cuttings, cut lengths of canes used for vine propagation. Cuttings are the basis of propagation for commercial grape production, whether as own-rooted plants (see rootlings), or as scion varieties for grafting on to rootstock. Both methods are representative of asexual or vegetative propagation and the progeny are considered as clones of the source vines. In commerce, cuttings are cut from dormant vines in lengths of 30 to 45 cm (12–18 in). Once made, the cuttings are kept cool and moist and planted in a nursery in spring for roots to form at the base, and a shoot to grow from the top bud. The plant is now called a rootling. It is lifted from the nursery in autumn and planted in its vineyard position the following spring.
