FAQ: How to care for muscadines and blackberries

Q. I live in north Alabama and purchased a house in March that has an existing small muscadine and scupadine orchard that is irrigated. 5 rows about 35-40 feet each in length. I was told last year they harvested over 600 lbs. of muscadines. They produced real well this year, however,  I am not familiar with the best way to care for them and want to make sure they continue to produce.  When and what do I need to fertilize with?  How often and how much do I need to water?  Do I need to spray pesticide, insecticides, etc.?   I watched your video on pruning and it seems to be very similar to pruning roses (of which I am very familiar).  In North Alabama would  January or February be the best time to prune and can you prune to much?  It does not appear to me that they have been pruned in quiet sometime.

Also have a row of tame blackberries.  I have the same questions about them.

A. Before fertilizing, take a soil sample to your nearby Cooperative Extension office for analysis. Follow the recommendations. Fertilize only as needed. 10-10-10 is often prescribed. The vines do not need to grow so long as to grow along the ground. Vines 3' to 4' are long enough. Muscadine roots grow close to the soil surface and run a great distance, so broadcast the fertilizer over the area. (Just in case you ever get the notion to roto-till or disc the space between your rows, don't do it.)

Muscadines are drought-tolerant, so irrigation of mature vines is only necessary during extreme drought. Newly planted vines can be irrigated until established. A couple inches of water per week should be sufficient.

Pruning should be done annually without fail. You should be able to begin pruning soon after Thanksgiving. Pruning too much will only reduce the size of your crop; it won't kill the plant. If they haven't been pruned in a long time, you have a lot of work to do. My videos should be instructional in that regard.


Blackberry culture is similar. Have the soil sampled. Fertilize as prescribed. Irrigate a couple of inches per week during dry weather. Prune out old canes annually. Keep weeds out of the rows using a pre-emergent. Post-emergents can damage the canes.

Advice needed on saving a wild muscadine

I took down a tree last Fall that had a large wild muscadine vine growing into it. I was going to clear it too but my wife convinced me to see if we could save it. It took a bit of work but I basically removed branch by branch of the fallen tree, until all that was left was the muscadine. I am wondering if you can give any advice on pruning and training it? 

I'm prepared to build a trellis for it; the usual setup of 9 gauge wire between posts 20' apart. And it should get plenty of sun where it is. But since the vine grew up wild, it isn't in the usual training pattern. The trunk goes about 15 feet before it does anything, and then it branches and splits several times, and the growth is just everywhere. In all it's about 45 feet long. Do you have any advice, especially on how aggressive I should be in removing growth? Thanks! 

It would be difficult to advise about exactly how to prune it. That would require a "hands-on" session. It would indeed be difficult to train it to a trellis of any sort without radical pruning.
Since the trunk is bare to 15 feet or so, you might consider a high overhead trellis. Take a look at the image below:




I found this image on TripAdvisor. It's a vineyard in NZ. You can see how wire is strung from post to post, the arms stretched across and the vines closely pruned. Something like this could work if you care to go to the trouble and expense.

I visited a similar system at a fruit experiment station near Shepherdstown, WV about 30 years ago. It was made for apples. Telephone poles supported an overhead wire grid upon which the scaffold limbs were trained in a flat umbrella fashion. The trees were pruned annually by a person who would walk across the top of the grid wearing footwear resembling snowshoes brandishing either a swing-blade or a "string trimmer" outfitted with a circular saw blade. (I tried to find a picture of the Shepherdstown system online, but no luck. Unfortunately, I have no pictures existing from my visit.)

A less interesting but more practical solution might be to cut the plant to the ground during dormancy. It's likely the stump would sprout and you could train one of the young shoots to a convention single-wire trellis.

I hope this helps.


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What should I use to treat mites on my citrus?

I've discovered spider mites on my satsuma orange tree. What do you recommend I treat it with? The tree is growing in a pot on my porch so I can take it indoors in winter. I don't want to use a pesticide that will ruin the fruit.

Spider mites like dry conditions. Since the satsuma is growing in a pot on your porch, it's probably not exposed to rainfall. When you water, you add water to the pot. Right? So, the leaves are seldom exposed to water. As a preventative measure in the future, spray the leaves above and beneath when you water your orange to discourage the mites.

