New discovery: What should i do with all these muscadine vines????

[PunkinPeep]

Visited my mil a couple weeks ago and as we were walking around the property talking about plants, she offhandedly mentioned her muscadine vines. When i looked at them, i thought, ' those look familiar. '

Turns out, i have SCADS of them! Pretty much anywhere the woods break to an opening, muscadine vines. Of course, i thought they were weeds and paid no attention to them. I haven't found any fruit on them, and i'm not sure whether there would be any this late in the year.

Basically, what i'm trying to say is, i know nothing about these, except that i have heard that people in my area successfully grow and harvest them. That's it. I've never even (to my knowledge) eaten one.

Any and all suggestions, please.

 

[bid]

One good use for them is making wreath rings. I have made seasonal wreath rings out of the vines that, as you say, just grow wild. They can be cultivated just like any other grape and fruit from new wood. We always called them bullaces and just ate them off the vine when they were ready. Funny in a way that lots of folks cultivate scuppernongs around my area but almost no one cultivates muscadines.

Here's a site to get you started:

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/muscadinegrape.html

Good luck and congrats on your find!

 

[PunkinPeep]

Thanks for the great link!

I'm a sucker for anything native that might produce food, so i'm hoping i can figure out how to help them produce actual GRAPES!

 

[beefy]

they dont all produce grapes. depends on the plant. watch next spring/summer for the ones that do.

 

[PunkinPeep]

they dont all produce grapes. depends on the plant. watch next spring/summer for the ones that do.

don't tell me that! i want grapes!

i guess i will cut them all back as though i'm expecting something in the spring....

 

[beefy]

i cut mine back in january.

 

[AmyRey]

Scuppernongs and muscadines... YUM!

They only bear on new growth so you should prune them WAY back before spring. You'll get MUCH more fruiting that way.

 

[wifezilla]

For grapes, to get a good harvest, the plant must suffer....LOL

 

[cwhit590]

Ok Southerners,
so....what's the difference between a Scuppernong and a Muscadine?

 

[PunkinPeep]

Ok Southerners,
so....what's the difference between a Scuppernong and a Muscadine?

I think someone said that a Scuppernong is a type of Muscadine.

I don't actually know the answer.