I'm going to expand my vineyard. I'd like to do it with my own plants
from the cuttings, but I am not sure when the best time to do it.
I live in the Southern Willamette Valley. All of the leaves have
fallen off of the vines, and they are dormant. Is it best to wait
till the vine re-energizes in the spring, or can I save of few of my
trimmings from the pruning I do this winter?
I tried to plant a few prunings this last spring, but they did not
grow. I prunned and planted them when the buds were starting to swell
considerably. I guessed this was too late due to the total failure.
Now I am worried about trying it too early.
Any help and advise would be appreciated.
Thad

Thad,

Wait until the spring when you do your pruning. Take healthy canes
about the size of your pinky and cut them to about 5 buds long. Plant
them so ONLY ONE bud is above ground and WATER THEM REGULARLY( make
sure they are put in right side up ) , at least once a week heavily.
You could put some rooting hormone on the bottom to encourage rooting.
They're are other ways and techniques but this is the easiest and you
should get at least 95% success. Do NOT fertilize! Also , if you mulch
with straw or newspaper that would be even better.


Bob

(StarrFarms1) wrote in message . com>...
> I'm going to expand my vineyard. I'd like to do it with my own plants
> from the cuttings, but I am not sure when the best time to do it.
> I live in the Southern Willamette Valley. All of the leaves have
> fallen off of the vines, and they are dormant. Is it best to wait
> till the vine re-energizes in the spring, or can I save of few of my
> trimmings from the pruning I do this winter?
> I tried to plant a few prunings this last spring, but they did not
> grow. I prunned and planted them when the buds were starting to swell
> considerably. I guessed this was too late due to the total failure.
> Now I am worried about trying it too early.
> Any help and advise would be appreciated.
> Thad

Thad, go to http://www.bunchgrapes.com/cuttings.html and follow the
instructions. You must callous the cuttings before planting. The
article says it all. Good luck.

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

Very good article on cuttings!
A couple of other useful notes:
- In Niagara we usually take our cuttings in December, before the severe
cold causes bud injuries
- it is normal to disbud all but the 1 or 2 top buds to prevent suckers
later
- unless growing in pots, don't plant them until the ground has warmed up
after callusing

Joe

"Jack Keller" > wrote in message
om...
> Thad, go to http://www.bunchgrapes.com/cuttings.html and follow the
> instructions. You must callous the cuttings before planting. The
> article says it all. Good luck.
>
> Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
> http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

when's the best time to prune?
My friend who lets me have all hsi concord grapes (the only grape truly
available in quantities around here next to Niagara) has a section of bush
that is just wild and overgrown. The harvest was "ok" but I think would
have been better, sweeter, more mature if it wasn't so bushy.....
so I thought about pruning them back....
Thanks.
Rick




"StarrFarms1" > wrote in message
om...
> I'm going to expand my vineyard. I'd like to do it with my own plants
> from the cuttings, but I am not sure when the best time to do it.
> I live in the Southern Willamette Valley. All of the leaves have
> fallen off of the vines, and they are dormant. Is it best to wait
> till the vine re-energizes in the spring, or can I save of few of my
> trimmings from the pruning I do this winter?
> I tried to plant a few prunings this last spring, but they did not
> grow. I prunned and planted them when the buds were starting to swell
> considerably. I guessed this was too late due to the total failure.
> Now I am worried about trying it too early.
> Any help and advise would be appreciated.
> Thad

I prune in the spring. I take cuttings with 5 buds and strip off the
bottom two. I cut diagonally through the bottom bud. I push these into
the ground in my mother bed leaving three buds to grow. The following
year I transplant, pruning off all but the best whip to tie to the
trellis. I get about a 90% success rate.

If you don't know what is the best time for your region and variety;
experiment. Take cuttings a week apart at various stages of budding
from tight to small leaf. Record the times and results.

In my case I have found it does not matter much if it is swollen bud
or small leaf stage. Lack of moisture in the soil seems to be the
killer.

I read somewhere to store the cuttings upside down if you have to keep
them for a while before putting them in the mother bed. Not sure why.
I usually prune and plant within a couple of hours.

Mike

growing Marchel Foch in Nova Scotia

On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 09:33:34 -0500, "Rick Vanderwal"
> wrote:

>when's the best time to prune?
>My friend who lets me have all hsi concord grapes (the only grape truly
>available in quantities around here next to Niagara) has a section of bush
>that is just wild and overgrown. The harvest was "ok" but I think would
>have been better, sweeter, more mature if it wasn't so bushy.....
>so I thought about pruning them back....
>Thanks.
>Rick
>
>
>
>
>"StarrFarms1" > wrote in message
. com...
>> I'm going to expand my vineyard. I'd like to do it with my own plants
>> from the cuttings, but I am not sure when the best time to do it.
>> I live in the Southern Willamette Valley. All of the leaves have
>> fallen off of the vines, and they are dormant. Is it best to wait
>> till the vine re-energizes in the spring, or can I save of few of my
>> trimmings from the pruning I do this winter?
>> I tried to plant a few prunings this last spring, but they did not
>> grow. I prunned and planted them when the buds were starting to swell
>> considerably. I guessed this was too late due to the total failure.
>> Now I am worried about trying it too early.
>> Any help and advise would be appreciated.
>> Thad
>
>

Joe,

> - it is normal to disbud all but the 1 or 2 top buds to prevent suckers
> later
> - unless growing in pots, don't plant them until the ground has warmed up
> after callusing

The answer to the first is yes. You will get good callousing where
the buds have been trimmed.

My comment on the second is I thought this was self-evident. You do
have to keep the callousing mix cool so the buds don't break and try
to send shoots to the surface. I callous in a wooden box filled with
potting soil and kept damp but not thoroughly wet. I move the box
from garage to an area under a live oak tree that never gets direct
sun. If I had a cellar, the whole operation would be done there until
planting time.

In the past, I've planted my cuttings in plastic pots. In June, I cut
the bottom out of the pots, slit them up one side, plant the pot in a
prepared site, and just before packing the dirt around it I pull out
the shell of the pot. This usually leaves the roots undisturbed, but
does disturb the potting mixture a bit and that affects the roots
somewhat.

In the future I will use Monarch biodegradable cardboard plant bands.
These are square, open bottomed, with holes in the side for the roots
to escape, and planting them doesn't disturb anything. See
http://www.monarchmfg.com/PlantBands.htm.

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

Thanks everybody for you help! I've gotten more information from just
asking one question. I love this site and how everyone is so
generous.
Thad
>