Spraying the leaves with water, especially the undersides, may be enough to get rid of them. If not, there are two pesticides on the market that might do the trick. One is Monterey Bug Buster. The active ingredient is esfenvalerate - a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide. The other pesticide is Trounce by Safer, the makers of insecticidal soap. Trounce contains insecticidal soap and pyrethroids.

As with all pesticides, follow label instructions.

Another question about renovating an old muscadine trellis

I have a question about OLD muscadine/scuppernong vines. We have a piece of property with very old very neglected vines. Some of the poles are rotted at the ground and need to be replaced to even have a chance of getting things back on track. The grape vine base is by these poles. When we dig new holes is there any way to keep from damaging the old vines? Is it better to try to start over from scratch?

You should be able to avoid damaging visible trunks without much trouble, but to be on the safe side maybe wrap some kind of barrier around the bases of the vines to avoid skinning them with your post hole digger or shovel. A section or two of old bicycle tires or some aluminum flashing held on with wire might work.

You will probably damage some roots in the process, but don't worry about it too much. Muscadine grape roots grow out in various directions from the base of the plant. Each plant will have several. They usually grow less than an inch or two under the soil surface. To avoid damaging roots where you dig, excavate the soil with your finger where you intend to dig to discover whether roots are there. If roots are unavoidable, go ahead and dig. The other roots will support the plants.

Here's an alternative. If the majority of posts are rotted, consider not replacing them where they were before. Install them instead between the vines. For example, if your vines are growing 20' apart, install the new posts half way between them. You have less chance of damaging the plants.

 

Another muscadine arbor renovation project

I have a very old muscadine vine that I'm trying to bring back under management (it's on an overhead,  walk-under arbor).  The problem is that there's multiple, really big trunks coming out of the ground, none of which are really "straight" - they're mostly crooked and inter-twining but all do make it to the top where they branch every where!  I've been trimming the top pretty severely over the last couple winters but with so many trunks in place (easily 5-6), the canopy becomes way too thick and the fruit crop suffers, as a result.  Also, to complicate matters, one of the main, central trunks actually immediately branches a couple times right at the soil level.  Do I just need to "pick one" and clip everything else down to soil level and if so, how to choose?  Also, how do you stop the frenzy of new growth at the base when this is done (particularly drives me nuts!)?  Thank you so much for your time and knowledge!

I think you are correct. As you said, "'pick one' and cut everything else down to soil level." Though all the trunks are crooked, pick the straightest. Yes, there will be a "frenzy of new growth at the base." There's nothing to be done about that but to keep removing the sprouts. The easiest and most effective way is to rub them off with your fingers while they are still very small, young and soft. Wear gloves so you don't rub your skin off in the process. Eventually the sprouts will stop emerging.

You might find it very difficult to untangle and remove the mess on the top of the arbor. Try to retain what you need that is growing from the remaining trunk. But if it becomes impossible to do so, consider cutting the main trunk at the top. Then remove all the old growth from the top of the arbor. It should re-sprout. Choose a few of those vines to form arms radiating outward from the top of the trunk. (I'm assuming the trunk is growing under the center of the arbor.) You will probably have little if any fruit the first year or so, but your arbor will be easier to maintain.

You might not want to prune so radically. If not, I understand completely.

Renovating an old muscadine grape trellis

 

Q. Mr. Marshall, about 20 years back my mother planted some muscadines on a t-post arbor system. She passed away shortly after, and depressed, we all let the land kinda fall into disrepair. I've been working on bringing the yard back, and I finally got to the back where the muscadines were/are. Evidently a tree fell on the trellis at some point and though her original plantings still live, it is horribly over grown, there are shoots every where and trees that need felling. I found remnants of old fruit and rabbit droppings so I believe they are were still fruiting, but I had to cut down the older ones to get at the t-post and mesh it had snarled around. I left about a foot off the ground. It seems to be okay, but there is one gnarled up sucker that has 3 trunks.  Are these things hardy enough that I can expect them to come back? Are they responsive to hard cutting back? Or do you think I probably lost them?

I'd like to set them on a 1 wire trellis like you have here.

 

A.I think you would do well to cut the old trunks flush with the ground. It will be easier for you to work around them clearing brush, setting up your new trellis, etc. If the plants are in reasonably good health, they should sprout. After a few weeks of growth, choose the strongest vine to become your new trunk. Remove the others. It will take some doing to keep the others from returning, but stick with it.

