Can You Grow Grapes From A Store-Bought Bunch? Is It Possible?

on November 1, 2022

Grapes are one of the most popular fruits to purchase in your local grocery store, however, you may be wondering whether you can grow your own grapes at home. This is absolutely but do you need to go to a garden specialist to purchase the grapevine or can you just grow it from a store-bought bunch of grapes?

It is possible to grow your own grapevine from store-bought grapes. To do this there are two common methods that can be used which are growing the grapes from seeds or growing them from a stem cutting. Growing them from a stem cutting is far more reliable than growing them from seeds which can produce unexpected results as there is no guarantee that the seeds will produce the same type of grapes. Additionally, most people prefer to have grapes that do not have seeds in them as they are easier to eat.

As grapes are a vine they are best grown along an existing structure such as a fence or a pergola which will reduce the amount of effort required to grow the plant. Additionally, they also make a particularly attractive ornamental plant as they produce lovely green foliage through the summer months which for most varieties changes to a yellow color in autumn as the leaves die back.

How To Grow Grapes From Stem Cuttings

Growing grapes from stem cuttings are relatively straightforward as they tend to grow relatively easily from these cuttings provided that the bunch of grapes that you are using is not too old. Additionally, it is also recommended that you select bunches of grapes that have relatively thick stems as that will also increase your chances of success when you take the cutting.

When growing grapes from a store-bought bunch it is important that you take the cutting as early as possible as the bunch of grapes is likely to be at least a few days old which will reduce the chances of the plant striking.

When taking a cutting from the stem, start by removing all the grapes from the bunch and then select the thickest part of the stem to create your cutting. Ideally, the stem should be somewhere between 3 to 4 inches long.

Once you have selected your cutting remove the side shoots from it and then cut the base of the stem at a 45-degree angle as this will increase the surface area available for the absorption of water and nutrients. To encourage the formation of roots it is a good idea to use a rooting hormone if you have it lying around at home, however, many Gardens also just use honey instead as that often performs quite well as well.

Once the cutting has been prepared it can then be either placed in soil or into a glass of water to allow the plant to form roots. The advantage of using water rather than soil is that you can easily see when the roots begin to form on the plant, however, the disadvantage of this is that you do eventually need to transplant the cutting into the soil anyway.

For those people going directly into soil, it is best to use a specialist seed-raising mix as that will improve your chances of success. Once the soil is in the pot you need to place the cuttings around the outside of the pot next to its walls. The reason for this is because that area of the soil will be a little bit warmer which will also increase your chances of success.

When you are planting in the soil it is also important to ensure that the soil remains moist throughout the time that the cutting is in the soil. The easiest way to do this is to place the pot into a tray that can hold water as this will allow you to keep the soil moist for longer reducing the chances of it drying out.

If the cutting is successful you will usually see the first signs of growth approximately 3 to 4 weeks after the stems have been placed in the soil, however, because the age of the grapes is highly variable there is a strong possibility that you will get quite a few failures so it is important to have lots of cuttings on the go to ensure that get at least one plant out of the process.

How To Grow Grape Plants

Once you see the first signs of growth you need to allow the plant to establish its roots in the pot 4 to 3 months which in some cases may require the seedlings to be replanted into a larger container during this period.

Once the grapevine has become established in the pot you then can consider transplanting it out into the garden. When selecting a location for your grapevine it is important to ensure that the area gets at least 6-8 hours of sun per day if you want to produce fruit. The grapevines will tolerate shady conditions quite happily and grow plenty of foliage but they will not produce much fruit in these areas.

Second key consideration is the quality of the soil in which you are planting, ideally, because grapevines are relatively fast-growing plants they prefer a nutrient-rich soil but are relatively tolerant of a wide range of different soils. If you are unsure about the quality of the soil then it is best to add an additional bag of compost before putting the plant into the soil.

The third consideration is the support structure required for growing grapes. This can be as simple as a fence or a pergola, however, an important consideration of your support structure is your ability to harvest the fruit so it ideally shouldn’t be too high. In commercial vineyards, the support structure is approximately 4 ft tall and is basically just a few wires between posts which is also an option.

Once you have selected your location for planting the grapevine the next important step is to transplant it into the soil and then water it in well. This should ideally be done at the start of the growing season in mid-spring as that will provide an opportunity for plant roots to become established. In the first season that the grapevines are placed into the soil, they will need additional watering, however, after that period most grape vines are quite drought-tolerant and in many regions can be left to their own devices.

Grape vines take a few seasons to get going, in the first two or three seasons typically the plant will be establishing its vines along your support structure. As the plant is growing and developing it is important to tie the vines into your structure to ensure that they remain supported.

Ideally, the grapevine should have a couple of main vines that the remainder of the growth grows from. Typical commercial producers do this by cutting the side shoots 2 to 3 inches from the main stem to encourage the formation of fruit.

To ensure that you actually do get the fruit which typically will take two or three years at least to appear, it is important to protect the plant from birds and other critters that will come along and eat your crop. The easiest way to do this is to net the grapevine, to make this job easier to do it is advisable to maintain the grapevine at a height that is less than 6 feet off the ground.

The netting typically needs to be applied when the fruit on the bunches has reached a size of a pea to avoid any losses. Once the bunches reach the point where the grapes within them are approximately the size of a marble it is worth tasting them to see if the sugars have developed properly within the fruit before picking your bunches.

Once the bunches have been picked the plant can be left to its own devices for the remainder of the season until it starts to die back in autumn. Autumn or winter is the ideal time to prune the grapevine back to its main shoots ready for the following season.

At this point in time, it is also advisable to fertilize the plant and apply a thick layer of mulch to ensure that the plant has access to plenty of nutrients and also is not competing with too many weeds.