Propagating Grape Cuttings in California

Stem Selection

• The best time to choose the canes you want for grape cuttings is during the harvest season. You can see which canes are healthy and which ones are diseased or sick. Select canes that are about 1/2 inch in diameter and about 20 inches long. The canes for cuttings are mature 1-year-old canes and should have at least four or five buds. Mark the canes with garden tape so you know which ones to take after the harvest.

Making the Cut

• Once the canes go dormant and drop their leaves, it is time to take the cuttings. Use sterile side-cutter pruning shears to make the cuttings to keep cane damage to a minimum. Make an angled cut at the bottom of the cane, just below a vine bud. Cut the top straight across to differentiate the top of the cane from the basal end. Keep the cane sections at a length of 16 to 18 inches.

Cutting Treatment

• Grape cuttings need a period of cold storage before planting in late winter or spring. Gather the cuttings so the basal ends are together and label the bundle. You need a piece of burlap and peat moss to wrap the cuttings during the storage period. Lay the burlap out on a flat surface, add a layer of moistened peat moss and place the grape cuttings bundle on the peat moss. Cover the cuttings with another layer of moistened peat moss. Wrap the burlap around the cuttings and tie closed with a piece of twine. Store the bundle upside down in a trench that is 18-inches deep. Once you place the bundle in the trench, fill it with coarse sand and moisten the sand slightly. Keep the bundle in the trench until spring planting.

Rooting Grape Cuttings

• When the weather warms in the late winter or early spring, dig the bundled cuttings from the trench. You may notice some roots forming towards the basal ends of the cuttings. Plant the cuttings in a rich, sandy loam, with one or two buds above the soil surface. Space the cuttings at least 4 inches apart. Water the cuttings to the depth they are planted. Do not water again for about three weeks. Once the plants are established, water them every week or two to keep the roots from drying out. Grow the grape vines for at least one year before moving them where you want in the yard.