Grape Vine Grafting Video
Hi friends,
With this article I want to talk about grape vine grafting. This is quite a common question among new grape growers. The reason I think why so many people want to know how to do grafting, is because they planted the wrong variety when they started out.
Deciding on the right grape variety to grow in your area, is probably the most important decision you as a grape grower will take. I will stick my head out and say, that your grape growing success depends on this decision. Choosing the wrong variety for example in cold climates, can result in loosing the grape vine through frost - yes, some varieties are more cold hardy than others. Disease susceptibility from variety to variety also differ, if you live in a climate with lots of rain during the growing season, it would be inadvisable to choose a variety that is more susceptible to downy mildew or powdery mildew.
Luckily, if you have chosen the wrong variety, there are a few tricks up the sleeve to “change” the grape vine into the variety you prefer/want - it’s called “grape vine grafting”.
Grape vine grafting is where you take some tissue (called a scion), whether it is a cutting or just a bud, from the desired variety and unite it with your existing variety.
There are quite a few methods grafting, like bench grafting, field grafting, green-to-green grafting, chip budding and so on, but the most effective and probably the easiest of them all, is T-budding or also called shield budding.
For T-budding to be successful, you need well developed DORMANT canes from a disease free grape vine. The canes are normally pruned in winter, after enough cold, so the canes will be in full rest and then stored in a plastic bag in a refrigerator (not a freezer). Ensure you choose healthy canes, that from the exterior of the grape vine - not those that didn’t get enough sunlight during the growing season. The thickness of the cane should be more or less the diameter of a pencil - don’t use slender cuttings and canes with closely spaced, small buds.
At the beginning of spring, as soon as sap flow within the vine starts, it is time to graft the the new scions on the the old grape vine - we call this time of the year ”slip barking” - this means that the cambium is actively growing, and the bark can be peeled easily with little damage.
The nice thing about T-budding, is that you can start a new grape vine on a 5 to 10 year old vine. I wouldn’t recommend grafting on a 10 year and older vine.
With a sharp (and I do mean very sharp) grafting knife, cut a scion from the dormant cane (see the video below how it’s done - let me warn you, it takes some practice).
A vertical cut is then made on the stem of the old grape vine and should be deep enough to insure that the bark will separate at the cambium (this is where the term “slip barking” comes from). A horizontal cut is then made at the upper end of the vertical cut to finish the “T”
The bark is carefully slipped from the stem by spreading the flaps alongside the vertical cut - this will expose the cambium. The scion is then placed in the “T” and taped with a rubber band or grafting tape. Care should be taken not to tear the flaps of bark in the process of spreading them and ensure you tightly wind up the grafting tape.
If the bark does not slip easily, this indicates that the stock is not in active growth and the process should be conducted later when active growth has resumed.
Take a look at the following two videos how it is done.
Good luck and happy grape growing.
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Tags: how to start a grape vines, grape vine swags, how to plant grape vines, grape vine pattern, i heard it through the grape vine
i have had to move my grape-vine outside as it was taking over the greenhouse.it seems to be doing well.i dont know the varety as it was some seeds a friend brought back from turkey.all i know about them is they taste fantastic and are black and larger than normal green grapes.could you give me some advice on the cultivation and feeding.the soil is a limey clay type soil with an average ph level.i know it may be difficult as we don`t know the variety,but any advice will be most welcome.thank you .
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keith nahdee Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:43 pm
I am not Danny but I think I would mix in some topsoil with your soil, mix well and let them grow. Thay will probably do well, as for feeding; if your soil is ‘mixed’ well and deep you probably won’t have to feed your plant. These are extremely hardy plants once they start growing, ‘mother nature’ will take over for you and you can practically sit back and wait. KGN, Southeastern Ontario, Canada.
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Danie Reply:
July 7th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Stanley, Keith is probably right, but if you notice pale green leaves or any other abnormal leave conditions in the near future, it might be a sign of nutrient shortages.
Remember the leaves of a grape vine tell you how happy the vine is.
Good luck and thanks Keith for the reply as well.
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Is there a ’safe’ distance to plant different vines/varieties of grapes. What will happen if I plant them too close together?
[Reply]
Danie Reply:
July 7th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Keith, yes there are guidelines to how far apart we plant grape vines, but it depends on the variety, vine vigour, your trellis system and what soil type you have.
The most common planting distances are 8 to 9 feet between rows and 6 to 8 feet between vines.
Planting your grape vines too close to each other will result in the vines growing into each other and compact the vine (poor sunlight and air circulation) —> more diseases and unfruitfulness
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I planted some vines last year and they didn’t grow at all last year, this year I moved them from 1/2 day of sun to full sun and they are growing well. Is this normal?
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Danie Reply:
July 7th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Yes Keith that could be reason but it could also be because the vines had stronger roots when you replanted them.
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The bottom 12″ of my clusters of grapes do not develop Why?
I am in zone 7 of USA and my variety is Muscat Blanc/Canelli, 6 year old vines.
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Richard Blain Reply:
June 5th, 2010 at 3:11 am
Sorry that is suppose to be bottom 1/2″
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Danie Reply:
July 7th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Hi Richard,
Muscat Blanc or also known as Canelli is a difficult variety to grow as far as my knowledge goes. The variety tends to drop fruit just after flowering.
Other problems that could cause poor fruit set is unwanted rain during flowering, diseases, and even malnutrition.
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Where can I obtain the white grafting tape you used in the video. I live close to the Livermore grape growing valley,,,Please advise nearest location or best mail order site. Also, how wide and thick is the tape you recommend ?
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Danie, you have answerd my question already. i planted them to close and they are not bearing much, now my question is can i go ahead and prune some of them so i can move them now? Thanks Bill
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