How to Attach Muscadine Vines to a Trellis

Wiggle the muscadine grapevine with your hand, partially picking it up to determine the overall length and weight of the vine. As with other grapes in vineyards, muscadine grapes produce better if they are pruned back in late winter. After pruning, the remaining vines are smaller, tidier and easier to manipulate and attach to a trellis.

Lift the vine gently by its middle to orient it parallel to the trellis. Tie a large, loose loop of twine around the vine and the trellis support in the middle of the vine. Cut the twine with a utility knife or heavy-duty scissors; you can also use a sharp bypass pruner for this purpose. Tie the vine loosely to the trellis, with the large loop of twine acting like a sling. This is only to raise the vine off the ground and release any drag or tension until you can properly tie the vine to the trellis. You will remove this sling once the entire vine is properly attached to the trellis.

Cut several pieces of twine before you begin. Gauge what length of twine is sufficient to wrap around the trellis support beams and vine and still have 6 to 12 inches of length on both twine ends to easily tie a knot.

Start with the base of the vine nearest the trunk. This is the heaviest and stiffest part of the vine and needs to be tied first. Carefully lift and maneuver the vine up against the horizontal trellis brace. While holding it up with one hand, grab a twine length and wrap it around the trellis brace and vine.

Form a basic tie-knot with the twine to loosely secure the vine onto the trellis. Adjust the tension of the twine and knot so the twine is snug enough to hold the vine in place on the trellis but you can still insert your index finger into the vine, trellis and twine loop. This finger space allows the vine to rustle gently in the wind and grow without becoming constricted by the twine.

Tie several basic knots on the twine to permanently secure the loop. Trim away any excess twine or let it dangle.

Repeat the tying process for the remainder of the vine on the trellis support. Work outward from the heaviest part of the vine to the end. Support ties every 3 to 6 feet should suffice. Gauge the distance based on the weight of the vine. Muscadine vines can grow 20 to 40 feet long over the course of a summer. Some vine twigs and side branches may simply be loosely wrapped around the trellis support rather than individually tied.

Tie up other vines from the muscadine plant onto other arms of the trellis until they are secured in place.