Starting Small with Muscadines, Lots of Questions

[garymc]

Muscadines are pretty drought resistant after they're established. You might try some moisture conserving techniques like mulch, mulched leaves, landscaping fabric and mulch, etc. to get them started. If the weather is extra hot and dry like this year, you might have to supplement your system with buckets of water. The lower rail wouldn't keep the foliage high enough to spray roundup. What would you do with a six foot shoot growing off a cordon 2 feet off the ground? I've noticed a lot more brown spots and insect damage on leaves near the ground on mine.
I've pinned some vines and noticed the new growth is not bothered so much near the ground, but older leaves look pretty ratty.

 

[tatud4life]

Gary makes a good point! I have to keep the lower cordons pruned more than the upper ones to keep them off the ground. I can't tell any difference in watering with four cordons. The reason I did that was to keep the weight stress to a minimum for the wires. I don't know if it's working, but I haven't had to tighten my wires any this year so far. You might want to check out dripworks.com. They have everything you need for running a drip irrigation system for your vines. That way you can water them and not have to worry about forgetting to daily. I was hoping to run one this year, but it will have to wait until next spring. There are probably other places that sell drip irrigation. Drip works is just the one that I have looked at.

 

[garymc]

I have landscaping cloth and wheat straw with mulch on top to keep the straw from blowing away. I water once a week in 100 degree plus weather with no rain and I could go longer than that. You can see the 2 inch pipe peeing on the mulch near the vine in the picture. I water heavily enough that you can sink in the mud over your ankles if you step in the wrong place, then let them go for a week. After a week of this ridiculous 100 degree weather there is still moisture under the fabric.

 

[echoloc8]

garymc, good setup, and good to know! The Ison's book says 36 gals a week per vine, is that what you do?

tatud4life, I was wondering exactly that: I know the canes/spurs/cordons can grow enormously in a single year, so I guess if I decide to go for a 4-cordon setup I'll have to keep the lower ones more closely pruned (and/or tied/pinned) to avoid pests/etc.

[Edit] My father-in-law will be helping me put this onto the end of his existing tree-farm irrigation system, but 5 gals a day per vine won't be possible, more like 2.

-Rich

 

[toddrod]

The 36 gallon a week recommendation is more for when the vines have grapes on them.

If you are limited in what you can water / rainfall, I would highly recommend only going with 2 cordons. Going to 4 with limited water will stress the vine and it will hurt your production and quality of fruit you get from your vines.

 

[echoloc8]

toddrod, thanks, that's exactly what I was wondering.

-Rich

 

[tatud4life]

Echo, I don't really have a problem with pests. The only thing that gets on my vines are little tiny black ants. They only show up on the new growth. They don't seem to bother my vines, so I leave them alone.

 

[echoloc8]

tatud4life, thanks. I have no idea what the pest situation will be where I'm planting, so I hope it's simple like your situation.

-Rich

 

[tatud4life]

Anytime buddy!!! Keep us posted on how things turn out!!!

 

[garymc]

I haven't calculated the gallons. My pump can put out about 5000 gallons an hour, but I don't. Know what gets delivered to the plants. I suspect it's more than 36 gallons. I should check it sometime.

 

[echoloc8]

I will be planting tomorrow morning. I'll take photos and post 'em!

Thanks to everyone for their help!

-Rich

 

[tatud4life]

Anytime Rich!!!! That's what this place is for!!! The sharing and acquiring of knowledge!!!! I have little to share, but will share the amount that I do have. Most of my knowledge came from here in the first place!!!

 

[echoloc8]

Posted the story and pix from the planting and setup here:

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f25/vineyard-pine-hill-farms-beginning-33171/

-Rich

 

[tatud4life]

That is awesome Rich!!!!

 

[garymc]

How are they looking in the ground? We need more pics!

 

[tatud4life]

I have a question. My oldest vine is still popping out grapes. I know they will not have time to ripen before it starts getting really cold here. Should I go ahead and prune them off? Or should I wait until the vine goes into dormancy first?

 

[echoloc8]

How are they looking in the ground? We need more pics!

Shall do! I'm visiting the new vineyard this weekend (I did some pruning a few weeks ago) and will post pics of what's happening sometime next week.

-Rich

 

[bigdrums2]

I have a question. My oldest vine is still popping out grapes. I know they will not have time to ripen before it starts getting really cold here. Should I go ahead and prune them off? Or should I wait until the vine goes into dormancy first?

I'd prune them off and let the vine use its energy to go into dormancy.

 

[garymc]

Tatud4life - Next year when you see any of them flowering in July or August or later, nip that in the bud.

 

[tatud4life]

Thanks bigdrums and Gary!!! I'll take care of that as soon as I get a day off. I didn't want to do anything to harm my vines.