How to Start Grape Vine Seeds

Growing Grape Seeds

To grow grapes from seeds, start by soaking the seeds in water for 24 hours. Then, put them in a plastic bag with damp paper towels and leave them in the refrigerator for 3 months. In the early spring, plant the seeds in small pots and give them up to 8 weeks to sprout.

Preparing Your Seeds

Growing Grape Vines in pots can take several months so you will need to be patient. Start by Purchasing your seeds at Home Gardening Seeds, once you receive your Miniature grape vine seeds you will need to soak them in water for 24 hours. Now once they have been soaking for 24 hours you will need to remove your Grape Seeds

Cold Germination Process

Your grape vine seeds require a period of cold and moist temperatures to start the germination process. Since we are doing this without mother nature, the best way is to by storing them in the refrigerator. First prepare a bed for the seeds to rest in by filling a ziplock baggie with medium soft wet paper towels or peat moss, sand or even vermiculite. Peat moss is about the best to use if you can get it at the hardware store or Lowes, because it will help prevent mold from forming. Put the seeds to rest by covering them with about 1/2"-3/4" of Medium Growing peat moss. Next will be to find a spot in the refrigerator that is kept at about 35-40 degrees Fahrenheit. Refrigerate the seeds 2-3 months minimum however do not allow them to freeze.

Planting the Grape Vine Seeds

When Early spring arrives, wake the seeds up from there long nap and remove them from the refrigerator plant them in individual pots. You can buy starter pots at your local Lowes or Walmart, fill the small pots or the larger pots add 1 1/2" of soil in them. Now its time to make sure the seeds stay warm, keep the seeds at least 70 degrees and 60 degrees at night, if you think it will get colder than that make sure you use a heating pad or a warming mat. Keep the soil wet but not waterlogged, simply mist the soil with water when it looks dry or feels dry to the touch. Grape seeds take about 14-60 days to sprout.

Moving Seedlings to Final Pot

When the sprouts have grown to about 3-4" now is the time to transplant them into pots that are 4-8" tall. Keep the sprouts indoors or in a warm room in your house or even green house when they have grown to 12" and have several leaves at least 5-8 leaves then its time to move outdoors.

Growing Grapevines in Pots Indoors

Keep in mind that these grapevines require a minimum of 7-8 hours of sunlight everyday to ensure the best results. Your final indoor pot needs to have a good drainage system, so stay away from clay for soil or add a sandy soil mixture and mix with compost. You should also check your soil mixtures pH levels before planting seedlings. Your seedlings are best in soil pH levels of 5.5-6.5 maximum. If you plan on making wine with your grapes then the soil mixture you use will affect the taste of the wine.

Fertilizer and Maintenance for your Grapes

14 days after planting the seedlings add a small amount of 10-10-10 fertilizer to the soil and around the base of the pot. You will only need to do this once a year after that. Keep in mind that grapevines can take up to 3 years to start producing grapes. Maintaining your seedling is very important to getting the best results. The first year you will want to watch the growth of the seedlings, choose the strongest 3 shoots and pinch the others off. Year 2, remove flower clusters as the arrive, this allows the vine to fruit early if you don't and will take the energy from the plant. Also remove buds or shoots that grow below the 3 strongest ones. Prune and tie long shoots off to arbor or the trellis or even the stake your have. Year 3, Continue to fertilize and remove buds below the strongest 3, now you can allow a couple flower clusters to stay and produce a small crop. Year 4 and on, you can now fertilize and prune as usual and from here on out you can let the flower clusters all fruit if you would like. That's all, Enjoy your Indoor Grape Vine.