I have rooted many fig cuttings and tried to use the fig rooting process with grape cuttings. I bought 30 hardy grape cuttings in January 2009 and tried to root in perlite in tall clear plastic glasses. Only 5 out of 30 rooted after a long time and only one ( V65163 ) survived until summer. After a year in pot, I planted it in ground in the summer of 2010.
Not a success story.

I shove the prunings in the ground with very good success.
If it's more important it works I'll stick a branch in the ground and leave it for most of a season before cutting it free of the main plant.

I can't do anything in just water.

The books say you can do hard or soft wood with grapes, the former being more popular but more difficult to root.

I put a dozen or more softwood cuttings in a pot with a plastic cover under a tree last summer. One by one they died, until after 2 months there were just 4 that survived. They will be planted in the ground this spring.

I'm going to try Ottowan's method next...

For dormant cuttings I first make sure the cuttings are as well hydrated as possible for instance by standing the base in water overnight. Then a 10 second rinse in 5% bleach followed by a very good rinsing in water. Then callus the cuttings at 80F for about two weeks. Dip in rooting hormone and plant with the top bud exposed.

Over the years I've had ~50% takes just sticking the cuttings in the ground in late winter and covering with soil until spring. Uncover the top bud at about last frost date.

On all dormant cuttings the bottom is cut just below a node. I cut the top at an angle between nodes. This makes it easy to tell top from bottom.

It's easy to overlook the fact that callusing must occur before rooting. Callusing occurs best at fairly high temperature.

Hard to justify spending time or water on something with a 50% failure rate (at best) -- that can be bought cheap. I picked up a DWN Crimson Seedless vine for $3.99 at a local nursery. If you shop around or buy in bulk, I'm sure you could beat that price.

Hard to justify spending any amount of money on something when you can get it for free.
My success rate for sticking them in the ground is far better than 50% as long as I manage to not mess with them and accept if they're growing green they're probably growing roots.

"Hard to justify spending any amount of money on something when you can get it for free."

This statement is proportional to the value of your free time. The time it takes preparing and tending to the cuttings might make "cheap" a better value than free. I anticipated better points to arise such as propagating varieties that otherwise can't be purchased, or interest in localized/known to be disease free parent plants. Or just for the fun of it. :)

cheep vs free grapes. local agway store in november backup truck to greenhouse door they throw in plants. the plants look dead. plant them in my tilled garden if they bud in spring move them to a good spot.If you want cuttings or roots I would be glad to send them. the names for the plants are as follows , dead agway grapes, dead agway blackberries, ect. this is a grape thread so I will say the grapes are so tart it is a dare to eat and 6 or 7 in a glass of water still needs a few teaspoons of sugar to make grape juice.

"This statement is proportional to the value of your free time."

Free time is free. If you don't have time to root grape cuttings you definitely don't have time to take care of full grown vines.
How much time does it take to poke some sticks in the ground after pruning? Watering is turning on the hose that waters my grapes. It's no more time than I already spend on my grapes.
If the fun of it isn't a major part of it I question why grow fruit at all. I could have a lot more time to sit around doing nothing if I'd cut it all down and go to Upicks.

A better cost argument is the lost time until production. Some mail order bare root probably is about the same, but if you're buying local rooted (mine are more like $14) you can start seeing some production a year earlier.
That's not imagined value of free time, that's the actual value of product.

Got this from an organic CSA farmer and it has worked fairly well: Don't prune grapes till buds just start to swell (March here). Use four bud segments of canes and cut just below bud (same as fruitnut above) with SHARP knife and bundle groups of 10-20 with rubberband and plant about 4-6" deep in sand. Plant in a spot that gets a lot of heat and water. Wait at least eight weeks and dig them up and repot the canes that have rooted. He also suggested planting them upside down. I've also tried additionally using rooting hormone (Dip-N-Grow) with some benefit. About 30-50% develop roots for me.

wow you guys seem to have some really poor percentage takes:( What I do is keep cuttings refrigerated until the soil warms to at least 60F (15C)and then I get a good 3 node cane and make a fresh cut at the bottom and stick the cutting in the freshly tilled soil at a 45 degree angle ensuring two nodes are buried and just the 3rd top node sticking out of the soil(the more cane buried the less likely it will suffer water stress). after that just give it a little water every night just enough to wet the soil surface but don't go over board, it doesn't take much to rot a grape cutting .In your area I think you shouldn't have a problem keeping them hydrated with a little sprinkle at night,I seem to remember that good old Alberta black soil holding lots of moisture. Well that's it, no root hormones, no sanitizing nothing! Last year I rooted 75 cuttings of 5 varieties and lost maybe 10 and they were all in a low spot in the row where water would collect at each watering. The only variety I had trouble with in the past was Himrod, I ended up buying a plant and then air layering it there after.

Thank you all for this advice, I like to give it another try with some of
your method,... including my wife's "just water technique"

Can you callus them in the dark...lets say for about 2 or 3 weeks?

Just got some cuttings... shared half with my wife....cant' beat the green thumb method!

