Muscadine Vines dying???

Question

I had 4 muscadine vines growing in my backyard and in the past 2 years have had three of them die over the winter. I live in NC, so the winters are not harsh here. Any reason why these could be dying? Has anyone seen these die? Have heard grapevines last over 20 years long? HELP!!!!

Answer 1

You didn’t say how old the plants were. Older plants 5 or 6 years old suffer more from cold then younger ones. Also some types are more cold hardy than others. over 10 years should be protected. Go to Isons on web they are muscadine experts that will answer questions.

Answer 2

The vines were 4 and 5 years old. What can I do in order to stop this from occuring in the future?

Answer 3

First thing to remember is to not prune the bush till late february. A unpruned vine can take the cold much better than a pruned one. I also built 12inch tall box’s that are bascially two large L pieces that I hold together with a good strong twine. They stand 12 inches tall and are about 8 inches across. I put these around the plant base and fill with a potting soil that I compressnice and tight. If it is going to freeze or snow I have a bunch of old t shirts that I cover the vine with. I lat the t shirt drape over the box and that is about it. Muscadines are pretty hardy plants. You shouldn’t water very much exspecially if it is going to freeze or snow. This could kill the roots. Other than that they may have got a disease that killed them. there are some books that I read that really helped me one is by Bill Ison all about muscadines, Blackberries and Blueberries, and another The Backyard Berry Book by Stella Otto I hope this helps

Answer 4

Thank you for the help, I have one more question for you. Do you have any recommendations as far as fertilizer for them? Want to try and get a great growth this year and maybe try wine

Answer 5

I use 10 10 10 april 1st then calcium nitrate april 15 then repeat may & june. sprinkle about 12 inches around plant. about 4 ounces