How to Root Muscadine Vines

Before you harvest a cutting, find out what type of muscadine plant you are growing. Some muscadine grapevines are patented and copyrighted. Therefore, you'll be breaking the law if you propagate them without the patent holder's authorization. The staff at your local nursery and cooperative extension office can help you identify the variety and research whether it's patented. If the vine is in the public domain, take softwood cuttings between May and August.

Peat moss
Bark
Sand
Sprinkler
Timer
Bucket
Shears

Instructions

- 1
  Clear an outdoor area for a raised propagation bed that gets only indirect sunlight. Mix equal parts of peat, bark and sand and build a mound about 8 inches higher than the surface. Set up a sprinkler on a timer for frequent short irrigations during the rooting period.
- 2
  Fill a bucket with tap water.
- 3
  Select a cane from a healthy muscadine vine that's still green and pliable. It should also be as thick as a pencil. Cut it with a pair of shears.
- 4
  Pluck the two leaves closest to the cut end.
- 5
  Divide the cutting into 4-inch sections. Keep track of which end of each piece grew closest to the vine's trunk. That's the bottom or lower tip. Remove the two leaves growing closest to the lower tip of each cane segment.
- 6
  Discard the outermost tip of the muscadine cane.
- 7
  Place the cuttings in the bucket of water to keep them from drying out.
- 8
  Plant the cuttings in the propagation bed you prepared. Insert their bottom half into the soil.
- 9
  Set the timer to turn the sprinkler on every 10 minutes for five seconds throughout the day until roots appear on the cuttings. Rooting takes six to eight weeks.

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