Planting Material Grafted Vines Fruit

Commercial vines are created by vine breeders on the Continent and are always supplied as 'grafted' vines. At the time of writing, there are no suppliers of organically certified vine plants, although there are some vine breeders in Germany trialling organic reproductive methods. At present, it is necessary to obtain special derogation from an organic certifying organization, before buying non-organic vines. Only the top 2.5-5cm of the plant has the good wine quality Vitis vinifera buds. The lower 20-25cm is known as the rootstock. When planting, it is therefore important that the graft union is above soil level, otherwise the plant will try to send out roots from the Vitis vinifera part.

Young vines are grafted in this way to minimize the risk of the vine pest Phylloxera that eats the roots of Vitis vinifera vines but does not seem to like the American rootstocks. This vine pest was responsible for widespread vineyard damage in France and elsewhere during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, until grafting techniques were employed. If you are prepared to risk the appearance of Phylloxera you can grow vines from cuttings. If, however, this pest does move in, you will be required to notify the Government authorities who have the power to make the owner destroy the vineyard and eradicate the pest! Nevertheless, it is not illegal and vines can be grown very successfully from cuttings, assuming of course that you can get hold of the desired variety in the desired quantity.

Vine varieties also differ in their susceptibility to botrytis (grey mould), which can infect the grapes in September and October as they are ripening, particularly in damp or wet weather. One of the best organic methods of prevention is to pick off a few leaves in the grape zone to expose the bunches to air and sunlight so that they dry out quickly after rain or overnight dew, thus preventing the botrytis spores from taking hold.