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Products

  • Dormant grafted plants
  • Dormant rooted rootstock plants
  • Dormant unrooted plant shoots
  • Dormant unrooted scion shoots/buds
  • Green growing grafted plants in pots
  • Dormant grafted plants in pots
  • Dormant rootstock cuttings
  • Scion budwood

Above products are available for wine-, table- and raisin grapes.

Click Here to view Rootstock Characteristics

What we do – The process explained

Selection

  • Characteristics are identified that address the needs of the market
  • Select unique properties such as bunch size, taste and fertility
  • Evaluate selections for any adverse qualities
  • Identify each selection by a specific clone number under the particular cultivar

Virus Cleaning

  • Many different viruses cause negative influences in the vineyard
  • Plants do not have the ability to resist virus infections
  • It is essential to eliminate viruses from plant material
  • The elimination process is time consuming – up to two years
  • The method is for plants to outgrow the virus – a microscopic shoot tip from this growth is used to propagate new virus-free plants

Multiplication of Base Plants

  • After virus cleaning the vulnerable test tube plant material is nurtured into stronger plants
  • Through various growth phases in different plant mediums the virus free plants end up in hothouses for multiplication
  • Hothouse plants form the basis for further mother block plantings

Multiplication for Nurseries

  • Mother blocks are planted under specific controls to ensure the best quality material
  • Rootstocks are essential for successful propagation of vines in South Africa
  • The rootstock and scion material produced from these mother blocks are used for grafting in the nursery

Grafting Process

  • The scion (wine or table grapes) is grafted onto the rootstock
  • There are different grafting methods, but bench grafting is mainly used in grape industry
  • Long whip grafting – done by hand
  • Omega grafting – done by machine

Callus

  • After grafting, the grafted combination is treated in various ways, i.e. waxing, to prevent drying out of plant material
  • It is placed under controlled conditions for ideal humidity and temperature to stimulate callus forming of the grafting joint

Nursery

  • After completion of the callus forming process the vines are planted in specially prepared fields during early spring
  • the plants develop a strong root system from the grafted rootstock and vigorous top growth from the scion cultivar
  • After eight months in the nursery field beds, the vines are removed, selected and certified before delivery to the grape producer

New Vineyard

  • The grape farmer places an order with the nursery 18 months prior to planting his vineyard
  • The order is based on advice from the viticulturist for the most suitable grafting combination in relation to soil and climate conditions
  • At the end of winter the farmer collects the specific grafting combination for planting in his new vineyard

Consumer

  • Consumer preferences dictate the development of grape varieties
  • The development and selection of new varieties is an on-going process focused on satisfying ever-changing consumer tastes

Contact Johan Wiese, Andrew Teubes or Koos van der Merwe:

Tel 021 864 1018 Contact Fax 021 864 3689 Contact e-mail vgroenberg@vgb.co.za Contact www.vgnurseries.co.za