Transplanting 4-year old muscadine vines

I have 2 muscadine vines that are 4 yrs. old that I want to move to another location. I have not been getting that much fruit off of them.  I have some oak trees that were about 15 ft from my vines and now the oaks have grown much faster than anticipated and are blocking a lot of sun light (I think this is my problem) what do you suggest?  I don't want to cut my oak down, and want to keep my vines because what fruit they make is very sweet. 

You may be able to transplant them. Winter is the time to do it. Muscadine grapes are shallow-rooted, and the roots tend to run horizontally a few inches under the soil surface. Soften the soil by thoroughly moistening a 5' radius around the trunk. Gently tug on the vine to raise it a bit and see where the roots run. Then you can carefully remove the roots from the soil. Try to get as much as you can.

Move the plants to the new site. Keep the roots moist until transplanted. 

John Marshall

goGardenNow.com

A Conversation About Pruning A Young Muscadine Grape Arbor

Young muscadine arbor

John, Thanks for posting the muscadine pruning videos. They are very informational. I was hoping you could answer a question about our muscadine growing/pruning situation. We have four Southland variety muscadines growing up four separate 8 ft arbor posts. Each post has wire running up all four sides. The vines get to the top and then we train them across the arbors in all directions. We let them grab onto each other to form a kind of natural canopy overhead. (Arbors are about six feet away from each other.)

We planted them last February and they did really well this year in terms of vines, and okay in terms of fruit. Most of our fruit actually came in the late Fall. Which surprised us. Anyway, it is getting time to prune, and I'm not sure how to go about it, since we can't really grow them in the T-shape due to our space limitations. If you could give me a recommendation on how to prune, it would be much appreciated. I can send you a picture or two if it would help. Right now, each plant has two to three "main" trunks from which most of the vines are coming.

In your case, I think you could do with only one main trunk per plant. At the top of each trunk you should choose a vine to train as a horizontal arm to cross the top of the arbor. Prune the ends off the arms when they begin to meet. Don't let them overlap.

Once these horizontal arms are formed, choose well-spaced side shoots along the length of each arm to train as fruiting spurs. Cut each shoot to 4 inches in length. Those short spurs will produce their own fruit-producing side shoots during the coming growing season. Next winter, prune those to 3 or 4 inches in length. And so it goes year after year.

As the vines grow older, you'll need to go back and do some renovation pruning, but that's another issue.

So I should have like an 8 ft tall trunk?

It appears that the segments (vertical and horizontal posts across the path) are not connected in any way. Am I correct?

Nevertheless, if the top of the arbor is 8' tall, each trunk should be 8' tall. It seems from the photo that you want the arms to extend across the path. If so, I recommend you have one main trunk growing up each post. Then have one arm from each trunk growing horizontally across the top and meeting in the middle. On those arms,  you'd establish fruiting spurs as described before.

Actually, I think you don't even need a trunk growing up every post. One trunk per segment and one arm growing horizontally across the path would be sufficient. Each trunk would easily produce an arm to extend across the path. As young as your vines are, you could remove the extra vines, especially those growing closest to the building and transplant them elsewhere.

Yes, the two arbors are not connected. So you are saying I should grow two of them to the top, then send one arm across each path? So it would be a 90 degree angle going up the post, then across the arbor top?

So then off the arm, the fruiting spurs would come. Won't these fruiting spurs be really long each year? Should I just let them hang down from the top of the arbor? If so, maybe I would nee to send the arms the other direction (in between the arbors) otherwise I would have a wall of vines blocking the pathway. Maybe then I should just do two plants, catty-corner from each other, and send them in between the arbors?

I guess for the year, I will need to keep a main trunk supported higher up on the plant. Maybe for a few more years until the trunk gets big enough. Right now it is pretty flimsy towards the top.

Yes. You could grow one trunk per vertical post to the top of the post. (Or you could have one trunk growing up one post and no trunk on the opposite post.) Then grow one arm from each trunk at a 90 degree angle (horizontally) to the center of the arbor. When they arms meet at the center of the arbor (above the path), cut the growth tips out of the arms so they don't overlap. They should butt-up to each other.

Then from those arms the fruiting spurs grow.  You see, when you cut the growth tip off of each arm, the arms will be stimulated to produce lateral growth along their lengths. Let all those lateral vines grow during the first growing season. The following winter (pruning season), select lateral vines that are about 8 inches or more apart. They will be the permanent foundation of future fruiting spurs. Prune them short to about 3 buds. Remove entirely any lateral vines between the selected spurs. This will give you enough room between the selected spurs (the permanent foundation) to reach your hand in and pick in the future.

