propagating by hardwood cuttings in winter

Today I took some cuttings of grape vine and two different roses to try to get to take root for planting next spring. This is my first time doing anything like this and I am unsure of how to keep the cuttings until spring. So far, what I've done is dipped the bottom ends of all the cuttings in rooting hormone and stuffed the bottom 3-4 inches into a mix of vermiculite and soil, since I could not find any sand. I watered it well and the containers have drainage holes in the bottom. I live in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the winters get harsh around here. I've read not to baby the grapes and just let them stay out in the cold until spring, regardless of what the weather does. I've read conflicting information about roses, some say to keep a jar or bag over the top for humidity and some say to keep them warm. Does anyone have any advice as to whether I should leave them all outside, put them in the garage, keep them in the basement or in the house at room temperature? Also, any recommendations as to keeping a bag or jar over the top vs leaving the tops exposed? Any help is appreciated!

I guess it depends.. I've put my rose cuttings outside. Just something like 8 at the spot where i want it to grow, no rooting hormone. If they all take , I'll have some roses to pass on. My grapes, I've put ten in one pot, got to get some more cuttings of my neighbor.  My figs, i put loads of them, different sizes of width and length in different spots in pots in the garage, outdoors, in the greenhouse.
I don't know what will work, because every climate is different, every cultivar reacts differently, every soil is different, just have to see what works. I trust big numbers is the way to go, getting loads and work on clever ways to plant them quickly in different habitats, you'll find what will work for you.

I haven't successfully propagated hardwood cuttings yet.  I'll attempt a hundred in the next month though.  I'm going to try bottom heat per Edible Acres on YouTube.

If I had grape cuttings in small pots, I'd be really tempted to put them outside but bury them in the snow.  Just like a baby grape plant would experience.  That should protect it from the coldest temps of winter.

As of now, I have the grape cuttings in the garage and the rose cuttings in our entryway with a bag over the top for humidity. The garage is not heated and the entryway is only maybe 10-15 degrees warmer than the outside. I suppose I will leave them as is for now until I feel something should be changed. I appreciate the input and am open to any suggestions. I will try to remember to post some results in the spring, but as I'm sure you all know, spring can be quite busy and exciting.

I cut grape vines into pieces and shove them into a pot containing sand in the greenhouse, and water them as needed, more or less ignoring them until June or July when many will have sent out roots. I usually don't take cuttings until I prune the vines, about the time the snow melts in the spring. An entryway seems like a great place for them to overwinter.

I used to root them in water, but rooting in sand seems much easier and more reliable.

I’m trying to revive this post a bit. None of the roses rooted, but I planted them anyway. Rabbits and deer ate them all, so I dont know if they’re were doing alright or not. Some of the grapes rooted, but most died within a year or being planted. The ones i kept probably had a lack of sunlight. Who knows with the ones I gave away.

So, I’m trying again! I’ve got a few grape vine hardwood cuttings in my entryway now hoping they will root. I’m considering taking more rose cuttings and possibly gooseberries and elderberries as well.

My question is, can all deciduous shrubs, like those listed, be basically treated the same for doing hardwood cuttings? And I’m also unsure whether to leave stuff outside throughout our winter, or shelter them in a cold entryway or garage instead? Also, do I keep the rooting medium moist and do I put a bag over the tops or leave them exposed?

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks
-Brody

I am a long way from being an expert in this area. I treat all cuttings pretty much the same. I keep the material moist. And I do not bag.  Once again, this is what I have done.  It does not mean it is the best way.

I would recommend the book The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation by Dirr and Heuser. It contains very specific instructions for propagating via seeds and cuttings for a wide variety of woody plants. Most of the book is an index of species, with instructions for each.

Does anyone else suspect the grape cuttings may have been taken too early here? I'm a novice in this area myself, but that's the first thing I wondered. Have the grapes had enough time to go dormant up there?

Also, you might consider a bottom heat propagation set-up (after researching whether grapes respond well, I suppose). If you've got a seed warming mat, you could put a bucket of water on top of it and stick your cuttings in the water (or into floating cups of growing medium within the bucket). The difference in temperature should help to speed up root development.

If you already know where you want to put them, maybe just put them in the ground.  This is what I have done with currants in the past; they get some roots started before the ground freezes and have a headstart on growing come spring.

I have not tried this with grapes specifically, though.

My climate isn't as cold, but I mostly do what ML suggested and get a pretty good success rate. I just push the cuttings to at least one leaf bud depth into the ground where I want them. About 50% seem to grow.

My raspberries and elderberries spread like weeds from the seeds in fallen fruit, so I've never needed to try cuttings of those. I have more than I need already!

Hope whatever you try works for you!

John F Dean wrote:I am a long way from being an expert in this area. I treat all cuttings pretty much the same. I keep the material moist. And I do not bag.  Once again, this is what I have done.  It does not mean it is the best way.

What kind of climate are you in, and are you working with hardwood or softwood cuttings?

Abe Coley wrote:I would recommend the book The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation by Dirr and Heuser. It contains very specific instructions for propagating via seeds and cuttings for a wide variety of woody plants. Most of the book is an index of species, with instructions for each.

Do you know if the book is about plants in a specific zone/climate, or is it more broad than that?

Arkady Schneider wrote:Does anyone else suspect the grape cuttings may have been taken too early here? I'm a novice in this area myself, but that's the first thing I wondered. Have the grapes had enough time to go dormant up there?

Also, you might consider a bottom heat propagation set-up (after researching whether grapes respond well, I suppose). If you've got a seed warming mat, you could put a bucket of water on top of it and stick your cuttings in the water (or into floating cups of growing medium within the bucket). The difference in temperature should help to speed up root development.

At this point, I’m wondering if all the cuttings were taken too early. We had 5” snow on the ground for a week and low temperatures down to 13 F, so I thought winter was here to stay. Now this entire week has been in the mid 40s at night to mid 60s during the day. I’m worried things will break dormancy! No idea if they would or what kind of effects that would have on the rooting process.

Brody Ekberg wrote:Do you know if the book is about plants in a specific zone/climate, or is it more broad than that?

I think it's geared toward north american growing zones, but it has plants from all over the world. Not a ton of tropical plants, though.

I currently live on the edge of 6a and 6b. But I used to live in northern MN. I treated all cuttings the same.

I just added some comments to another thread like this recently with some info about propagating with cuttings in central/northern NY zone 4/5 that may be helpful, check it out here:

https://permies.com/t/151917/Cuttings-Flowering#1189063

John F Dean wrote:I currently live on the edge of 6a and 6b. But I used to live in northern MN. I treated all cuttings the same.

Did you have decent success getting them to root? Also, if you did, roughly what was your process?