Bstruss,

Where are you in Florida? I am right behind you on the muscadines. I just put in 6 20 foot rows but used the Geneva double curtain trellis system. I still have 2 more 20 foot rows to go for 8 total or 160 feet. Last weekend my wife and I went up to just fruits and exotics in the panhandle and picked up Nesbitt, Florida Fry and Southern home as well as the Triumph I already had purchased locally. The plants up at just fruits were GORGEOUS...they had grapes on them lol. They have all the types growing on the fence around the nursery so got to try them. I absolutely loved the nesbitt, tasted IDENTICAL to a Concord grape. A fellow board member has started me Carlos, Darlene and Late Fry. I will have one more open spot but have yet to figure out what grape it will be.

Hi Bamboo rabbit, I live in Nassau County just north of Jacksonville. My vines are much larger now than in the picture, and have almost reached 10' to the nearest post. This raises a question; I read that the lateral growth (cordons) from the two runners should have their lateral growth trimmed about every 6" or so. However, there is not lateral growth, and the cordons just keep heading down the wire as a single growth. How (or when) does the lateral growth develop, and should the cordon be cut when it passes over to the section?

Bstruss,

I have zero experience with muscadines. But if they are like bunch grapes see below. Perhaps someone with more experience will chime in.

Pruning the lateral growth will come....your vines are just young. As the plants get older they will branch out. I am surprised they have not sent out at least a couple of side shoots, are you sure you are not missing them? Once the vine reaches the end of it's designated growing area pinch it out that will encourage the plant to produce side shoots.

I did something a bit unconventional with my muscadine vines. I used store bought black 3'x6' steel wire trellis, and surrounded my patio with them in a sort of "reverse escalier" fashion and let them crawl up and down, nipping off the end when it reached a point that I wanted to branch them at.

My intent was probably less conventional wanting to use them more as a "privacy screen with benefits" rather than a producing vineyard. I have no idea what they will do as far as fruit goes, as they are far more densely packed than you would see in a vineyard.

See www.flickr.com/gnappi2011 for a few pics.

Gary

I do see some buds starting at the leaf axils, so I imagine lateral growth will commence once they have run outwards a little more. From there, I have pretty good idea of what to do based on pruning diagrams such as Ison's. We are dealing with a 22" drought here on Amelia Island, so it's been hard getting these starter plants enough water (which is why I lost a couple).

Muscadines will produce best if trained and pruned and maintained and will produce moderately even if you do nothing at all. There are semi-abandoned arbors here on old institutional grounds that produce decent crops and have not been pruned, fertilized, or watered in the 30 years I know off and possibly for a few decades before that. The overhead arbors, or the "summer porches" that were popular before air conditioning, are harder to prune through and thus often went (and go) unpruned. With even a perfunctory additional effort on your part they will generally do very well.

This year I would concentrate on getting the cordons to the full length that you want them to be. Next spring when they break dormancy you will notice tons of lateral growths from the buds on the cordons, these will be your fruit spurs.