I don’t currently have any small vines but when I did, rabbits would nip them back. A circle of hardware cloth while young solved the problem. I don’t know how well the wire will work against squirrels.
I noticed a few of you with small vines are trying muscadines in Washington state, assuming your profile info is correct. While I wish you all the luck in the world, that’s probably going to be a tough row to hoe. The issue is probably going to be season length & lack of heat units. I’ve spoken with a couple of people that have tried muscadines there over the years, and apparently the vines grow ok, but the fruit either doesn’t ripen at all, or at best, some fruit gets maybe half ripe. I haven’t heard any stories that I would consider to be a real success. Bunch grapes are probably the best option up there as disease pressure is relatively low and there are varieties of bunch grapes that are much better adapted to shorter seasons. If I just had to try muscadines in Washington state, I would probably try the earliest varieties possible like hall or lane. Anything much later than that probably stands little to no chance of ripening at all.
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I’m definetly one of those Washitonians!
When I first bought my muscadines I didn’t have in mind there were so many different ones available, seeing as I’ve only ever had one type from an Asian market and only saw pictures of a golden one (I just love the name scuppernog)! I rushed to buy a couple of plants as soon as I got my house!
That being said, I feel silly that it did not even cross my mind that there would be shorter ripening times and so many different varieties in general.
The summers here have been getting hotter, and for longer. Heck, this winter’s first freeze was not until November 30th!! That is more than a month later than 2023.
Crazy.
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Hi! I bought a bunch of early season varieties from isons this year as well. Tiirsys is correct. It has been getting a lot warmer here with seasons starting earlier and ending later. Right now for my area, we have about 180 days of a growing season that’s only getting longer as time comes.
I have a family member who regularly grows and ripens bananas in Seatac. She’s been doing this for over 10 years now and I’ve been told it’s impossible.
I think with enough time, we’ll be able to ripen them regularly without issues
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What varieties did you order?
Fry Seedless
Just looked and it looks like the others may be bunch grapes and not muscadines.
I have a small oh my from Gurneys as well.
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Is it the result?
I’ve read about the muscadine vine on Roanoke Island that is supposed to be very old.
With that said, anyone know how long muscadines released by UGA, Ison’s, etc. could live?
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All grapevines can potentially live hundreds of years in the right situation. However, trunk disease, freeze damage, overcroping etc. can all contribute to a shortened life span. Most commercial vineyards figure on a 20-30 year productive lifespan. Mainly because trunk disease are often bad enough at that point so that it makes more sense to pull the vines and plant new rather than keep the old vines, although they are not necessarily dead.
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@Melon … I bought “Oh My” from Gurneys last spring.
That is what it looked like when I planted it.
It did this in one season.
TNHunter
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Thank you, interesting
The oldest muscadine I know of is over 400 years old and covers more than an acre.
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If it’s not classified intelligence, where is it and how is it trellised/trained? On the one hand, I can see muscadine easily putting on enough feet of growth in 4 centuries to cover many acres. On the other, it’s difficult for me to imagine logistically how you trellis and train a vine that large and how the plant can actually send water and nutrients that far. Seems like it would take forever for water and nutrients to get from the farthest outlier roots to the farthest outlying stems.
If it’s not in a public area are there photos?
It’s probably this
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I went and saw it about two weeks ago, it’s literally in someone’s yard and in a neighborhood, there’s basically nothing around it and very limited parking (their driveway). Very cool to catch a glimpse of but not really worth a trip by itself
The owners cut it back from multiple acres to like half an acre or so some years ago
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