How to Grow Muscadines From Seed

Fill a 6- to 8-inch planting pot with well-draining potting soil. Be sure the pot features drainage holes to allow excess moisture to run out.

Insert a single muscadine grape seed into the planting pot. You can plant multiple seeds in multiple pots to increase your number of vines and your chances of germination.

Lightly cover the seed with a thin layer of the well-draining potting soil. Water the soil thoroughly until excess runs from the drainage holes to ensure the soil is moist all the way through.

Store the seedling pot in a warm room at 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit in an area that receives filtered sunlight; direct sunlight can damage the young grapevine and dry out the soil.

Monitor the soil and water the seed anytime the top inch or so feels dry to the touch. The soil must be kept consistently moist, or the seed will not germinate. After three to six months, you should have a young vine that features roots stretching through the pot.

Till the soil in the area of your garden in which you wish to plant to a depth of 8 to 10 inches. The area you choose should receive at least five hours of sunlight daily to allow for healthy grape production.

Mix in 2 to 3 inches of organic soil amendment, such as aged manure or compost, as you till. This increases drainage and fertility in the soil.

Dig a hole in your prepared soil 2 feet deep and 2 feet wide. It should be slightly larger on all sides than the root system of your container-started muscadine vine.

Carefully loosen the soil in the pot until you can remove the muscadine and its roots. Bury the roots to the same depth that the vine was placed in the container. Backfill the hole with soil, tamping it down lightly to remove all air bubbles.

Water the soil thoroughly around the newly planted grapevine to encourage the roots to spread out and establish in the new planting area.

Drive a stake into the ground 5 feet to one side of the vine, and then 5 feet from the other. The stakes should reach 8 to 10 feet above ground level.

Tie galvanized wire between the two stakes at 3 feet from ground level, 5 feet from ground level, 7 feet and then the top of the stake. These wires will provide support for the grapevines.

Fertilize the plant one month after planting, when you have seen new growth begin to sprout. Use 1/4 lb. of balanced fertilizer, spread in a line one foot on either side of the plant. Repeat this fertilizer application every two months during the first growing season.

Tie the strongest of the vine's shoots to the 3-foot wire as soon as it is tall enough to reach. Use flexible nylon to tie it in place so that it will continue to grow. This will train the vine to grow along the wire and off the ground.

Clip away all but one of the remaining shoots; let one extra shoot stay on the ground, in case something happens to the strongest vine you chose. As the season progresses, continue to prune off extra shoots that start so all of the plant's energy is directed to the strongest vine.

Tie off the plant as it reaches the second level of wire as well. When it reaches this second wire, trim off the top 2 to 3 inches and then tie off the shoot. This will encourage more sideways growth as well so that the vines will spread.

Prune the muscadine vine each late winter or early spring, generally in February or March, to control the shape and growth.

Water the plant with 2 gallons of water per day during the growing season, generally May through July. Water from the base of the plant to avoid mold forming on the leaves and stems.

Reduce watering in August and September to 1 gallon per day to allow the fruit to ripen better. The plant will require little to no water after harvest, as it goes fully dormant.

Fertilize with 1 lb. of fertilizer in the second year for all three applications, and 3 lbs. of fertilizer each subsequent year as the vine grows longer and produces more fruit.