How to Plant Muscadine Grape Seeds

Collect the ripe muscadine grapes from the wild vines in late August to early September. Test the grapes for ripeness by squeezing the outer skin. If the grapes easily burst from minor pressure, the grapes are ripe.

Remove the pulp from the seeds. Typically, muscadine grapes contain between four to six seeds.

Place the seeds into the sealed jar. Fill the jar one-third full of water. Set the jar on a counter in a warm area for 24 hours.

Dump the seeds into a fine mesh sieve. Rinse with clean water.

Transfer the clean seeds into a sealed plastic bag. Set the bag in the refrigerator for three months to stratify. Cold stratification increases the germination rate of the muscadine seeds.

Fill the 6-inch pot with sterile potting soil to within one inch of the top rim. Seed planting should take place the first part of January following the late summer harvest of the grapes. Add 1 quart of water to the soil mix. Allow the water to drain from the lower hole in the pot.

Insert four seeds, evenly spaced, 3/4 of an inch below the soil line. Cover the pot with plastic food wrap. Set the pot in a well-lit area out of direct sunlight. Direct sunlight will prematurely dry out the soil and seeds. Keep the soil moist and warm, approximately 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the plastic wrap when the muscadine seedlings emerge from the soil, generally 45 to 60 days after planting. Germination rates depend on the variety of muscadine and soil temperature. Place in an area with plenty of sunlight. Keep the soil moist.

Grow the plants in the pots for one year. Move the plants outdoors when danger of a late-spring frost has passed. Keep the seedlings moist. Do not fertilize. Bring the plants indoors in late fall to prevent freeze damage. Transplant the seedlings the following spring into an outdoor growing area.