How to Grow Muscadines Grapes

You will find that the purple, fragrant, thick-skinned grape called the muscadines is very popular in the southern regions of the United States. It is native to the Southern soil and as you will read, they are a healthy grape to grow.

The History of the Muscadines Grapes
Though the most common of the muscadines grape is the purple ones; however, the muscadines grape started in the South as a bronze muscadines grape. The muscadines grape was first discovered on Roanoke Island in North Carolina. The first vine is believed to be hundreds of years old. All bronze muscadines grapes can be traced back to that one old vine, which still grows in North Carolina.

Knowing Where to Grow the Muscadines Grapes
There is a reason why the muscadines grapes are so popular in the Southern region. The muscadines grapes have adapted itself to the heat and humidity that is a part of the Coastal, Lower and Middle Southern regions. The muscadines grape is a hearty vine and will grow in most varieties of soil as long as there is adequate drainage. The muscadines grapes need full sun with at least four to six hours of it a day.

How to Grow the Muscadines Grapes
Plant your container grown or bare-root muscadines vines anytime between November and early March. This will give your muscadines vines plenty of time to reach their maximum development in that first year. Be sure to fertilize from January through March with fruit, citrus and pecan tree food or any other well-balanced fertilizer. When harvesting in the fall, add a reduced rate calcium nitrate to the muscadines vines. Pruning the muscadines vines should be done in late January through mid-March and then again sometime in midsummer.

Eating the Muscadines Grapes
As we said earlier, the skins on the muscadines grapes is thick and many people just discard them. However, the majority of the vitamins and minerals are in that skin and should not be wasted. The muscadines grape comes with seeds and if you crush them, they are packed with lots of antioxidants. If your teeth are not up to crushing them, the muscadines grape seeds can be purchased as a supplement.