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Muscadine update
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Posted by Raymondo Sydney Aust (My Page) on Mon, Feb 7, 05 at 20:58
| The muscadines I got to germinate are doing very well. Too well really. They seem quite rampant. Mine are all well over 30cm tall now; some twice that. When I first posted on one of the US forums looking for seeds, one respondent did say that they'll take over if left to their own devices and can easily smother a 20m tree. So, based on that and my limited experience with them, it looks like heavy pruning is required to keep them in check!
Above ground growth is often an indicator of below ground growth. Perhaps wine growers might be interested in using muscadine as root stock, if such a graft would work. They are in the same genus, Vitis, but different species.
Sarah, perhaps your friend doing viticulture might be interested in looking at that possibility.
Raymondo *mental note to self - learn how to look after grape vines* |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Muscadine update
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| Ray, sounds great! Well done! I found the link below quite informative. Patrina, the Muscadine that you gave me has now got 3 leaves and is growing nicely (I repotted it the same day, or was it the day after). Question: What variety is it? They seem to need male and female plants. How do I know what I've got? |
Here is a link that might be useful: Muscadine
RE: Muscadine update
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Spatz, the one you have is from a variety called Ison. It's a self-fertile variety. However, muscadines, like many fruit, don't breed true from seed, so it's potluck as to what you'll end up with. And as far as I know, and I could be wrong, it's not that you need male and female plants. It's a self-incompatibilty mechanism that usually prevents self-fertilisation, like a lot of apples. This means that you need different varieties to get fruit. I'm hoping that since the parent is self-fertile, then the offspring will be too.
BTW, Ison produces purple/black fruit and is very popular for juicing, wine making and fresh eating - an all-rounder! |
muscadine
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| Yum! Thanks, Ray. Sounds good. I like all-rounders. :) Thanks also for the explanation. :) |
RE: Muscadine update
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| Sorry Spatz, you're right. The original is indeed dioecious (separate boy and girl plants). It's only some modern cultivars that are self-fertile! Sounds like they might not suit Armidale, if they're really as frost sensitive as the link you provided says. But it says they shouldn't be grown where temps drop to 10°F, which is about -12°C, so I don't see a problem. Anyway, time will tell I guess! |
RE: Muscadine update
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| Ray, how's your muscadine doing? Did you bring it along with you to Armidale? Mine has started growing again. I'll have to repot it soon, or find a good spot to plant it out. |
RE: Muscadine update
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| Spatz, I haven't brought them up yet. They're doing well though. I'll bring them up when I buy my bit of dirt! |
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