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General Care &
Planting Guidelines
Muscadine Grapes
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SITE
SELECTION - Muscadine grapes are adapted to almost any
well-drained, moderately fertile soil. Soil pH should be
6.0 before planting. Muscadine grapes will not tolerate
"wet feet". Never plant where surface water
stands more than a few hours ever after the most severe
storms. Where soil drainage is poor and alternative sites
are not available, plant on a raised row that allows
complete surface drainage in all directions.
Muscadine grapes are not exceptionally hardy; it is best
to plant them only in regions where temperatures rarely go
below 0 F. Sites for muscadine grapes should receive full
sunlight. |
| VARIETY
SELECTION - The newer perfect flowered muscadine
varieties function as both male and female and are often
planted as the main or only variety. The self-fertile or
perfect flowered vine can pollinate itself and female
varieties. For best results, a perfect flowered vine
should be within 25 ft of female vines. When only a single
row is planted, every third vine should be perfect
flowered. The type of pollen from the perfect flowered
plant will not affect the color, flavor, or size of fruit
produced by female plants. |
PLANTS AND
PLANTING - One-year-old well grown plants are as good
as older plants and in most instances better. Set vines
after danger of hard freezes is past (usually mid-March to
mid-April). The best way to keep plants that have been
delivered from the nursery until the weather is suitable
for setting is to moisten their roots (but not wet), seal
them in plastic bags and store them in a refrigerated area
38-40 F. If this is not possible, heel them in along the
north side of a building and protect them by covering with
at least a foot of loose straw or similar material.
During planting, protect the roots from drying by keeping
them in a pail of water or by wrapping in wet burlap. Make
holes for planting large enough to spread roots without
crowding. Plant the vines 1 or 2 inches deeper than they
grew in the nursery, partially fill the hole with topsoil
and water each vine as it is set. Fill loose soil around
the roots and pack firmly as the hole is being filled.
Finally, a mulch of pine straw or leaves is good to retain
moisture around newly set vines. Never place fertilizer
directly in the planting hole. |
TRAINING
Step-by-step Training the First Year
1. After planting, prune the vine to a single stem and cut
the vine back to leave at least two buds. This step is
most important and forces strong new shoot growth for
early trunk development.
2. Tie a durable string, such as nylon or new binders
twine from the stub of the new plant to the trellis wire.
A small soft diameter wire may be used instead of string.
An alternative method, if the vine is set near the post is
to place a 3 to 4 inch long nail at the bottom and top of
the post and attach a string or wire tightly between these
nails. Train the vine up the wire or string.
3. After new growth is about 1 ft long, select the
strongest shoot and train to the string or wire by tying
it loosely to the training cord. As the new trunk grows,
continue to tie it loosely to the cord and pinch or clip
outside shoots that develop in the leaf axils.
4. When the new trunk reaches the trellis wire, pinch it
back to 4 inches below the wire. Tie a string from the top
of the vine to the wire and place enough tension on the
string to straighten the trunk. This encourages branching.
Train one new wire to each trellis wire to form the
permanent fruiting arm. Train the fruiting arm along the
wire by tying it loosely to the wire as it grows. Allow
the fruiting arms to meet halfway between the vines. |
FERTILIZATION
- First year - after setting and just before growth
starts, apply 1/2 cup (1/4 pound) 10-10-10 in a 20 inch
circle around each vine. Repeat monthly until mid-July.
Second year - double first year amounts. Follow same
schedule as for first year.
Bearing - in March apply 2 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer
per plant, scattered over the area beneath the vine.
Repeat with 2 pounds per vine after fruit sets. |
WATER
MANAGEMENT - Muscadine require plenty of moisture
while the grapes are growing and ripening. The amount of
water needed is roughly equivalent to 1 inch of rainfall
per week. Irrigate sufficiently to meet this requirement.
A minimum
amount of drip irrigation for mature muscadine plants is
two gal. of water per day while grapes are developing. |
| WEED
CONTROL - Muscadine grape vines are shallow rooted.
Most of their feeder roots are in the top 12 inches of
soil. If you choose to cultivate the planted area, do so
very shallow and only as frequently as is necessary to
control weeds. Frequent stirring of the soil also depletes
the soil organic matter by increasing its exposure to the
sun and speeds its oxidation and decomposition. The use of
chemical weed control is often the preferred method. |
PRUNING
- Annual pruning must be severe to renew fruiting wood and
to prevent vines from becoming tangled masses of
unproductive and often diseased wood. The basic framework
of a vine consists of the trunk, permanent arms, and the
fruiting spurs. Vines must be pruned each dormant season
to maintain this framework. Current seasons' shoots bear
the fruit. To be productive, however, these shoots must
arise from buds set on last season's growth. Shoots from
older wood are generally sterile. It is important,
therefore, to leave an appropriate amount of last year's
growth because this is the only "fruiting wood"
on the plant. The object is to leave the correct amount of
this fruiting wood.
Pruning is basically the same for all trellis systems.
Only the arrangement of the fruiting arm is different.
During the dormant season each year, cut back all shoot
growth of the past summer to fruiting spurs 4 to 5 inches
long. Remove shoots entirely that are not needed for spurs
or fruiting arms. On young vines, leave spurs of one year
fruiting wood about 6 inches apart. As the vines get
older, they develop clusters of spurs, or spur systems.
Generally, thinning of these spurs is necessary after the
fourth or fifth fruiting year. This thinning will force
new spur growth to replace older spurs. |
| Notice:
The information contained on the following web pages is
derived from industry sources which are considered
reliable. Information is subject to change and withdrawal
without notice; therefore, it is the responsibility of the
consumer to verify reliability on an individual basis
based on specific consumer needs. We assume no
responsibility, and extend no guarantees for information
provided. Trademarked names are used in an editorial
context with no intent of trademark infringement. |
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