A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 muscadines

I live in zone 6b and want to plant some muscadines. How can I care for them? The county agent say they don't do so good here. Would appreciate any comments and help.
Monajean

MonaJean,
Did your county agent give you reasons why they wouldn't do good there???

And what are your summer's and winters like?

Snow? Heat?

I always thought those kinds are supposed to be better for the warmer temp'ed places..

*Usually the grape types up here need a cooler temp to good*

Thanks for the message. No the county agent didn't give a reason that I know. I didn't talk to him, my brother did.
Our summers are hot and the winters cold and some snow. It gets down to the one digit temps sometimes in the winter but don't always have snow. Some winters are worse than others, occasionally have ice storms where everything is solid ice for a few days but not often.
Monajean

monajean,
I live in MS and we have lots of muscadines. Our weather isn't as cold as yours but I don't see why you couldn't mulch them heavily during the winter. Do you have a source to order from? If so, what type of conditions does it say they can handle? I used to live in Little Rock and sure do think I remember them growing in the woods behind my house. If I had known earlier, I could have gotten you some seeds. We had some growing at our deer camp that were too high for the deer to reach and they produced a real heavy crop this year. Wonder if I could find some small ones to dig up for you. PM me if you're interested and I will see if I can find some young plants to dig up.

Thanks Marlene,
Sounds good to me. How do I plant them? The two plants my brother ordered for me are a lot of hard work. First have to kill all the burmuda grass so none is around them and then plant them 20 feet apart. We got the T-posts in the ground and Round-Up on the grass today. The county agent said do not plant before March 15, my brother said to keep the plants in the refrig til then but I don't know if they are even still alive. So if you can find any let me know.
It gets colder here than Little Rock but you know that and bet you know where Mountain Home is.
Monajean

I have more muscadines ( and scupperdines) wild here than I will ever know what to do with- I've spent the past month trying to get rid of some and cutting back all I can- I am in a 7a zone, so these could probably work well for you too- have never dug them up or shipped them but if someone can guide me I'd be glad to send a few that way.

Peace and kindness,

Heather

Thanks Heather,
I don't know how to do it either. My brother had some shipped to him and they came with the roots wrapped in plastic with a little mulch inside the plastic. Then just stuck in a box. He gave me 2 plants but only supposed to last up to 2 weeks in the refrig and it's been longer than that. But the county agent said not to plant before March 15th. If they aren't dead I'll try to plant this weekend. But I believe they are dead. So would appreciate some wild muscadines.
Monajean

PM me with you address- I will get some for you soon, as I have left quite a few still around.
We just moved to a 20 acre farm, and it has been a wonderful adventure taking walks with the girls and seeing what has been planted here (or wild) over the years and trying to identify it all. I also have a ton of heirloom roses, I think- No one can idenitfy them yet! Glad these plants will have a good home- will trade for cultivation tips!
Peace and Joy,

Heather

Hi Y'all,
Wildheather, it would be best if your muscadines are still dormant (which they should be this time of year) when you dig them up. Try to include as much root as you can when you dig them up. Put them into a small bathroom trash can size bag and add enough soil or peat to cover the roots. Wrap the top of the bag around the stem section and loosly twist tie it to hold in the peat or soil. Make sure to moisten (not soak) the soil before you twist tie shut. If the plants are too small for a bag of this size, use a smaller bag following the same procedure. Carefully place in an appropriate size box using newspaper to pack around plants as necessary. It shouldn't take too long to get from NC to AR--I believe they should make it just fine. And yes, Monajean, I know where Mountain Home is--nice place Are you making jelly or wine from these? They do make mighty fine jelly and wine. If y'all need any more help, feel free to ask (PM me if you need to).

I'll be making jelly, jam and perserves with them.
Monajean