Muscadine Propagation From Cuttings

Selecting and Cutting Shoots

• Young, vigorously growing shoots are best for propagation. The tender tip often cannot withstand the stress of rooting and is usually discarded. Cut the rest of the shoot into sections with four nodes apiece. Nodes are the points on the stem where leaves emerge. Keep the cuttings moist until rooting.

Rooting

• Remove the bottom two leaves of each cutting. This area will be planted into the potting media. Rooting hormone solutions or powders may or may not help roots develop, but if you use them, apply them to the bottom half of the cutting. Plant cuttings in a light planting media mix such as potting mix. Keep the leaves moist to prevent them from drying out or wilting during the rooting process.

Problems

• Misting the leaves during the day is very time-consuming. The North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension recommends using emitters in the cutting area to mist the leaves for five seconds every 10 minutes during daylight hours. However, if the roots are kept too moist, they will rot.

Considerations

• Muscadines can also be propagated by pegging, which is bending a cane to the ground and covering a portion of it with soil until it sets down roots. However, there are certain varieties of muscadines that are patented and copyrighted. It is illegal to propagate any such muscadines using any method.