Vitis vinifera Seeds | Grape Vine
LATIN NAME: Vitis vinifera
COMMON NAME: Grape Vine, Common Grape
Plant Profile
Vitis vinifera, commonly known as Grape Vine, is a climbing, woody, deciduous vine in the grape family, native to Mediterranean and the western Asia, while it has been cultivated for its fruit. Established plants reach around Twenty metres. Pollinating insects take to the flowers at once, adding a little wildlife interest to its garden value. Put simply, this is a rewarding species for anyone willing to give it a suitable spot.
Science & Biotechnology
Vitis vinifera sits in the grape family, a group that keeps botanists, horticulturists and plant breeders busy with questions of classification, adaptation and ornamental potential. Grape vine has a real and extraordinary place in research. Gardeners benefit directly from its long cultivation: what the plant will do in a garden is well understood.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Grape Vine earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Grape vine is a climbing, woody vine of temperate regions, bearing palmately-lobed, bright-green leaves and clusters of sweet, juicy grapes in the autumn. Its grapes are a food for birds and wildlife, and its climbing, woody habit gives a fine cover for arbors and trellises, while its sweet, juicy fruit is one of the most important crops in the world. To raise grape vine, sow seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a cool, bright place, keep them gently watered, and grow little vines on in the sun. Once it has its roots down, it more or less looks after itself.
The grape gives more than wine: grape seed extract’s oligomeric proanthocyanidins are studied for vascular health, vine leaves wrap dolmades rich in fiber, and table grapes deliver resveratrol in their skins.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Grape Vine under ordinary good conditions. Scatter the seed evenly over a loose seed compost, cover to no more than its own depth, and keep the pot moist and bright. A cool, moist period before sowing helps the seeds wake evenly — a few weeks in damp medium in the refrigerator is the usual approach. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
Once established, Grape Vine, Common Grape largely looks after itself. It tolerates the sort of small mistakes every beginner makes.
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