Instructions for Planting and Cultivation of 
Muscadine Grapes 
SOIL, DRAINAGE, PREPARATION ETC. While these grapes will do well on varied soils, a sand loam is 
preferred, well drained, as they will not do their best on land that does not have a good drainage. This land should be 
well prepared before planting. Lay off rows 14 feet apart, putting vines 21 feet in the row, preferably in straight rows, 
making trellising easier; thus getting your distance, dig holes for vines about 24 inches in diameter and 18 inches deep. 
If good woods earth is easily available, fill these holes with half woods earth and half soil mixed, but if the woods earth 
is not convenient, use good top soil. 
PLANTING. From November 15th to December 25th is a good time to plant, but I have had splendid success 
up to March Ist. Select the varieties with care as to the use you are to make of the fruit. If for home use, select 
several varieties of good eating grapes from the earliest to the latest in ripening, so as to have fruit over a long period. 
For commercial planting, select the varieties that are prolific, having a high percentage of juice, and a quality 
that the wineries or whatever your market calls for. 
Plant either one or two-year vines, as older vines are harder to make a start. Personally I prefer the strong 
one-year vines, as they get established easier, live better and will bear as quickly. In planting, do not overlook planting 
male or pollinating vines with the bearing vines, as they will greatly increase the yield. The time was when we had 
wild vines in the woods and they would not so much need the males planted, but now the most of these have been cut 
away and we must plant them in our vineyards. 
135 bearing vines and 15 males will plant an acre as I have given the distance. Approximately $30.00 for the 
vines will plant an acre. 
FERTILIZING. Use no fertilizer at planting, but at any time thereafter you may use one bushel compost 
around each vine forked into the soil and as buds start in spring, the first year use one pound of high grade fertilizer to 
each plant, taking care not to get it too close to vine, and you may repeat this every three weeks, or about three applica- 
tions up to the middle of June. 
TRELLIS. They will need no support the first year except a four-foot stake driven by each plant to tie vine 
upon. The second winter erect the permanent trellis by putting the post 2% feet in ground and let these post be 5 feet 
above ground, placing a post half way between each vine, taking care to brace the ends well. Use fencing wire No. 10, 
putting first wire 2 feet above ground, second wire on top of post, then train the vines to your wires. 
Cultivate clean, taking care to make it shallow after the first year. A row may be planted in the middle for 
first and second year, such as cotton, peas or similiar crop, but after the second year, leave the ground to the vines. 
Good strong vines well cared for will bear a few grapes the second year, but will be the fourth year before 
they will bear a profitable crop and they will increase every year as the vines get older. 
HARVESTING. If you want grapes for eating or shipping, cut the bunches by hand and place in baskets. 
If you intend to sell in bulk to wineries or crush, spread strong sheets under the vines and shake the fruit and pour into 
baskets. In shaking the vines, a good many leaves and twigs will fall with the grapes. These I remove by running 
them through my grain cleaning machine which I have placed specially prepared screens. In this way they are cleaned 
rapidly without injury to the fruit and all the trash is blown out. 
It is said that the Scuppernong will not ship very well, but I have shipped successfully several baskets to 
Michigan and they reported them to arrive in good condition. 
As to the age these vines will live and bear, there is no positive record, but one of the old United State’s 
Bulletins mentions a vine on Roanoke Island, Virginia, said to have been planted by Sir Walter Raleigh’s early settlers 
still bearing. I do not know whether this is true or not but we have records of vines 150 years old still bearing. 
PRUNING. Of course, these vines have been trained along these wires and from November 15th to Decem- 
ber 15th is the best time to prune them. They should be allowed to run along, one or two vines to each wire. Prune off 
the side shoots to about three buds to the stem, leaving the main long runner until they meet at the post where they 
may be cut where they meet. Late pruning will cause bleeding in the spring if cut after December. 
—By Z. L. SCOTT. 
