Good day, friends!
"I will bury a grape seed in the warm earth" - do you remember such words of Bulat Okudzhava? I don't know about grape seeds, but most gardeners propagate grapes by rooting cuttings.

Selection of grape variety

All previous season I was walking around my village, looking at the neighboring vineyards and searching for a suitable variety for me. I want to shade my balcony with grapes, and if this bush has tasty berries, I can consider it as an additional bonus.

Eventually I found such grapes. Apparently, it is disease-free, at least it has not been treated with any chemical agents.

Preparing cuttings for rooting

On March 12th, I obtained two cuttings from a shrub I've taken a liking to (don't ask how). I split them into 10 cuttings in the traditional manner, ensuring each had two buds: one at the bottom and another at the top. I promptly snipped off the bottom bud with a sharp knife and made shallow cuts on the lower part of the cutting. I decided to root these cuttings in water after first treating them with a root stimulator.

I discovered an excellent stimulant – sodium humate. I prepared a solution according to the instructions and soaked the bottom part of the cuttings in it for a day. After that, I placed the cuttings in filtered water. Throughout the entire rooting process, I never changed the water, only topping it up as it evaporated.

Transplanting grapevine cuttings into soil

After a month, the grapevine cuttings started to develop their first small roots, and now is the prime time to transplant these rooted grapevine saplings into the soil. If you leave the cuttings in water for too long, their roots might grow excessively long and might break during planting. Although the cuttings will survive, they will grow at a slower rate.

It's best to plant grapevine cuttings in half-liter plastic cups, filled with a mix of garden soil and sand in equal proportions. The sand ensures a loose structure, allowing the roots to develop effortlessly, while the garden soil provides the necessary fertility, supplying the growing cutting with essential nutrients.

The soil mixture should have the right moisture level: neither too dry nor overly wet. You can check the soil's moisture by inserting a stick into it. When pulled out, if the hole retains its shape without being muddied or filled in with soil, then the moisture level is suitable for planting the cutting.

Using a stick of the appropriate diameter, I made depressions in the soil. Carefully, ensuring not to break the small roots, I placed the saplings in these holes and gently pressed the soil around them. I planted only the strongest cuttings, and as the saying goes, I discarded the rest.

***

This rooting method is quite straightforward, which is why I employ it. I suspect there are grapevine varieties that aren't as easily rooted and require additional steps, like sealing the tip with paraffin to prevent moisture evaporation. With my grapevines, there was no need for such intricacies: just regular water and a root stimulator, although even without the stimulants, my grapevines have always rooted splendidly.

That's how I root grapevine cuttings. I wish everyone good health and thriving vines.

Grape rooting video

• Mildew and wasps on grapes: what to do?
• Raspberry: planting and care, growing and diseases