Site Selection
The most critical issue in choosing a planting site for muscadines is a internal soil drainage. A good muscadine location is a well drained one. Water should not stand on the site after a normal rain and the subsoil should drain easily. There should be no grey mottling in the subsoil above 48 inches. Generally speaking land on which tobacco has done well should also be a good muscadine site.

Trellising
In the past, a Geneva Double Curtain (GDC) system has been recommended for muscadine grapes in North Carolina. However, observation and research has shown that there is little yield difference between GDC and single wire systems on muscadines. There is also a cost savings with the single wire trellis since less pruning time is required and no metal crossarms are required. The ease of pruning is also greatly improved. It is possible with the single wire system to decrease row spacing. The GDC system requires a 12 foot by 20 foot spacing. Whereas the single wire system requires only a 10 foot by 20 foot spacing (assuming that the growers equipment will negotiate this width). This also in turn increases the total number of vines per acre. It is recommended that no smaller than 5-6 inch by 8 foot posts are used for bracing and no less than 3-4 inch by 8 foot posts are used for interior posts. Number 9 galvanized wire is also recommended. The grower may also choose to use a ratchet strainer at the end of each row to help establish and maintain wire tension. Research has shown that there is a slight advantage in orienting the rows in a north-south rather than an east-west direction.

The Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium Box 7601 North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7601 919-515-6963 Please direct comments or suggestions to Brenda J Willis 706-542-2471