Hello, Hannah!

How fun it will be to grow grapes! That is awesome! Propagating plants is a fascinating, challenging and fun activity! To improve the chance of success, we attempt to imitate how the propagation would occur in nature.

In the case of grape vines, young canes of about a quarter inch are taken during dormancy. The grower most likely placed it in cold storage for a time, which mimics the conditions of dormancy the vines would encounter in the wild, sometimes called cold treatment. If this is the case, you can plant indoors now and transfer outdoors when the chance of frost has passed. If the grower did not cold treat the cuttings, it would be best to either place them in cold storage for 6-9 weeks, or to plant them directly outdoors as soon as the soil is workable. Hopefully, the grower included directions that will guide you. If not, you might contact the grower. In my experience, they are very helpful in providing answers to your questions.

If starting indoors with cuttings that have been cold treated by the grower:

- Place cuttings vertically in a pot of clean, damp potting mix in a sunny location 65 degrees or more to begin rooting. Use a heat mat if the space is under 65 degrees. The optimal temperature is 65-75 degrees.

- There is a “top” and “bottom” on your cutting; be sure to place the basal (bottom) end down. Only one bud needs to be above the soil. The cuttings will need light. Place in a bright location, very close to a southern-facing window which receives 8 or more hours sunlight per day. If such a location is not available, use supplemental light, such as a grow light. Don’t leave the light on 24/7, as the plant needs periods of darkness of no less than 8 hours per day, (12 is better) to grow well.

- It is likely that the grower applied rooting hormone when the cutting was harvested. Excessive rooting hormone can inhibit, even halt, root development, so unless you are certain that no rooting hormone was applied, it is not recommended to apply more.

- Harden off the cuttings before moving them permanently outdoors. Choose an overcast day in late spring when the temperature will remain over 40 degrees and take cuttings outdoors for an hour. On subsequent days increase the amount of time outdoorsby about 30 minutes each day. Dappled sunlight and direct early-morning sun are okay, but avoid long stretches of direct sunlight, which can burn the tender leaves. Also avoid high winds. Continue until the plant has 4-6 hours per day of outdoor exposure, then the plant is ready to be left outdoors. But, be sure to bring plants indoors if nights drop below 40 degrees. The “hardening-off” process thickens the cell walls and prepares the plants for wind and other outdoor conditions.

If you decide to plant your cuttings directly outdoors in the spring, please see the articles below, or contact me for more information.

To respond to your questions, I verified information by checking research-based resources. Links to the best of those follow. If you have further questions about your grape vine cuttings or need clarification, please feel free to respond to this email; your response will come directly to me. I would love to hear from you!

-------------------------

Growing Grapes in the Home Fruit Plantings – The Ohio State University Extension “Ohioline” https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1423 Excellent information about growing grapes in Ohio.

How Can I Propagate a Grapevine? Iowa State University Extension https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/faq/how-can-i-propagate-grapevine Planting a grape vine cutting outdoors in the spring.

Hardwood Cuttings – Iowa State University https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/yard-and-garden-hardwood-cuttings Tells how to plant hardwood cuttings in containers and how to plant them directly in the ground.

Grape, dormant Hardwood Cuttings – New Mexico State https://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/2005/091705.html Different methods of taking cuttings from grape vines.