How to Grow and Care for Muscadine Grapes

Muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia) is a species of grapevines indigenous to the Southern and Southeastern United States. Muscadine grapes (Muscadinia rotundifolia) were first cultivated by Native Americans, who used the fruits for dishes like Cherokee dumplings (dough poached in pressed grape juice) or dried them.

Muscadine cultivars, with their notably large berries and thick skins, come in various colors and sizes. Some of the best known are green-bronze Scuppernongs, a variety of muscadine grape named for North Carolina’s Scuppernong River. Some muscadine varieties are self-fertile and don’t require cross-pollination to fruit. These varieties include Carlos, Dixie Red, Fry, Hall, and Magnolia. Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas are among the US appellations producing artisanal muscadine wine.

Muscadine grapes ripen one fruit at a time (unlike other grape varieties that ripen in bunches) and are best harvested by hand in late summer.

1. 1. Jams and jellies: Muscadine grapes lend themselves to many forms of preservation, most frequently jams and jellies, which you can add to late-summer baked goods, like tarts and pies, pair with a cheese plate, or slather atop toast.
2. 2. A healthy snack: Muscadine grapes make a great, healthy snack. The table grapes are naturally high in antioxidants, especially polyphenols like ellagic acid (a phenol not found in any other type of grape) and resveratrol. Muscadine skins are edible, though some people prefer to eat only the grape’s pulp and discard the skins and seeds.
3. 3. Dessert wine: Unlike Vitis vinifera, or the common grape, muscadine is primarily made into a sweet, dessert-style wine. Muscadine wine is usually a reddish-amber color and highly aromatic, with notes of deeply ripe fruits like banana and apple. While these wines, with their distinctly “homegrown” feel, have been snubbed by the wine world in the past, select modern winemakers praise the grape’s ability to withstand the disease and pests that plague its thin-skinned cousins.

Muscadines thrive in a humid climate, so they’re ideal for USDA Hardiness Zones 7–10. With the right conditions and attention, it’s easy to grow your own muscadine grapes.

1. 1. Prepare the site. Muscadine vines require full sun and well-draining soil. Select an area that gets at least six hours of sunlight with good drainage. Mix organic material or any initial fertilizer into the top 10 inches of soil to help your vines thrive.
2. 2. Build a trellis. Like all grape cultivars, muscadines require trellis support. The two most common trellising methods among muscadine growers are single-wire bilateral cordons and the Geneva double curtain. The bilateral cordon method trains the vines, spaced about 16 feet apart, into a basic T shape, with two horizontal branches supported by a wire. The Geneva double curtain divides vines in opposite directions, twisting the T and creating two draping curtains on either side of the main trunk, with a dense canopy. Training bilateral cordons along a single wire is typically easier to manage for home growers, depending on how many vines you plant.
3. 3. Plant. Plant bare-root vines in spring. Dig a hole as deep and wide as the plant’s pot against the trellis. Place the root ball into the soil, and fan out the roots. Give each vine plenty of trellis space, as they will sprawl. Backfill with soil and gently tamp down.
4. 4. Keep the soil moist. Water the bare-root well after planting and continue to do so throughout the first year, maintaining moist soil. After the vines are established, they will be more efficient at drawing moisture from the soil.
5. 5. Prune. Like any grapevine, muscadines require careful pruning. In the spring of the second year, use shears to prune away any side shoots and young vines, leaving only the most robust. Secure these to the trellis. Repeat each year, favoring only the most substantial looking branches, or “canes” for fruiting and pruning away any old or dead branches.

Muscadine vines require routine maintenance to thrive. After planting in early spring, apply ¼ pound of 10-10-10 fertilizer (equal parts nitrogen, phosphate, and potash) in a radius around each vine, repeating every six weeks into mid-summer. The next year, increase the amount of fertilizer by another ¼ pound and repeat. Depending on the soil makeup, the addition of a magnesium fertilizer can also help produce large berries.

Muscadine grapes require moist soil—which is why they can be found growing wild along Southern river beds—but do poorly in standing water of any kind. Mulch placed around vines will help with water retention and prevent weeds from taking hold.

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