How to Propagate Vine Cuttings
- 1). Prepare a pot for your vine ahead of time. Use a pot with a drainage hole, then fill the pot with perlite, sand or peat moss, or any combination of the three. Use a plastic syringe filled with water to moisten the potting mixture until the mixture is evenly moist but not soggy.
- 2). Use a pair of clean garden pruners to cut a leafy, 4- to 8-inch stem from the parent vine. Pull the leaves from the bottom 2 inches of vine.
- 3). Place a small amount of rooting hormone powder on a piece of waxed paper. Roll the bottom inch of the vine cutting in the powder so that the bottom of the vine is lightly coated. Discard the remaining rooting hormone powder.
- 4). Poke a hole in the damp potting mixture, using a pointed object, such as a small stick, pencil or chopstick. You can plant several vine cuttings in the container, but allow enough space to ensure that the leaves don't touch when the vines are planted.
- 5). Plant the bare section of each vine cutting in the potting mixture, working carefully to avoid scraping off the rooting hormone. Use the syringe to insert a small amount of water to settle the potting mixture around the cutting.
- 6). Cover the pot with clear plastic, then secure the plastic with a rubber band or a piece of string. Place the pot in bright, indirect light.
- 7). Check the vine cuttings every day. Use the syringe to water the potting mixture any time the mixture feels dry. Water carefully, as soggy soil rots the cuttings.
- 8). Start checking for roots about a month after planting by tugging gently on the cuttings. When you feel a slight resistance to your tug, the cuttings have begun to root. Dig up a cutting a few days later, using an old spoon. When the cuttings have two or three roots measuring about an inch long, the new vines are ready to be repotted into an individual container. Depending on the type of vine, this may take as long as three or four months.
- 9). Plant each rooted vine in a 4-inch container filled with the same potting mixture, or with a commercial potting soil. Cover the pot loosely with plastic for about a week so the new vines become accustomed to the drier, cooler air.
- 10
Allow your new vine to grow and mature indoors until all danger of frost has passed in spring. When the weather warms up, put the pot in a shady, protected spot for at least a week, then move the pot gradually into sunlight. When your new vine is accustomed to outdoor air and sunlight, plant the vine in the ground, taking into consideration the best sunlight and soil conditions for your particular vine.
