Most consumers are unfamiliar with the rich taste of muscadine grapes. It’s a cultivated flavor, because muscadines literally assault the senses of smell and taste. The berries are sweet, full of complex flavors, and the fragrance is pleasant. So far all muscadines have some seeds. Seedless fry is mostly seed free, but production has been disappointing. Some older varieties had tough skins, but the toughness of the skin had been reduced through breeding. Someday, we should have a seedless muscadine worth planting. Most consumers are unfamiliar with the rich taste of muscadine grapes. It is a cultivated taste.

Muscadines produce small clusters rather than large clusters, but they produce many clusters and mature vines have the potential to produce 15 tons per acre. Muscadines have poor storage potential, which is why they are best used for juices, jellies and wine or in the local market and for pick-your-own sales.

Another factor to consider when planting muscadines is pollination. Some varieties are self-fertile, which means that they produce both male and female flowers, while others produce only female flowers. In a single row, one in three strains must be a self-fertile type. In a larger plantation, one out of every three plants in every 3 rows should be self-fertile. Most of the top varieties used to be female, but with today’s variety selection, most of a vineyard could be planted with self-fertile varieties. The development of varieties with dry stem scar has also been very important in recent years. These varieties have much better storage potential.

Muscadine grapes: soil and fertility

Muscadine grapes are native to much of the southeastern United States. This means that they are a natural choice for the southern gardener.

Muscadines tolerate wet soil, dry soil, and everything in between. They seem to prefer a sandy loam soil, fertile, slightly acidic and rich in organic matter. They do not like very humid or very alkaline soils. Iron chlorosis can be a serious problem if the soil pH is too high (above 7.5). It can be corrected with regular foliar applications of chelated iron. Try raised beds if the floors are too wet.

Muscadine grapes are native to the southeastern pine forests, where temperatures rarely drop below 10 degrees Fahrenheit and rarely below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The forest floor is covered with a thick carpet of leaves and needles. In cultivation, they still seem to enjoy a thick layer of mulch to help regulate moisture levels and keep the soil cool during the heat of summer. Unlike other grapes, muscadines enjoy a moderate level of fertility. During the first few years, nitrogen is the only nutrients they need.

The fertilizer should be applied once each in early March, May, and July and should be placed 12 to 18 inches away from the vines. Select only one fertilizer for each application. Once a vine is 4 years or older, it should receive 3-5 pounds of 8-8-8 or 13-13-13 fertilizer in early March. As soon as you see that the fruit has set, you should apply a nitrogen application.

Training and pruning

Muscadine grapes should be planted during the dormant season (December to February). One- and two-year-old plants are available, but two-year-old plants seem to be more vigorous. No soil preparation is needed for muscadines, but they do benefit from organic mulch application and require good drainage.

There are two main training systems that are commonly used to train muscadines. The string system of muscadines is similar to that used in bunches of grapes. One of the main differences is the spacing.

Muscadines are much more vigorous and require more space. In the cordon system, the plants are spaced between 20 and 25 feet in the row and the rows are spaced between 10 and 12 feet. The other difference is the development of the stimulus. With clustered grapes, select a 1-year-old twig and prune it back to the two shoots every six inches, but spurs are allowed and encouraged to branch until a mass of possible 6 or 8 spurs remain at each spur location . Each year the spur cluster is pruned back to 4 to 8 subspions with 2 to 3 buds each. Remember, too, when pruning spurs, that grapes produce new growth from the buds of last year’s wood. The 2-3 year old wood will not be produced like last year’s wood.

The other training system is the modified Gin Double Curtain. This system uses 2 cables spaced approximately 4 feet apart at the top of 5 ½ to 6 foot posts. The vines can be planted 15 to 20 feet apart with the rows 10 to 12 feet apart.

The vines are placed on top of the trellis and then encouraged to branch out, developing a T, where the spurs will originate. Every year the vine is pruned to the side, leaving 4 spurs of 2 to 3 buds each. As growth begins in spring, the strongest shoot on each spur is selected and allowed to grow by its assigned wire. As the vines grow, they will meet the adjacent vine somewhere in the middle. This type of spur pruning is easy to handle and seems to work well for muscadine grapes.

Harvest

Muscadine grapes are best harvested when fully ripe. You will usually see a color change and the fruit will start to soften slightly. Because the small bunches rarely ripen all at once, they are harvested by hand or with a catch frame (a lightweight fabric covered frame), which is hung under the vines while the vines are shaken or pounded to dislodge the fruit. Harvesting should be done 2 to 3 times until all fruit has been removed.