Root for Me


The other day I saw an overgrown grape creeper at MIL's house. It stood out from the rest because it shot way beyond the supports and was growing towards the roof.


"Gimme, gimme," I told my MIL retarded-ly. 


"Har?" she snorted. "You wan, you take loh!"


Within seconds, the vine was snipped and handed over to my daughter, who waved it around in delight.


Grapes. Who doesn't love grapes?


While the prospect of growing grapes isn't naturally appealing to everyone, it fills me with anticipation. What if I can actually do it? It is a project worth undertaking. I have already earmarked the area between the garage and the alfresco for vines to grow between, creating a natural trellis along the gap. What I need now is a living grape vine.


First, I have to root the vines. Only after a week of rooting them in water, I realise it might been a mistaken not to do it in soil from the start. I don't think it is appropriate to change anything by now. I'll just have to hope roots will grow before the ends start rotting. If I spy anymore similar overgrown shoots to cut and bring home, I'll consider getting rooting hormone and rooting a number of cuttings in soil at the same time. If they all grow well, I might as well do several more and sell them in a Sunday market with Albany one day. Let's not think too far....


This shit takes a long time to accomplish. It will take at least 3 years before I will get a decent yield worth mentioning. Before that, a lot of pruning and trimming have to be done before the trellis canopy of vines can be formed. I'll continue reading up on grapes growing and learn as much as I can in the meantime. It'll take a lot of patience, for sure. I have friends growing all kinds of fruit trees but none of them are growing grapes and here I am, trying to grow grapes and nothing else. Told you I am an oddball.


That is nothing much I can do for now. Even if the cuttings die, I'll just have to try again. In the meantime, I can only hope they'll root for me.

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