Looking to prune your muscadine vines? Check out this blog post for step-by-step instructions on how to get the job done right.
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Why prune muscadine vines?
Pruning muscadine vines helps to promote fruiting and encourages new growth. It also helps to keep the vines under control and prevent them from taking over your garden. When pruning, be sure to remove any dead or diseased vines, as well as any weak or spindly growth.
When to prune muscadine vines?
Pruning should be done in late winter or early spring before new growth begins.
How to prune muscadine vines?
Muscadine vines are a type of grapevine that is native to the southeastern United States. The vines are hardy and can grow in a variety of soils. Muscadine vines can be pruned in late winter or early spring.
Remove all dead, diseased, or weak growth
In late winter or early spring, remove all dead, diseased, or weak growth. Also remove any suckers that are growing from the roots below the graft union. Suckers will not produce muscadines. Diseased or weak vines should be removed and burned.
Cut back last year’s fruiting canes to two or three buds
In late winter or early spring, cut back last year’s fruiting canes to two or three buds. This will encourage the growth of new fruiting canes. Also, remove any weak, spindly, or diseased canes.
Remove any remaining suckers
Any sucker that is more than ¼ inch in diameter at the base should be removed. By thinning out the sucker growth, you will encourage the plant to send more nutrients to the fruiting vines, which will produce larger grapes.
All suckers that are growing from below the graft union (where the fruiting vine was grafted onto the rootstock) should also be removed. These are called “understock suckers” and they will never produce grapes, only foliage.
