Propagation Propaganda: Growing Grapevines From Cuttings

Before we can really get into this post I need to come clean.  Set the record straight of sorts.  Truth time.  Here we go.  I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to propagating grapevines.  I’ve never even grown a grapevine nor have I ever propagated anything.  I am not a master gardener.  If anything I am a master garden killer.  So when I couldn’t bear the thought of cutting down the grapevine without at least trying to save it in some fashion, I sucked it up and turned to YouTube for advice.  I have an aptitude for learning new things and learning how to propagate grapevines from the ginormous, growing into our house grapevine we cut down was something I wanted to learn.

Grapevine Cuttings

As I cut down the grapevine and removed it from our living room windows, I saved any of the healthier-looking branches in a mason jar of water.  Granted, it’s ideal to do this when the leaves are just buds, not full-on leaves.  But we weren’t here in the spring and had to cut down the old grapevine to paint the house anyway so I figured it was worth a shot.

In the YouTube video, the guy kept talking about this rooting hormone, Clonex.

Clonex Rooting Gel

Which was a little different from all the other tutorials I had read.  Supposedly it helps speed up the rooting process compared to just planting the clippings straight in the dirt.  Why not.  Anything to help give me a leg up in the gardening department.  Although I could probably need more than a leg up, more like a set of Radio City Rockettes’ leg up.  So I dropped the $18.85 and ordered Clonex via Amazon.

The next step per my research (and by research I mean heavy Googling combined with a few hours of YouTube shenanigans over wine…always a winning combo) was to shave off the woody bark being extra careful not to damage the soft, fleshier part of the plant.

Shaving Bark Off Grapevine Cuttings

Then dipping the shaved stem into the rooting gel.  Random side note: I later learned that dipping the clipping directly into the Clonex is a surefire way to spread disease should any of your clippings be diseased.  In retrospect, probably should have poured out a little bit of the Clonex and dipped the clippings in that.

Dip Grapevine Cuttings In Rooting Gel

After wiping away any of the excess rooting gel, I simply planted each clipping into a clay pot.

Planting_Grapevine Cuttings In Clay Pots

After all the clippings were planted, I gave them a good soaking and set them out in a sunny location in our yard.  By good soaking, we’re talking about keeping the dirt moist but never soggy.

Grapevine Cuttings Watered And Waiting Rooting

Should the grape vines actually root, the plan is to plant them in their garden location this fall so hopefully they’ll take and grow into healthy grape plants over the next several years.  But knowing my subpar gardening skills and the fact that every single grapevine leaf fell off two days after I took that last picture, I’m not holding my breath.  On another note, we found wild blackberries on our property!  It’s like finding twenty bucks at the end of your story.  Fingers crossed we’ll be planting grape vines in the next couple of months.

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