Starting vines

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grapeman

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How are you guys doing getting the grape vines started. I know a few of you are callusing some to root. I have some of mine callusing in preparation for rooting. I got a rooting mat today for 8 flats that hold 49 each. I'm working on filling them up with various kinds. I was going to get the last few varieties this weekend but the mud was up past my ankles, so I put it off a little longer. Tomorrow will be 50, but then 3 or 4 days with snow and high in the 30s and lows in the 20's-YUCK.


I'm going to move the rooting mat and the cuttings into the greenhouse after this cold snap.


A couple pictures until then.


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Looking good Appleman. I'm envious as 1, I dont have much land to grow
grapes and 2, I have a black thumb so it really dont matter how much
land I had anyway!
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I have tried Apple but to no avail. I even took 2 of the longer shoots (branches) that I wasn't going to do anything with last year and put them into the ground about 5 buds deep....... this year, Nothing! But the seeds I put in the ground last year are coming up.... but I wouldn't trust them for my fruit.


So for the land that I have, I had the 2 coward Scuppernongs from last year that are doing Great! Then this year I ordered 7 more of various types (scuppernong and Muscadines). When fully grown, should give me 10 gallons of scuppernong and 5 allons of muscadine a year.


Based on land space, I will have to stay with that for now to see what makes the est wine, then I will find a way to propagate them....... maybe I'll have to hire you to come down for a weekend to help me........ I mean..... what would you cost? A couple 3 cases? Well worth the cost of a couple dozen plants
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Forgot to mention, as well as these new vines, I also have:


3 peach trees
2 pear trees
1 fig tree
2 plum trees
4 black currant bushes
1 red currant bush
1 champagne currant
1 white currant
1 samdel elderberry
2 wildwood elderberries


A new row of yellow rasberries and some black rasberries, also expanded my red rasberries by another row............


FOR SALE: Riding lawn mower......... just need weed eater now.
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hey appleman
looking very good. what kinds ofgrapes did you plant?????i don't know about the heating mat. we tried that last year, along with rooting hormone and had miserable luck. my best thought, and this is only specualtion, is that the mat was too hot. i think the roots have to stay below about 80 degrees, and i think the mat was a lot hotter than that. can you program in a temperature for your mat, or is it one of those that stays: "20 degrees hotter than the surrounding air [like ours]?"


ps the best overall performer after one year of planting about 10 different types of grapes last yearis frontenac. they were started by sticking cuttings in last spring, and by the end of summer we had good 2-3 foot tall healthy looking plants with lots of canes. i took those canes to make cuttings a few weeks ago and i just stuck those into the ground. i guess i am starting a frontenac farm of some sort.wish me luck.
 
Looking great Appleman...your real serious about this aren't you...? You are going to be Grapeman a.k.a. Vineman real soon.
 
reis , I will post the varieties I have in the pots later when I can spread them out and hopefully report rooting progress on them. I find it interesting that your Frontenac grew so much for you. I would have to rate them as second to the most vigorous of the 12 varieties planted last year. I have heard that they really take off in the second year. Time will tell.


NW, I usually take things seriously, especially when I really enjoy them. I'm looking at taking the literal meaning to vineyard this spring soon. I'm going to plant a row(maybe two) along my front yard 150 feet and then run it down the driveway side(maybe both) another 125 feet. This will give me a nice growing green fenceline around my yard. Maybe the deer will feed on it and we can watch them out the front windows. I jumped a couple out of the orchard this evening while walking out there.
 
You sure spend a lot of effort in your ventures and do a great job....and it seems you don't mind sharing the bounty with the deer...


We use to live by a place that had a row of gapes along the driveway on a chain link fence..it was nice once some new people moved in and cleaned them out...I know that yours will always look nice.


Actually a row somewhere is a good idea...Be sure to take photos to inspire us...
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Appleman,


Thanks for starting this thread -- and here's my update.


First, thanks to you all -- this forum is so helpful and the people on it are likeneighbors -- and, like true neighbors, they lend a hand. Between you and Bill in Maine, plus some cuttings from my local Ten Spoons vinyard here in Missoula, I've got pic's and I'll have a backyard vinyard for sure, this year. (I'll resurrect last year's sad tale and build on that later!)


I calloused according to the accepted procedures two different sets of cuttings -- Bill's from Maine and Ten Spoons here. One on top of a heat pad turned on "hight" that has probably doubled our electric billAND ourCO2 output the last month and contributed to the nice, warm, earlyspring here in Missoula (pthhwwt to you, Al !) The other in a pot, similar to yours, Rich, just set on top of the furnace -- warm, but only when running, and placed so as to be safe. The latter was more successful, the one on the heat pad got up to temp but not all have calloused yet. I put them in zipsets this morning -- here is a pic of the ones in the large pot:


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Here is an example of beginning callous --


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Here's one with a small root starting... (that's a blackberry cane for those eagle-eyes we have on the forum!
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And here's what a REAL root looks like !!!
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This was either a St. Pepin or Landot Noir -- can't recall which. I had several like this -- maybe a half dozen -- so we'll have something to plant in the vinyard!


This is the zipset and tray -- thanks again Rich -- it works great!
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SOOOooooo -- we're doing fine here in God's Country!


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Oh...and notice the bud break and the big budding occurring on the Leon Millot vine in the second picture above -- and that was in a darkened furnace room!
 
Things are looking better than last year there Dave! They look like they are well on their way to rooting. You should be able to fill up your vineyard space this year.
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I've got mine off to a late start and am hoping things catch up when and if it ever warms up. I just got back from picking my wife up from work- I thought I was going to need to plow to get out of the driveway. We have eight inches of heavy wet snow so far and it's snowing hard again. The snow plows can't seem to keep up today.
 
Dave, That's incredible! I'm very happy for you, and envious too - I have two or three out of the eight cuttings that have developed top growth and I know I can put out when the time is right. So, way to go! Keep us posted as the season progresses. Like Richard, we are still looking at falling snow and nowhere near bud break time - that's likely to be mid-May at least. Unlike the southern states where so many grape growers have lost so much, our vines are still fast asleep.
 
Well, it's "incredible" only due to the two of you!
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And I'll keep everyone posted on the progress, I think using the old "Missoula Vinyard" thread.


We've had a great spring so far -- a couple of 66-68*F days so far, mostly sunny/partly cloudy days with some showers (including snow showers in the surrounding mountains) here and there -- with nights 3-4 times a week dipping below freezing. That will change through the rest of the month with days into the 60-70's and nights above freezing by May. It is supposed to get to 60*F today for example, and it was above freezing this morning.


Now KUTYA has had spring snows and cold in the last few weeks but he's EAST of the divide! I enjoy reminding him that Missoula is called "The Garden City!"


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