How to Graft Grape Plants

Locate your bud sticks. Good bud sticks are found on branches that had good growth last season; avoid slow-growing interior portions with tightly-spaced buds.

Cut the leaf blades off of the bud stick and hold the bud stick with one hand.

Cut the bud stick and a small sliver of the wood underneath it off of the branch with a sharp knife, using an upward motion. Begin the cut ½ to ¾ inch below the bud stick, and end it ½ to ¾ inch above the bud stick, taking the bark and a thin sliver of wood from the branch.

Wrap the bud sticks in a damp cloth, put them in a plastic bag, seal the bag, and store in the refrigerator until early to mid-spring.

Examine the stock plant. It should be in an active stage of growth, meaning that the bark should be easy to remove without causing damage.

Make a vertical cut in the stem of the rootstock with a sharp knife. Make the cut deep enough so that the bark will separate well--completely through the bark but not into the wood.

Make a horizontal cut at the top of the vertical cut, forming a capital "T".

Make a small horizontal cut just below the "T" to allow the plant to bleed there instead of bleeding into the graft.

Spread the flaps of bark on the stock stem apart to make a "pocket" where you can place the scion. Be gentle and do not tear the bark.

Fit the "bud shield" (the thin sliver of wood from the scion branch) snugly into the pocket, with the wood from the scion branch against the wood of the rootstock. Fold the bark flaps around the bud shield with the bud stick poking out. Make sure that the top of the bud shield sits snugly against the cross of the "T."

Wrap grafting tape tightly around the stock stem, starting about ½ inch below the graft and ending about ½ inch above the graft.

Remove the grafting tape in 2 to 3 weeks, after the graft has healed.

Cut away the upper part of the rootstock to force the bud to grow.