How to Plant the Louisiana Muscadine

Start muscadine grapes in the spring after the last frost of the year. These grapes are hardy to frost once established, but will die with early plantings and late frosts.

Find a site that offers at least 20 square feet of space for multiple plantings. Choose a spot with full sun exposure, quick drainage and good air circulation. South-facing slopes offer ideal drainage and sunshine for grape orchards.

Prepare planting sites every 10 to 12 feet in the row. If you're planting multiple rows, space the plants at 8 feet. Dig into the top 12 inches of soil in each planting site in a 1-foot-square area to break up the soil. Add at least 5 to 6 inches of organic compost to the natural soil to increase drainage, moisture retention and nutrition. Muscadine grapes fail in tight or poor soil, or in badly drained plantings.

Plant muscadine grape canes on a cool day to keep the plants moist during the transplant. Dig holes as deep and twice as wide as the root balls, and spread the roots wide in the holes at planting. The roots should sit just under the soil at planting time, as the vines need good air circulation and warmth on the roots. Cover the roots with amended soil and pack it down to eliminate air pockets.

Give the grapevines 10-10-10 fertilizer to encourage growth. Sprinkle 1/4 pound granular fertilizer in an 18-inch circle around the base of each cane. Mix the fertilizer into the top 3 inches of soil.

Water each grapevine with 1 gallon of water. Pour the water in the 18-inch circle around the cane to help the fertilizer soak in. Spread 2 inches of mulch over the soil in the circle to keep the soil moist and warm, and to keep weeds from appearing.

Put a trellis up behind each row of grapevines, for support as the muscadines get older. Prune the muscadine grapevines down to 1 to 1-1/2 feet high. Leave one vigorous vine, or two to three growing buds, on each cane.