Help - growing question

[Joel Cote-Kanning]

Hello all,
I am new to this, so please bear with me and educate as needed. At the end of last season I bought several vines from a chain retailer (two swensen and one Marquette). This winter turned out to be one for the books as it was brutally long and cold in North Dakota -50 straight temps. I've been anxiously waiting to see if any of my late vines made it through the winter and finally, after constantly checking, scratching, prodding, poking, trimming, I gave up and pulled up the last hold out. As it turns out, I should've waited a little while longer since there appears to be some life left in it that I hadn't previously noticed. Now, the question I have is: is it possible to save the vine it or has it run its course? This poor vine has been mercilessly dug up several times by gophers and ground squirrels, eked through the winter, and at this point I just assumed that, like the others, it too was dead. However, when I yanked it up out of the ground, it seemed to snap off at ground level, meaning that none of the roots came up with it, and upon closer inspection, I found white nodes and green buds. If there is any possibility of saving it enough so that it will make it through the winter would be greatly appreciated. I've attached pictures to illustrate better what I am referring to.
Thank-you in advance.

 

[GreginND]

Frankly, if it isn't growing well yet, it is almost too late in the season to get a good root system developed. You could throw these into pots and see if they develop root and shoots and grow. Then you could over winter them indoors and plant them out next year. If something comes out of the ground where you pulled these out, see if they grow well this year. Leave all the growth and then prune it next spring. You want a good root system to develop the first year. However, all that being said, it is unlikely these original plants would be able to get established to ever grow well. I would plan on obtaining new plants for planting next May.

Where in ND are you? I'm just west of Fargo.

 

[Joel Cote-Kanning]

Greg - thank-you for your thorough reply; I did throw it in a pot with some root growth hormone just to see if anything will happen. I'm central ND; about an hour SE of Minot. I'm surprised that there was anything in this little thing at all. I haphazardly threw it along with two others in the ground late last summer and figured that the Swensons never would've made it, but half counted on the Marquette (actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I think the other was a Frontenac) would've made it through the winter. I'll wait and see if anything comes up from the roots that are still in the ground and see if I get any shoots off this while it's in the pot and go from there.

Thanks again for the response.
-Joel

 

[Rice_Guy]

If your vineyard is small consider freeze cycle protection. Traverse City Mi has growers who manage to do vinifera, their standard seems to be trellis close to the ground and then plow snow over them. On a couple vines I have seen laying them flat and mulching over them. The swings in temp are the damaging part.
Nothing lost giving then a chance.

 

[efBobby]

I'm learning the ins and outs of cultivation myself but what I have learned is grapes are masters of resurgence.

Before I even dabbled a friend of mine gave me a muscadine division and after planting it the thing did poorly after a dry spell and died or so I thought.

2 years later I planted a shrub in the same place and boom there it was again.

Since then I have found ways to test the roots without digging them up. Get some 15-15-15 fertilizer and play grape vine Marco Polo. Pour some where you believe the roots are and if they still live they will gobble it up and send up a shoot in 2-4 weeks usually closer to 2.