MEEKS: Muscadines are Southern backyard treats

Muscadines are truly a Southern fruit. As a child I enjoyed eating them straight off the vine.

Now as an adult I enjoy a nice glass of muscadine wine. Although muscadines have been grown successfully in most parts of the state, they are best adapted to the Piedmont and Coastal Plains areas.

Muscadine varieties can be divided into four categories: two based on fruit color, black or bronzed; and two based on flower type: perfect flowered or female. If you plan on growing only one vine, fruit color does not matter, but it must be a perfect flowered. Female varieties cannot self-pollinate, therefore they must be inter-planted with perfect flowered varieties.

Just like your vegetable garden, muscadines need to be planted in a sunny spot that does not hold water during heavy rains. A minimum of 20 feet of trellis is required per plant. Rows should be spaced 12 feet apart.

Muscadines like a soil pH of 6.0-6.5. After planting and watering, cut off the vine six inches above the soil line. Do not fertilizer immediately after planting.

The two most common trellises used for backyard gardeners are wire trellis and double curtain trellis. Because of fruit disease problems the single wire trellis is recommended for south Georgia growers. The one wire trellis is easier to construct, but yields are higher for the double curtain.

Diligent care is needed during the two growing seasons following planting. Water is needed, fertilizer is recommended, the area around young vines should be weed-free and proper training must be done if the vines are to be productive. The first two years of training are devoted to developing a permanent trunk and fruiting arms.

Muscadine fruit are borne on new shoots arising from last year’s growth. In February or early March, prune back the previous year’s growth, leaving about three inches of growth to form spurs. The vines may “bleed” at the pruning cuts, but this does not harm the vines.

Too many buds on the vine cause the plant to produce too much fruit, reducing quality. After three of four years of production, you will need to remove every other spur cluster to prevent overcrowding. It is recommended to remove old fruit stems because they are a source for disease.

Tendrils are fingerlike plant parts that muscadines use to attach themselves to a supporting structure. Remove any tendrils that wrap around arms or spurs. If not removed, they will girdle the arm or spur and reduce production.

Besides normal fertilization requirements, muscadines have a high requirement for magnesium. Muscadines showing signs of magnesium deficiency will have yellowing between the veins on older leaves. The yellowing can progress up the shoots. Premature fruit may drop as well.

Whether you enjoy them fresh, as juice or as wine, muscadines can be ideal for the backyard garden. They are a true Southern treat.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Feb. 4: Egg Candling Class, Perry

Feb. 9: Corn, 12 p.m., Oglethorpe

Feb. 17: Weed control, noon, Oglethorpe

Feb. 19: Pecan, noon., Perry

Feb. 20: Cotton/soybean, noon, Perry

Feb. 27: Peanut, noon, Oglethorpe

March 5: Disease management, noon, Oglethorpe

For more information on any program area, contact Houston County Extension at 478-987-2028 or drop by our office in the old courthouse, downtown Perry, 801 Main St. Office hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Visit our website at www.caes.uga.edu/extension/houston/ for more news about your local Extension office.

This story was originally published February 4, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "MEEKS: Muscadines are Southern backyard treats."