Had couple Lane show up today from Wilson Bros Gardens (Isons didn’t have). Both vines were broken in several places including right near the base. Some wounds looked pretty old and rotted so I think they were like that before being shipped. One of them is effectively nothing but a pot of roots now. I think I can salvage the other.
Waiting to hear back from them.
Wilson Bros Gardens customer service rep promptly and courteously sent out 2 replacement vines. Pleased with the response.
I’ve decided to give up growing table grapes. My Reliance is covered with fruit every spring but black rot gets it every time.
So I’ve finally decided to replace it with a muscadine. I’ve trained it nicely to one trunk and two arms so I don’t want to pull it out and plant a muscadine. I’m assuming I can graft muscadine on to reliance grape?
Now, my question is what variety of muscadine should I pick if I like my table grapes crunchy, seedless and sweet? I haven’t tasted muscadines so I can’t tell you what type I like there. Sweet is on top of list, then the ease of growing, then crunchy, then seedless and finally red, black or purple. (Not green when ripe)
Can somebody suggest a variety? @Auburn? Also can somebody in my area comment on the ease of growing part. Is it really much easier in humid East than table grapes?
Lane is a self fertile sweet and crunchy seeded muscadine. There are only a few seedless varieties I know of Fry seedless, Razzmatazz, and the one I have Oh My. The Oh My I have has grown well this year and should provide a good sample next year. Both Oh My and I think Fry seedless are bronze types and Razz might meet your color requirements. Grafting muscadines onto table grapes might be possible but I haven’t seen it done. Although I like the taste of muscadine they are considerably different from table grapes and I would suggest picking up a package from a WalMart to see if you like them. In my area muscadines are a pleasure to grow and they are very productive. I hope someone from your nearby location can verify hardy types for your area.
Not recommended as muscadines are typically much more vigorous than any of the table grapes. Also, chromosome count differences cause a few more problems.
Are there any Muscadine grapes that could ripen up in the Puget Sound region?
I tried Hunt and Roanoke, years ago.
The vines did grow, but they didn’t even bloom until July, and the fruit failed to ripen much.
This is the first year that I’ve had muscadines on a decent wire trellis. As I reported earlier - I lost my Darlene. But it came back. Dixie is doing quite well. And Tara just OK.
On a second line of posts and wire - I have the ‘Fries’. Early Fry. Late Fry. And plain old Fry. Early and Late look great. Fry is puny. I may replace it.
Here they are. Almost all have reached the end of their wire. In a couple of cases a secondary shoot became stronger and longer than the main one. So . . . I switched them and tied the secondary vine to the wire. Hope this is OK. Anyone know? @Auburn . . . Bill, what do you think?
And Dixie, Darlene and Tara. Dixie is much stronger than Tara. And Darlene, in the middle, came back from being yanked out earlier this summer. I ordered replacements from Isons and will probably take out Fry and Darlene.
Your vines look healthy and on their way to many heavy loads of fruit going forward. The pruning methods used will speed up or slow down getting to the maximum production but overall I think getting the vines shaped like the Isons models (yours are similar) is most important for how they will perform for the next 20-60 years and on. I have switched leader vines a few times when it was apparent that one wanted to grow faster. The smaller vines toward the left if healthy have been establishing the root system and most likely they will have vigorous growth next year. This is the time of the year that I back off fertilizing young vines and let them harden off for the winter.
I like Dixie, it’s on the smaller side but sweet and tasty. Makes a good jelly or jam too.
I always hear how well muscadines do in the South, but what about the Southwest? There is plenty of heat in my area, but it is dry heat, very little humidity.
I actually planted a couple muscadine vines I ordered bareroot a few years ago as an experiment, but the timing was bad as they arrived right as my first son was born and I was so preoccupied I couldn’t get out to water them enough. Unfortunately they died, never broke dormancy. (My son is doing great though!) So should I bother trying them again, or just stick with regular grapes instead, which I know can do well here?
One of the muscadine species is native to the southwest including Texas and parts of New Mexico. Yes, give them another try and if possible start with potted plants instead of bare root.
I’ve noticed your dixie you sometimes mention as red dixie. JFE sells dixie, an old cultivar created by UF. I wonder if this is the same grapes ison sells as red dixie? Anybody know?
Here in Pensacola there’s a farmer who grows a dixie and it’s really sweet and tasty. It’s a medium bronze muscadine that gets that pinkish color like summit does when ripe. No doubt a keeper for me.
I don’t know, but Ison’s describes Dixie Red as developed at Ison’s, not UF. I have a dixie red from Ison’s and just got our first crop off of it this year. The grapes are pinkish bronze, varying in color from mostly bronze to almost red, medium size, with (to me) a good balance of sweet, tart, and muscadine flavor. They have a wet scar unless you pick them very ripe, then most will have a dry scar. They ripened over the course of almost 8 weeks here. It is a very vigorous grower and heavy producer compared to the only other vine we have, which is a Black Beauty.
I didn’t see that on isons. Thanks for pointing that out
I think that is about what I am expecting from Dixie. I ordered it because they said it was cold hardy, disease resistant and very productive. We’ll see . . .
That’s a very nice looking setup. I know my muscadines pull down hard on their wires, so be prepared for that as they mature.
Need some advice here.
I planted an Ison and a Black Beauty this year and they are growing very well, so I am planning to add 2 or 3 more muscadines in 2021. I read somewhere before that the recommended ratio of self-fertile vs female should be 1 vs 3. This will ensure good cross pollination. Because I have only one self-fertile (the Ison), is it safe to get another 3 females (plus the existing Black Beauty, total 4 females)? Assume the Ison will be in the center and all females will be within 30 ft, i.e., distance is not a problem. Thanks!
You might be okay with your current ratio but I would prefer to have two or more self fertile varieties. When I first started growing muscadines I ask a nearby u-pick grower and he said to keep the self fertile variety within 20’. My experience indicates that the ratio and distance apart is more important with smaller plantings. The females nearer the self fertile tends to produce more fruit, but my sample is small.
I’m like Bill. You will get better production if you have your females close to the self fertile vines. If you make one of your choices another self fertile you will have a nice ratio. There are lots of good eating ’dines that are self fertile.
Thank you both, @Auburn @k8tpayaso!
I will follow your advice and add a self-fertile. Prefer early and mid season vines, because the late season ones may not ripen in time here in VA.
Here is my plan. Wanted to add more diversities. Could you please share your thoughts and expriences.
Existing:
[1] Black Beauty
[2] Ison
Plan to add:
[3] A self-fertile – Triumph or Hall or Lane.
I was thinking to get Paulk, but it’s mid-late season, so less desired.
Between Triumph and Hall, which one is better? It seems more people like Triumph.
Lane is a popular one too. Is Lane much better than Ison? If not, I will skip it.
[4] A bronze female - Sweet Jenny or Darlene. Which one is better? It seems Darlene is more popular.
[5] A black female – Supreme or Sugargate. Both are excellent. Not sure which one to choose.
Right now I am thinking to pick [3] Triumph [4] Darlene [5] Supreme.
Maybe the differences are not that big. Picking either from each group would work out just the same in the end. 
