Growing muscadines
Laura Asked
We want to know if muscadines can be grown Adair County? If they can, can you recommend a specific variety that would do best here and also the best time to plant them? Thank you for sharing your knowledge and helping gardeners.
The Gardener’s Answer
Hi Laura, Muscadines are native to the Southeastern United States. They can be grown in a backyard garden or for large-scale production in Kentucky. There are a lot of cultivars to choose from and categories within the cultivars. Fruit color, disease resistance, self-fertile/female cultivars, and cold hardiness are all factors to take into consideration. Self-fertile produce both male and female flowers while female cultivars only produce female flowers and need a pollinator to produce fruit. If grown nearby, one self-fertile variety can pollinate up to 3 females. Both white and purple muscadines are high in nutrients. White (bronze) cultivars tend to be sweet, and crisp compared to the purple (black and red) that are sweet and musky. Noble, Carlos, Magnolia, and Sterling are all good options for Kentucky gardeners. Cultivar selection is just as important as site selection. Choose a south-facing location that will receive a minimum of 8 hours of direct sunlight. Muscadine grapes require nutrient- rich, well-drained soil for optimal fruit production. Contact the horticulture agent at your County Cooperative Extension Service for publications on growing grapes and to have your soil tested. The results will give suggestions for nutrient and/or pH adjustments specifically for growing grapes. These woody vines are best planted in the spring and will require something sturdy to grow on. Given the right conditions, they will provide years of harvests.
Angie Oakley
Kentucky Living-Ask the Gardener