@k8tpayaso, chrcking in on your muscadines?!?!? How are the vines producing on one wire? Do you have to water any?
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I’ve watered a couple of times but we’ve had quite a bit of rain this year. My fourth year vines are fantastic. All are looking pretty good. Ive got a few very small vines on a new trellis this year and some of them are struggling so I give them water anytime it hasn’t rained in a couple of days.
This was May 7
June 2…a couple of 4-year vines
Good fruitset on most. Very few Darlene fruits but those are younger plants.
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Very neat and well kept vines.
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Thanks Tony. It looks really good right after a trim up…I choose my days to take photos!!!
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Do you have yours on a double wire? Or other support?
Im thinking 4 vertical wires, but it may be too vigorous??? I just planted my first 4 muscadines this year, so i will be installing the trellis in the next few weeks…
Just my thoughts on how to support.
- I’m not planting for a u pick. These vines make a TON of fruit. Unless we are going to start making wine I’m not sure what I’m going to do with all the fruit. That looks like a big vineyard…it is but only half those vines are producing and one row only on first year to produce last year. I don’t want mine more vigorous
And 2. Picking is not a barrel of laughs. With my one wire or maybe double curtain at least you are (basically) standing. But I sure don’t want to bend over and pick a low wire. Your head is up in those vines getting to the grapes. You will be on your knees… I’ve already had to trim some of my vines that were only 4 inches from the ground.
I know a lot of people don’t have the space so they work their wires around to give the vine space. Mine are only 12 feet apart. To get the most production the vines need twenty feet. I didn’t give it to them. I don’t regret it yet.
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Nice! Invaluable information. I am doing some for fresh eating, and some for wine. I always plant by the house to “test” stuff out, then either buy more or propogate out (if patent is expired) for mass production. I never thought about grapes for pick your own, but you are giving me ideas!!! I think i will build a double curtain, up high since picking and tending would be better standing than kneeling for sure!
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Yeah…I’ve seen pictures of trellises set up with low wires and it made me hurt to look at it. I’d do a double curtain before I would put a low wire in. I’m old but I can’t imagine even a young person would enjoy picking below that low wire!
U Picks are a big business with a lot of muscadine growers. If they grow well for you it could be good.
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Y’all ever had tendrils girdling the vine? I was walking my vines earlier and noticed my Ison had 2 tendrils that had done just that. Got both removed, but you can clearly see where each one constricted the vine quite a bit.
@chadspur no, but i have had vines kinda combine as they twisted around each other. Had no idea the tenrils could do that!
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It was pretty surprising. These young muscadine tendrils are no joke after they harden up. I’ll see if I can get a photo of the damage done tomorrow to see if y’all think it’ll cause any problems in the future.
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Your setup looks so good.
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If the tendrils are on the main cordon I remove them immediately. I don’t worry or remove the ones attached at a point that will be pruned off next year. The sooner they are removed the better.
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I currently have seven vines and I simply check and remove the tendrils as I do my frequent walk around. This would be big job for the people that have large plantings.
@EastBexarWilcox. I have seen pictures of several vines wrapped together. My opinion is that Muscadines are best kept with a one vine one wire setup.
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A T setup with 2 wires separated about 3.5 feet and 6 feet above the ground is just about perfect for home gardens. The plants are on 15 X 16 spacing which makes the two cordon setup a very good match of roots to fruiting surface. If I were doing this commercially, I would use a single cordon and a much longer spacing (between 20 and 24 feet) in the row. This would facilitate mechanical harvest and hedging.
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I currently have 17 vines. Cowart, Early Fry,Late Fry,Pam,Ison, Supreme,Triumph,Darlene,and a few unknowns.
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I’ll start doing that. This is only my second year with these vines, first year with 7 of them. Here’s what two of the tendrils did to the vine(Ison)
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All you Muscadine growers: do you use bird netting? Anyone getting grapes without netting?
Does any particular color grape- say bronze for example- fool the birds?
Are deer a problem?
Thanks
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Bird netting is generally not required with muscadines. Deer on the other hand will eat every single grape on the vine. I have an electric fence around the vineyard to keep them out.
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