- 1). Take cuttings and harvest rootstock in late winter when all grapevines are still dormant. Use rootstock from grapevines hardy or native to the region. These rootstocks offer best adaptation.
- 2). Cut the designated rootstock vines to two to three feet tall and leave only the trunk attached. Dig the desired root systems up and place them in five- to 10-gallon pots with drainage holes for better manageability. Use rich, crumbly organic compost for the planting, and plant the vines with roots submerged under the soil and the trunk fully exposed. Put the pots in sites with full sunshine.
- 3). Take grapevine cuttings from the more sensitive vines for grafting. Slice three-inch lengths of bark from the grapevines, and include one shoot and one growing bud on each slice. Make the cuts 1/2 inch above and below the bud and peel the section of bark off the vine.
- 4). Move the budded bark immediately to the rootstock. Delay causes drying and failure. Cut a "T" shape in the bark of the rootstock trunk, four inches from the top of the trunk. Cut another horizontal "bleed" cut two inches below the "T" cut for sap leakage.
- 5). Pull the corners of the "T" cut down to expose the wood underneath and create a pocket. Place the budded bark into this pocket bottom-end-first and work it down until the bud and shoot sit at the bottom of the "T" cut.
- 6). Warp grafting tape around the trunk above and below the grafted area to close the wood and hold the budded bark in place. Remove this tape after two to three weeks.
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