Help Killing Weeds Around Muscadine Vines

Vineyard Design

• When growing muscadine grapes, consider using a higher single-line trellis system rather than a double-line trellis. This allows for easier and more efficient cutting and control of weeds between grape vines. Also, a 5- to 6-foot wide space should be maintained between row plantings to allow for easy mowing of the space between rows.

Cultivation

• Cultivation is the simplest method of killing weeds. Shallow hand hoeing in an area 1 to 2 feet around each vine will remove any weeds that may interfere with the vine. This is particularly important during the fist two years of growth, as the vine is becoming established, to reduce competition between the vine and weeds for water and nutrients. Care should be taken when cultivating, because muscadine grape vine roots are shallow and can be easily damaged.

Mulch

• Mulching around the base of each muscadine grape vine will also reduce the amount of weeds that grow near the vines. Lay down around 3 to 4 inches of a coarse mulch material, such as pine bark, that does not release a lot of nitrogen as it degrades. This has an added benefit of reducing water loss from the soil surrounding the vine.

Pre-emergent Herbicides

• Several herbicides are rated for use directly underneath grape vines to prevent weed seeds from emerging. These include oxyfluorfen for annual broadleaf weeds, dichlobenil for annuals and many perennials, simazine, diuron oryzalin, pendamethatin, norflurazon and rimsulfuron for both annual broadleaf weeds and grasses. Most of these herbicides require that vines be at least 2 to 3 years old before use to avoid damaging the vines and should be applied while muscadine grape vines are dormant.

Post-emergent Herbicides

• Other herbicides are useful for killing weeds around muscadines after the weeds have emerged. These include paraquat, glyphosate, glufosinate, carfentrazone-ethyl, clethodim, fluazifop and sethoxydim. Many of these, such as paraquat and glyphosate, are broad-spectrum herbicides. Great care should be taken to use these post-emergent treatments only around well-established vines and to not get any of the herbicide on green wood or foliage. Some of these herbicides are toxic and should not be used on vines bearing fruit.