I have some Chambourcin, Merlot and Cabernet Franc in my vineyard.
I have just finished pruning.

In order to save cost on buying other than 25 bundle lots of vines for
replacements, is it possible to graft Merlot or Cabernet Franc cuttings on
some Chambourcin cuttings (using the Chambourcin as root stock) provided I
cut out the buds on the Chambourcin?

I have never done any grafting before but I am curious as to whether this
would work.

Paul - This should be possible. Are you grafting the vinifera wood on
existing rooted vines or on Chambourcin cuttings? If the latter are the
Chambourcin cutting already rooted? Regardless you can buy grafting
materials from A.M. Leonard. Check out this site
http://berrygrape.orst.edu/fruitgrow...aft/graft1.htm for
information about grafting technique.

I should mention that I took a course on grapevine grafting a couple of
years ago. I attempted grafting Vignoles onto old Leon Millot roots. Using
the cleft graft method only 4 or 48 grafts took. Not a good success rate
and most likely due to my lack of experience and poor technique.

Bill Frazier
Olathe, Kansas

Paul E. Lehmann wrote "is it possible to graft Merlot or Cabernet Franc
cuttings on
> some Chambourcin cuttings (using the Chambourcin as root stock) provided I
> cut out the buds on the Chambourcin?"

William Frazier wrote:

> Paul - This should be possible. Are you grafting the vinifera wood on
> existing rooted vines or on Chambourcin cuttings? If the latter are the
> Chambourcin cutting already rooted? Regardless you can buy grafting
> materials from A.M. Leonard. Check out this site
> http://berrygrape.orst.edu/fruitgrow...aft/graft1.htm for
> information about grafting technique.
>
> I should mention that I took a course on grapevine grafting a couple of
> years ago. I attempted grafting Vignoles onto old Leon Millot roots.
> Using
> the cleft graft method only 4 or 48 grafts took. Not a good success rate
> and most likely due to my lack of experience and poor technique.
>
> Bill Frazier
> Olathe, Kansas

Thanks Bill,
The Chambourcin are just cuttings and not rooted. Perhaps I should just go
ahead and root some of them in pots and next year use them as root stock
for the vinifera. I have already ordered replacement vines for this spring
but I thought I would try my hand at doing my own grafting just for the fun
of it. If I have a low degree of sucess, that will probably be allright
because (hopefully) I will not loose a lot of established vines every year.
I had some loss the last couple years because of trees blocking sunlight -
especially in the morning - which resulted in real bad fungus problems,
poor vine growth and eventually death only in that part of my backyard
vineyard. My wife has now given me permission to cut down a couple trees
so conditions should improve.



>
> Paul E. Lehmann wrote "is it possible to graft Merlot or Cabernet Franc
> cuttings on
>> some Chambourcin cuttings (using the Chambourcin as root stock) provided
>> I cut out the buds on the Chambourcin?"

--
G'day Paul,
I was surprised recently to find that one of the local (and
in this case highly respected) vineyards was not bothering to graft at all,
with, so far, no problems. I would experiment with some of the cuttings and
see if they perform well enough just as cuttings. Unless you have a soil
type that causes problems for them you could be fine. Otherwise you may
require a rootstock that tolerates that situation. Any shoots from the
rootstock's of your successful vines would be worth striking as root stock
for future grafting experiments. Also you could try some root cuttings from
good vines to gain some rootstock.

China
Wingham
NSW

p.s. Amateurs built the Ark.
It took professionals to build the Titanic!