Do Muscadine Grapes Need a Mate?

Plant Type

• Whether muscadines need a mate depends on the variety. Many muscadine grape plants have perfect flowers, meaning that each flower contains both the male and female parts, and is capable of pollinating itself. Some varieties have only female flowers and can't pollinate themselves. These unself-fruitful varieties must be planted with a perfect flowering type to produce grapes.

Varieties

• Sir Walter Raleigh first documented native muscadines in 1584 as he explored what is now the southeastern U.S. The earliest varieties were taken from wild plants, but hybridizers have developed numerous new cultivars. "Carlos" (Vitis rotundifolia "Carlos"), "Doreen" (Vitis rotundifolia "Doreen"), "Tara" (Vitis rotundifolia "Tara") and "Southern Home" (Vitis rotundifolia "Southern Home") are examples of self-fruitful muscadine varieties. "Fry" (Vitis rotundifolia "Fry"), "Darlene" (Vitis rotundifolia "Darline"), "Black Beauty" (Vitis rotundifolia "Black Beauty") and "Scarlet" (Vitis rotundifolia "Scarlet") have imperfect flowers and must be planted with a self-fruitful variety to bear fruit.

Considerations

• Muscadines are extremely vigorous growers, especially in the warm, humid conditions of the South. One vine needs a trellis more than 20 feet long and at least 6 feet tall. If you have a small garden, grow a self-fruitful variety so you don't need two vines. Some varieties are more disease resistant and you might also have opinions about color. Muscadines produce grapes that are either purplish-black or bronze. Bronze muscadines are often called scuppernongs.

Growing Conditions

• Muscadine grape vines, like all grape vines, need at least six to eight hours of sunlight to produce fruit, regardless of their pollinating needs. The vines tolerate most soil types, as long as the soil drains well, but they won't grow well in heavy clay or deadpan soils. They sometimes suffer magnesium deficiencies, which can occur in highly acidic soils. A magnesium deficiency causes yellowing of the leaves between the margins and can be corrected by broadcasting 2 to 6 ounces of Epsom salts in a 6-foot area at the base of the vine. Muscadine grape vines are somewhat drought tolerant once established, but they'll perform better if you water them during dry conditions.