Looking forward to next year’s thread
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I couldn’t have said it better.
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I didn’t see a 2023 thread so I’m posting here.
I’m setting up a single wire trellis for 9 vines. Do you all recommend the vines be planted at the base of the support posts or space the posts between the vines and run them up to the wire on bamboo or other stake?
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It doesn’t really matter. I would put them in the middle. That puts the fruit weight closer to the post. Also, if one dies it’s easier to dig versus against the post. But, cutting grass is easier against the post. Do what works best for you personally.
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@LADPT I planted mine between posts and ran them up on bamboo, but would probably plant against post (or slightly away from) post if I could do it again. Mine were planted 5 years ago and years 2-4 seem to put the most strain on the wire/posts before the main trunk can get rigid enough to support some of the weight.
If you use good quality posts though, i don’t think it really matters, as Robert suggests. I made a major mistake in using pressure treated 4x4 construction posts from a big box store. Definitely should’ve used at least 7-8" round fence posts and they would’ve basically lasted for life or close to it. I’ve got about another 1-2 years on my existing posts, as carpenter bees have destroyed them and they just aren’t big enough.
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I plant beside the post about a foot away. The reason is because it makes harvest and pruning a bit easier. You didn’t mention spacing, but for single wire muscadines 20 feet between plants is recommended. I use a 2 wire horizontal trellis with the wires separated about 3.5 feet. This gives excellent sun exposure to foliage and allows me to plant at 16 foot spacing. Also, height of the wires is important. I put mine 6 feet high so I can run the riding mower under the wires and vines. This makes ground care a lot easier if you don’t use herbicides. It is a lot easier to harvest when the wires are high. I can get under the vines to pick. Be sure to brace the end posts. Muscadines can load down with 500 pounds of fruit which puts a lot of stress on the end post in a row.
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Planning on 20ft spacing of plants and poles. 8ft treated round posts from TSC 3ft deep. 6” end posts, 5” support posts. H-bracing the ends 6.5ft apart. 5ft height for wire.
I have 12.5 high tensile wire on hand and was planning on drilling holes in the posts to run the wire through. Or stapling on top.
I used these on my espalier apples:
Thoughts?
There’s 15ft on each side of the vines to the rows of fruit trees: pears, plums, persimmons and blueberries. Rows are N-S.
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I’d double check the 12.5 wire. Muscadines can get VERY heavy. I use a double stranded galvanized tempered steel wire similar to barb wire but without the barbs. Also, be sure to run the end of the wire down and stake it deep into the ground. I’ve seen lightning hit grape trellis with devastating effects when it is not grounded. If the vines are the only conductor to ground, they get fried.
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This section of field was disc harrowed and leveled last year, then mowed/mulched the red clover, grass and weeds. Before planting should I disc and level again? Or just low mow to chop up the dead stuff then spray herbicide and pre-emergent and plant a few days later?
I have a nice boom and hand spray rig on my zero turn mower and plan to spray around the plant bases. I have wood chips, but my reading suggests not using them as the roots will develop shallowly in the decaying mulch instead of penetrating deeper, which will be bad in drought times. Thoughts there?
Here’s the varieties I ended up with, and planned planting order female/self-fertile:
Big Red - F
Hall - SF
Pam - F
Ison - SF
Summit - F
Noble - SF
Supreme - F
Paulk - SF
Sweet Mix - F
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Be very careful using any herbicide around muscadines until they have grown for a couple of years. It is very easy to kill them when the bark is still thin.
If I had the choice, I would disc and level. It is not absolutely necessary, but would give better first year growth. You might spread some fertilizer in the row before discing.
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Has companion planting with muscadines been discussed?
This area of the field historically produces thick red clover. Is something like that preferred to bare ground?
I came across a recommendation for mulberries between vines. I currently have 5 trees I need to plant. I wonder how that might affect sunlight to the vines. Since the rows are N/S orientation I’m thinking not too detrimental. It would free up planting space elsewhere if I could include them here and not retard the vines. Would apples or pears be ok spaced between the vines?
I have a dozen Chinese chestnuts to plant, but they’re considerably bigger.
Muscadines are very heavy feeders and are not very productive if they are shaded in any way. It is best to put apples or pears at least 20 feet away from muscadines and further would be better. I tried muscadines near a tree line several years ago. The results were unacceptable.
Ison used to sell a book about muscadine cullture. I’m not sure if it is still available, but if so, it would answer a lot of questions.
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My opinion about how to use herbicides around muscadine vines is to be very careful and only use it when it is really needed. I don’t have big equipment to spray with but if I did I would never use it near my vines trunk. Occasionally I spray and I use a cheap 1 gallon sprayer so I can be careful where I’m spraying. I’ve used this method several years and never damaged a vine.
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I’ve grown muscadines in various shade conditions and you can get some production in a somewhat shaded area but the best production will be in the full sun conditions. Mulberry trees grow fast and large and will produce a lot of shade.
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Do you have polyanna?