Konrad
I use the following method for callusing fig cuttings but the principal should apply (in my view):
I wrap the cutting in moist paper but leave the bottom part (that will be burried) exposed about half inch for callusing. Place the wrapped cuttings in ziploc for a number of weeks but periodically air the bag to avoid mold. Fig cuttings do calluse faster than grape cuttings and most will root inside the bag within 4 weeks but some few with more viability will root as early as in 2 weeks. Higher temperature accelerate callusing but unfortunately accelerates mold as well if the cutting is prone to mold. Sometimes I place callused fig cuttings in perlite-only before roots have formed and they root in perlite. Grape cutting may take longer to callus (& root).

I think this is a table grape thread, I have Muscadine cutting. I pruned about 30 vines for a lady, who's husband had past 15 years ago. No one had pruned the vines in that time, I removed some of the small trees in the vines.
I have about 150 cuttings with 4 or more buds.
glen10, I think I will try your way this year.
With green light hormone.
I prefer laying though the winter & cutting the newly rooted vine from the parent plant in the Spring.
But that will not work here.
It is free if you enjoy it, it is work if you do not enjoy it.
I enjoyed rooting even when I did it for a living.

Here is a link that might be useful: Table Grape cuttings

I soak the bottom several inches in water for a week or so. Then re-cut a few inches off. I just cut them and shove them in potting soil in one gallon grow bags with over %90 success. Even had most of the 4 inch cuttings root in 3.5" pots. Just potted up 50 this week this way of 8 different varieties.

This is not science it is just amateur trials. I put the grape cuttung in wet Sphagnum Moss in a cup and leave on the heating pad. To my surprise it worked.

It should be relatively easy. I use no heat mats or rooting hormones. Just water and regular potting soil. Although I do wait until the buds are starting to swell. That could be it.

Thank you all!
I put them in a potting mix without hormone, put them on top of hot water tank..just barely warm, I'll keep you posted on the progress but for now I relay on the wife's water method.

So far all doing good, some of mine are rooting already after 3 weeks.
I put them in a Ziploc bag.

{{gwi:66828}}

I have three branchs in long glass jar with water placed over a heating mat. For three weeks I don't see any roots. The funy thing is the buds on the top has nice green leaves.
Abe

Yea..same with my wife's grape, but starting to callus, ..soon harvest time!

{{gwi:66829}}

Reviving an old thread.

I am confused with the callus issue. It sounds like you cut dormant wood, wrap the top with moist paper, then leave the ends exposed to dry out? Somehow I think I am missing something.

Is it possible to root green cuttings this time of year indoors? I offered to try to propagate some grapes for our local plant swap so I'm trying to figure out if it's possible this time of year, and if not, when and how?

I have used Ron Lombaugh's method with very good success.

Rosefolly

Here is a link that might be useful: Rooting grape cuttings

Rosefolly

Thanks. That is a great resource.

Before the ground freezes take several 8 to 10 inch cuttings of the vine you want to replicate. Cut a trench. Twist each cutting until it cracks slightly and then stick them in the trench and bury them with an inch or two above ground. Make sure the buds are facing in the right direction. This method has worked well for me in the northeast.

All I did was get dormant cuttings in spring cut them to about a foot, split the bottom end, dipped it in hormone, and waited. They were 3/4 buried. THey rooted with in a few weeks after that but they died. I had way too many things shading them :(

My neighbor said spring is the best time because the green growth will die in winter basically to the point where the best wood for cuttings is

Yes..early spring is the best for me also, or you can layer during growing season.

So many options wow ( I was just told to use rooting hormone and stick them into the ground and water them to keep from drying out) maybe they will live maybe they wont not sure experimenting on theese with night temps here in low 40's and highs in the high 30's and day time temps around 50-60's hopefully they are warm enough to do ok I guess we shall soon see maybe I should check one to see if they are callousing

So many options wow ( I was just told to use rooting hormone and stick them into the ground and water them to keep from drying out) maybe they will live maybe they wont not sure experimenting on theese with night temps here in low 40's and highs in the high 30's and day time temps around 50-60's hopefully they are warm enough to do ok I guess we shall soon see maybe I should check one to see if they are callousing

@mrclint, thats a really good deal for grape vine, what nursery was it?

Almost 100% success rate and can be done now. Take a long branch and bend it so the middle of it can be put into the soil about 1-4 inches deep and let the tip in keep growing outside of the soil. Put a weight over the section. Dig after it is dormant. Easy as pie.

I took 3 or 4 node dormant cuttings/scions from an exchange and stabbed them 3/4 depth into one of my empty raised vegetable garden beds with 2 for 2 success.

I believe they were Sweet Seduction and Einset.

This post was edited by murky on Wed, Jun 11, 14 at 15:27

If anyone wants to swap grape cuttings, I have a Japanese varieties of grapes that are pretty productive.

Hi Guys,
I had a special order from a lady who wanted 125 small grape vines this last May. She contacted me last Nov. and told me that no one else would grow them for her, so I accepted the order. Last Dec. I took about 400 cuttings, dipped them in Dip-N-Grow and filled a bunch of 1 gal containers with composted hard wood mulch. I stuck 25 cuttings per pot and then dug several trenches in one of my raised beds. Then I placed the pots in the trenches each one touching . I covered them with soil and left them alone all winter. In the beginning of April I dug them up and potted them having about a 99% success. A month later the lady picked them up, all 125 at an easy $4.00 per plant profit. I still had a bunch more small vines to sell. We were both happy!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Muscadines And More