How to Propagate Wineberries

Tip Layering

• 1

  Select a young, vigorous stem near the edge of an established wineberry bramble. Choose one with a cluster of leaves near the tip and green wood on the upper half.

• 2

  Bend the stem toward the ground until the point 4 inches from the tip touches the soil. Scrape away a 1/2-inch-long portion of bark from the 4-inch point to reveal the cambium, or the vascular inner layer of bark.

• 3

  Treat the scraped portion of the stem with 0.3-percent IBA rooting hormone. Use liquid or powdered hormone and apply it with a cotton ball or small paint brush.

• 4

  Dig a 2-inch-deep hole beneath where the wineberry stem touches the soil. Press the stem into the hole and bury it. Place a large stone, brick or portion of wood on top of it to hold it in place.

• 5

  Mist the soil surrounding the point where the wineberry stem is buried. Keep it moist but not soggy during the rooting period.

• 6

  Check for roots in four to six weeks. Sever the wineberry stem on the side where it is attached to the parent plant. Cut the stem flush with the soil surface using pruning shears.

• 7

  Transplant the rooted wineberry stem to a garden bed or into a nursery container filled with regular garden soil.

Cuttings

• 8

  Select a 6- to 8-inch-long portion of mature wood from the middle of a healthy wineberry stem. Make the cuts at an angle using pruning shears.

• 9

  Treat the base of the wineberry cutting with 0.3-percent IBA rooting hormone powder or liquid. Treat the lower half of the cutting.

• 10

  Pot the wineberry cutting in a 6-inch planter filled with a mix of half garden soil and half horticultural grit. Bury the entire lower half of the wineberry cutting so the hormone-treated flesh is in contact with the soil.

• 11

  Place the potted wineberry cutting under dappled shade. Avoid exposing it to direct sunlight until it has established a productive root system and new leaves.

• 12

  Water the wineberry cutting with 1/8 cup of water every three to five days, or whenever the soil feels dry at a depth of 2 inches.

• 13

  Check for roots in three to five weeks by gently pulling on the base of the wineberry cutting to feel if it is held in place by roots. Transplant the rooted wineberry cutting into a permanent bed one week after rooting.

Seed

• 14

  Gather several ripe berries from a healthy wineberry bramble in late summer. Choose ones with dark, reddish-purple flesh and no soft spots or blemishes.

• 15

  Crush the wineberries in a bowl full of tepid water. Mash the flesh to release the seeds. Let the crushed fruit soak for six hours. Scoop the floating seeds off the surface of the water and let them drain for a half hour or so.

• 16

  Sow the wineberry seeds in 6-inch planters filled with garden soil. Sow four or five seeds in each 6-inch container to a depth of 1/4 inch. Sprinkle a scant layer of horticultural grit over the wineberry seeds to help minimize evaporation.

• 17

  Place the potted wineberry seeds outdoors under high, light shade or inside a ventilated cold frame. Avoid exposing the planters to direct sunlight since it will dry the soil out too rapidly.

• 18

  Mist the wineberry seeds daily to maintain moisture at a depth of 1 inch. Do not let the soil dry out during germination.

• 19

  Watch for sprouting in 30 to 45 days. Scoop out the seedlings as they emerge and transplant them into individual 6-inch planters filled with garden soil.

• 20

  Keep the potted wineberry seedlings in a cold frame or indoors near a sunny window during winter. Plant them in a permanent bed the following spring once soil and air temperatures reach a minimum of 68 degrees Fahrenheit.