West Sussex, United Kingdom

Moving into an elderly property we inherited a greenhouse containing an overgrown grape vine that produces copious bunches of small sweet grapes that both delicious to eat straight off the vine or even better when converted into wine.

Unfortunately the greenhouse had to be moved and the grape vine destroyed because it’s roots grew beneath the concrete base.

However, in a number of points, along it’s length, the old vine wood had split and produced what appeared to be clusters of green aerial roots, something I have never seen before and which none of the local garden centres could explain.

When the old vine was destroyed I cut out two of the largest aerial root clusters and planted them in the corners of our new greenhouse just to see what would happen

Both cuttings grew and each produced a tiny cluster of new grapes from the first stem. I thought for vines to produce grapes they had to be grafted onto a root-stock.

In it’s first year the main stem reached the greenhouse roof and this year is producing multiple clusters of grapes or flowers.

Is this in anyway unusual and what do I do to maximise grape production?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

• 26 Apr, 2009