How to germinate a grape seed?

Germinating a seed is a way to better understand how nature works and this is valid for adults and children alike. To germinate a grape seed, you just need to follow a few steps that we will give you here!

To accompany a cheese platter, enhance a fruit salad or to nibble on at any time of the day, grapes are a fruit widely consumed in France, widely produced in the region for those who want to eat local. Germinating a grape seed Having a vine in your garden is a great way to enjoy it in quantity when the season comes!

Before sprouting a grape seed

One grape is not worth another… This goes without saying, especially in France, but it is always better to say it. Think about the use What you are going to do with your grape production is important, especially when it comes to conservation, depending on whether you want to to dry or only eat it in season when a hand reaches out to the fruit dish which sits in your living room.

There is no point in bothering to have too many vines and therefore produce too much !

Select the right grape variety

The grapes called ” table » are not the grapes used to make wine. It depends of course on your tastes and what you expect from such a harvest, but as a general rule the grapes intended for the mouth are muscat or chasselas.

It’s up to you to choose the variety of grape that suits you best, but be careful, in case you want to take a variety other than these two, that your land is suitable to his culture.

Raisin – Did you know?

In France 60,000 tonnes of table grapes are produced each year by more than 3,100 producers and on a total surface area of ​​7,100 hectares, mainly distributed in the south-east.

The harvest of table grapes is also job providerbecause these grapes can only be harvested by hand for the equivalent of 300 to 700 hours of work per hectare!

How to germinate a grape seed?

Once your grapes have been duly tasted and its seeds put asideyou can keep a good ten of them to maximize your chances of having a vine. Before starting the germination process, take in a bowl filled with water : discard the seeds that float and collect those at the bottom. Rinse them with clean water and rub them with a cloth to dry them briefly.

Collect the grape seeds © Tim UR

Place the grape seeds between cotton wool

Get yourself a small cup at the bottom of which you will place cotton, preferably organic, to avoid any negative interaction between germination and chemical residues.

Moisten everything well then place your seeds on top before cover with another piece of cotton that you will have fragmented to facilitate the upcoming breakthrough of the young plants. Moisten again.

Perform the operation on several cups in case fungus sets in during the operation, and to limit the risk of losing everything.

Another way to germinate grape seeds is to place the seeds in a bag of peat moss instead of cotton (the peat moss limits the growth of this type of fungus).

Trick – Germinating is good, planning the planting is better! A vine is a liana that can quickly become invasive if it is not controlled.

It will therefore be necessary provide a place for him to grow horizontally for at least 2.5 meters. Whether you plant on the left, right or in the middle of this linear line does not matter, you will just have to adapt your annual size.

Put everything in the refrigerator

Stones, pips and other seeds all have a covering that surrounds them. This covering has a protective role and reacts according to the seasons and external conditions, allowing or not the germination of the seedling.

Basket of grapes © Sokor Space

In the case of grape seeds, this envelope is quite strong and requires that a message be sent to it. The easiest way is to put the seeds in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 daysmaking sure to keep the cotton always moist.

Finally, a shot of heat for the pips

Most of the time the seeds will develop in your refrigerator, but it is possible that the variety you have chosen will take a little longer. To help it and after at least two months, take out your cup or cups and place it all at plus or minus 20 degrees in a very bright place, but not necessarily in direct sunlight, while keeping everything constantly moist. The seedlings will soon appear.

Place the sprouted seeds in a pot

The young seedlings appeared after 2 to 8 weeks are very fragile especially since they have not experienced external constraints such as wind for example. Start by planting them in a good sized pot (a height of 30 centimeters is ideal, the diameter being less important) with ordinary potting soil or a mixture of potting soil and the soil that your future vine will know, placing small gravel or clay balls at the bottom.

Use tweezers to pick up the seedling by the shell and bury it in a small hole you made in your potting soil. Only push in two centimeters maximum and water copiously before putting in the sun.

Read also: The grape cure: drain your body

How to Plant a Sprouted Grape Seed – From Pot to Open Ground

Let your vine grow until it reaches 25 to 30 centimeters. before planting it in open ground autumn.

Young vines © Chumash Maxim

Make sure to find a place for it with maximum sunlight and where, at least initially and especially if you don’t plant it high up, it won’t be in too much competition with other plants.

You will still need 4 years of patience before harvesting the first fruits, but what a joy to see such a plant grow thanks to your care!

Article republished