How far above ground to place graft union?

[user 36973]

I'm putting in a row of grafted vines this week and want to get advice on how close to the ground to position the graft union. The site is in central Indiana, hardiness zone 5b.

I'm planning to prune it low and completely cover the vine over the hardest part of winter (mid Dec - mid Feb) since it is a zone 7 varietal. Since this will also protect the graft union, I'm not planning on hilling up.

 

[CTDrew]

I have a few Gruner Veltliner in my vineyard. I set the graft about 1 inch from the soil level at planting, which migrated to about 2 inches once the soil settled in. This way I am able to bank soil over the graft union for the winter, which is what I think you are trying to do. The technique definitely works to keep the vines alive when those freezes set in.