the varietal vines in the wine-regions of the world are clones of the mother variety, does that mean that eventually the plant will become senile as is said to be happening to the banana clones which we enjoy currently?

I wonder how long the sap-line of the current varietals has been providing wine on this planet?

Thanks Rossman for this thread.

Jim

I believe that is pretty much the case. DNA analysis has been of great help lately determining the parentage of some varieties and sorting out the different names for the same grape in various parts of the world.

Nature does create its own hybrids also. For example Cabernet Sauvignon has Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc as parents. Sauvignon Blanc is a white grape but the red pigment from the Cabernet Franc is dominant in the gene pool.

Can't comment on that except that drinkers of the fermented juice of the grape (like myself) may become senile.

Probably as long as there is history of wine making.

rossmann10@verizo

Ha ha, thanks for the reply Paul!

Jim

I dumped the press cake from last years merlot over the hill away from my house last year to keep some of the fruit flies at bay.I was trimming brush the other day and found seven baby vines growing. Pretty cool having those vines growing there , but I'm pretty sure they won't survive a western PA winter. Shame I don't have a green house.

A little off the main topic concerning grapes, but along this same line, I was sitting on my porch some years ago (8-10) eating a Mandarin orange purchased from the local grocery. Just happened to be a potted plant within arm's length, sans the plant as it had died. I dropped the seeds in it to get rid of them, and on a whim decided to go ahead and punch them down in the soil. I have two beautiful Mandarin orange trees in the backyard now and more oranges than I know what to do with. Anyone have a Mandarin orange wine recipe? :^)

Quixote

Yeah, that would be Jack Keller:

Bon Chance!

Jim

somewhere i read that there was a resurgence in grape growing in some of the more harsher climes. no idea about the date of that info, but i wonder, have you considered cold frames?

Thanks. I have stomped all over Jack's site. Guess I missed it. Will stomp some more. Was under the impression that citrus was not compatible with wine making...

Quixote

Yes, but it will take a very long time to see any decent quantity of grapes. You should get some cuttings if you are really serious about growing them. Also, if you want them for winemaking you will need a huge amount of space for your vines. It would be far easier to buy juice or a good wine kit.