Chances of moving an old grape vine?

[Jeannine]

I have to knock down a very old wooden greenhouse which contains a 30 year old Black Hamburg grape vine, I don't want to put a new greenhouse in the same place as I have three others but what to do with the vine?

Does anyone know what are the chances of digging it up and replanting it.It can't stay where it is  and I would dearly love to shift it. Any help appreciated. XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

[Jeannine]

Just read my own posting and it sounds like I am looking for someone to move it for me. I am not, but advice on how best to do it will be really helpful for me. Thank you Jeannine

[jennym]

You could have a go at moving it, but at 30 years old, the chances are it's going to have a pretty well established root system (and be jolly heavy). If it can't stay there, you have nothing to lose. Do you need the space? It would probably survive OK outside if that's what you mean.
If it has to be moved, then do it whilst completely dormant - check by cutting into a piece, and if sap flows out it probably isn't dormant any longer. Dig the hole where it is to go first, then when you dig it up you can put it straight into the soil. Try to keep as much soil around the roots as possible, and dig out a large rootball with as many small fibrous roots as you can. Lift it out onto a tarpaulin, then if you can't easily carry it to its new spot, at least you can drag it on the tarpaulin.
Best of luck.

[okra]

It's most likely to be dormant at the moment - best done asap.

[artichoke]

I have moved old grape vines by taking cuttings and sticking them in the soil in some corner or other. You could dig it up as advised, but take cuttings as well, just in case. Obviously the cuttings won't be producing grapes for a bit.

I took a cutting last year from a grape that roams uncontrolled (except for occasional blitzes) over a pergola/carport construction - it comes from next door so I don't know the variety.  One cutting is  growing in a rockery against the garage wall, and my plan is to train it properly for grapes. Its roaming parent produced many bunches of small sweet grapes last year with no training at all, so it will be interesting to see what happens with the trained one.

[teresa]

Well we moved a large vine from sons garden.
The main trunk was the thickness of my OH arm. The greenhouse was falling down wooden one that was easy.
The grapevine was not its roots 3-4 main roots went right across his garden in different directions and deep.
I was hoping to bring it home but to remove it to say butchered is a under statement. I got cuttings instead.
My advice is if you have a good vine keep it and replace what is needed to the greenhouse its in.
Read up on grapevines pruning and feeding etc and keep it for this year to see how it fruits.
You might be suprised and want to keep it and take cuttings from it. It will take a few years for a young vine to fruit.
Black hambergs roots are outside greenhouse but it needs its head inside to fruit. In a few months it will be a mass of leaves and look beautiful.

[Jeannine]

Thank you all,I have grappled with this problem for a bit , I do have to move it sadly,I have no choice on that.We will have to dismantle the greenhouse first as it is planted inside but I am sure the roots will go under the foundations and trying to dig it out will probably bring the greenhouse down on us as it is very shaky now.I am wondering just how far they will go down , it would be a shame but we may just have treat it like an old tree and dig out what we can. As someone said we have nothing to lose if it has to anyway but it is sad. It has to be done in the nest couple of weeks.

One other thing,assuming we do manage to get it out,is there much chance of it surviving without a greenhouse. I could find it a cosy corner in my garden where it can grow but it has always been under glass.

Thank you all again, I shall let you know how it goes, XX Jeannine

[Old Central]

I tried moving a 4-5 year old vine last year. As Teresa has said the roots go for miles. Sadly it did not survive but it was a hell of a battle to lift it.

However, younger ones are easy as is taking cuttings (it becomes a hobby!). I think that you can buy bits of the 500(?) year old vine at Hampton Court as cuttings.

Good luck

OC

[saddad]

Take cuttings! You'd probably end up double digging the whole garden to get the roots out and then be unable to move it without one of those mini-diggers!
;D

[teresa]

Have you thought of pruning it back and train on wires is their a fence or wall behind it?
A story I heard years ago was of the Black Hamburg vine at Hampton Court greenhouse.
Its roots go into the river Thames,
one light fingered gardener many many years ago aquired some cuttings. That  is how Black Hamburg became available in UK and now they are selling cuttings of the famous vine ha ha.

[Jeannine]

Hi, no it has to go,the old greenhouse is slap in the middle of my second lottie,we have left the old greenhouse there for 5 years because of the vine but the greenhouse is  very rotten and beyond repair and has to come down.We would not be able to build a new one in the same place,apart from the regulations that are inforce now which were not 30 years ago, it is not a sensible place for the structure to be, so I don't have any choice other than to move it ot lose it XX Jeannine

[cleo]

Take cuttings,then prune back really hard-and I do mean hard.  Cut around the roots with a spade or an axe(I`m not joking) so that you can then replant the original vine.

You have nothing to lose,as to whether it will go on in time to give ripe grapes outside in your neck of the woods is a bit of a gamble depending on the shelter you can give it

[teresa]

Oh Jeannine, sorry did not realise it was on lottie.
As Cleo says take lots of cuttings if you want one at home.
As for digging it out it will be a big job how about a few stakes and wires and train it along ? just an idea.

[Jeannine]

Well the plan has changed, We are not shifting the old vine,it was on a lottie we were going to give up this year and as the old greenhouse would have had to be taken down the grape would die. The powers that be have told me  I can rebuild on the same spot as they realise the vine would die if we tried to shift it, so on reflection we are not giving the second plot up and we will re build the greenhouse. I feel good now , my vine is safe, I get anothet greenhouse and get to keep my two plots.XX Jeannine

[teresa]

Jeannine thats great news,

[Old Central]

For the sake of the archive my vine may have lost its main stem but a shoot has appeared at the base!

Now, do I have to move the one I put next to it?!

OC

[Jeannine]

Well done you, they are not so easy to kill after all, I bet you are pleased, it will be all over the place by the end of ther year.

New one..good question, I think I would move it. XX Jeannine

[Old Central]

Jeanine

I suspect the reality is that they will shoot from any old piece of woody stem and that is probably what has happened to mine.

However, now is not the time to cut into the wood as the sap is flowing again and it will weaken the vine, it is more a autmn/winter job.

OC