[Darren]

I am in zone 5 and haven’t grown muscadines yet. I am growing other type of grapes and they should be the same. as the vine starts to lay over train them on a trellis with a minimum of 20 feet between posts. You should have at least 2 plants per trellis, I know when planting and training we are doing in the summer. We will cut them back in February to not be overgrown in the spring. As far as specific times I should refer you to my great friend at Perma Pastures Farm Billy Bond. He is closer to your zone and would know more about the times and propagation. I will follow your inquiry to make sure you question is answered sufficiently.

Darren.

[Billy]

Looking good Saul!

Fall would be the best time to plant anything woody because the roots will work overtime throughout the fall and winter. When spring rolls around, it should explode.

I’ve never tried air layering them before and there’s some debate on the effectiveness of rooting hormones on anything outside of citrus…but it couldn’t hurt. Here’s the best stuff I know about:https://www.amazon.com/Dip-Grow-Liquid-Rooting-Hormone/dp/B000OVCDSW/ref=asc_df_B000OVCDSW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=216531753338&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13333347727279888391&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010258&hvtargid=pla-350162255264&psc=1https://www.amazon.com/Dip-Grow-Liquid-Rooting-Hormone/dp/B000OVCDSW/ref=asc_df_B000OVCDSW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=216531753338&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13333347727279888391&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010258&hvtargid=pla-350162255264&psc=1

[Saul-Good]

thanks Billy and Darren. I used soda bottles split and packed with wetted potting mix along with rooting gel (with figs, I found the gel with higher IBA hormone worked better than powder). I scraped outer bark, gelled the green wounds and packed them, wrapped with saran/cling wrap to hold moisture. I did get some roots but spotty. This year I tried similar but I think the heat and flow towards the fruit may have messed up that attempt. I’m going to try again as the fruit has set and heat should subside. I’ll report back with pictures. Thanks again y’all, great platform here.

[Ken.l.wells]

From my experience, rooting hormone alone is nearly a 50/50 success rate. It’s a numbers game for getting successful growths if you’re relying only on it.

I am about to try making willow tea to go along with the rooting hormone for my propagation ventures this fall. I’ve heard that it significantly increases the success rate, but I’ll see if that’s just an old wive’s tale soon enough.

[Darren]

You are very welcome, glad we were able to help. It looks like your air layering is correct, but the outside factors weather, parasite load etc. always throws a kink in the hose so to speak. Let the temps cool down and make sure the pods stay wet, and I think you’ll have it licked. Remember there is a wealth of knowledge on this platform and all are willing to help I’m sure of it. Happy Growing.

Darren.

[Hippocrates_Garden]

I’ve not done muscadines, but like Darren said, should be same as grapes.

When training grapes on to wire, I can’t remember the source, but seem to remember some types grow essentially “up” and some grow “down”, as in from the branch as it were, the suckers go more up or hang down from the start.

When trellising, if you notice a significant predisposition, this can determine where to pur your wires, as if they grow “down”, put the wires higher so as they droop, you can harvest, prune, manage etc. Whereas if they grow “up”, have the wires lower to keep everything in reach. (but who knows, that may have been a strange dream). Just something that came to mind.

[Humble_Servant]

I have studied and grown mainly wine grapes off and on over the past 20 years. While not an expert, I know a bit. I’ve never tried air layering, but as for rooting dormant cuttings, being a woody plant, best results are achieved by using inert substrates such as sand or. Another way is described in this video: https://youtu.be/bxTxAdRxv7Ehttps://youtu.be/bxTxAdRxv7E

One of these two methods should make propagation much easier and perhaps more rapid. By the way, raw honey is also a great rooting hormone replacement.

I forgot to say that most grape vines grown in zones 4-7 do best on a single wire cordon trellis at 6’. Whether to spur or cane prune them depends upon variety and vigor. Let me know which you’re planting and I can give you some help. I grow French-American hybrids, as well as cold-Hardy varieties from Tom Plocher, Elmer Swenson, Cornell University, Universy of Minnesota and also have grown varieties from T. V. Munson. Twenty years ago I also had some experience with French and German Vinifera vines, but divorce resulted in abandonment of my vineyard. Never grew any Muscadines.

I also know quite a bit about bananas having grown over 50 varieties and have also done some micropropagation by tissue culture.

Scot

Zone 7a, Camden, TN

[Saul-Good]

thanks Scot. I’ll report back if I have any luck. The muscadines here are on something like a Geneva double curtain. I stayed in grape country west MI for some time and got involved in viticulture with pruning and training etc. Wish the humid and buggy pressures weren’t so harsh as to limit varieties to grow here, but grateful for what does. God bless