The next growing season, those 3 or so remaining buds on the selected spurs will produce new growth. The following pruning season, prune the new growth to 2 or 3 buds. So it goes year after year.

Yes, the buds on those fruiting spurs will produce long vines during the growing season, but they can be shortened. Most of the fruit will be produced near the base of the spurs way up high, so you can trim the long vines that grow down and get in your way without harming the maturing grapes. When you trim them back, just make sure you leave enough foliage to feed the maturing grapes.

Got it. Thanks so much, John. This really helps

So regarding the pruning I will do very soon, should I select a main trunk and prune it at the top of the arbor? Then train the main arms this season (cutting them off when they reach each other)? I guess I would select which branches would become the main arms by picking the strongest looking ones?

Yes to all.

And here's a final question regarding which plants I should keep. In the picture, the two plants close to the house are in a bed with blueberries. The other two plants are in a bed that has rotating vegetables (anything from carrots to tomatoes to potatoes to peas, lots of stuff, changing year-to-year). I know the grapes and blueberries are both shallow-root plants, but since they are both perennial, do you think it would be better to leave those plants in place and move the plants that are in ever-changing vegetable beds? I guess it's a question of competition with blueberries vs. being in an oft-disturbed vegetable bed.

Companion planting can be a good idea, but some plants don't make good companions. Check around on the internet or in books on the subject to see what might work for you.

Another thought: Most vegetables prefer full sun. Blueberry shrubs nearby might not allow sufficient exposure.

Still another thought: Blueberries like low pH. Some vegetables might prefer higher pH than what blueberries need.

A Question About Pruning A Tangled Muscadine Grape Vine Mess

We have a bronze scuppernog that was 4 years old when we planted it and is now 6 years old, with some bad advice it has become a tangled mess. It has 6 main branches and is on a wire trellis that has been weighed almost to the ground. I was going to prune it back and put it on a steel pipe trellis. Should I prune it all the back to the main branches or just cut off all but two branches and prune them the right way? It was covered in small clusters this past spring but they got no bigger than the head of a pin.Thanks.

Without being there and pointing out specifics, the best advice I can give is that you should carefully examine your vine. Choose 1 good trunk that is relatively straight, or if crooked can be straightened by lashing it to a sturdy stake. From that trunk, choose two sturdy arms extending in opposite directions down the trellis. Remove everything else. It may seem radical to cut off so much, but new vines will be produced this growing season. Even if you make a big mistake, it will only be temporary.

It's kind of like what an art professor told me once; to carve a bird, visualize a bird, then remove everything that doesn't look like that bird.

If the undeveloped clusters were flowers, then you don't have adequate pollination. You'll need a pollinator variety. If the undeveloped clusters were tiny grapes, there are other potential causes.
 

John Marshall

goGardenNow.com

goGardenNow.blogspot.com  

Another question about poor muscadine grape yields

There is an old Muscadine vine at Mama's that grows the sweetest grapes I've ever tasted. The vine is strung east/west if that makes a difference. What I'm asking about is an oak tree at the west end of the vine. In the last 3 years when the vine buds out in the spring and fruit is forming it looks like we are going to have a bumper crop but most of the grapes will shed long before they are of any size. In your opinion does the oak need to be cut down or is there some additive that will stop the shedding? I have been told boron will take care of the problem.

Various factors can contribute to your problem. 

If grapes are forming but falling off, poor pollination isn't your problem.

Insufficient boron can be a problem. It's best to determine whether there's a deficiency by having leaf samples tested. Sandy soils with high pH are most likely to be deficient. You can take leaf and soil samples to your nearest Cooperative Extension Service office to test for boron. This link can help you find yours. http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/

Insufficient moisture can be a problem. Oaks tend to be heavy drinkers, so the oak could contribute to that. If the oak is casting a lot of shade on the grapes, that can be a problem, too.

Powdery mildew can cause flowers and small grapes to drop. It is most active when the temperature is between 60 and 80 degrees F. It can occur in sun or shade, but shade encourages it. Powdery mildew looks like a gray, dusty powder on the flowers/fruit. Fungicides can control it, but if you can eliminate contributing factors, do so.

Some insects (beetles and bugs) will feed on small grapes and flowers. Check in spring to see if they're present.

You mentioned the East/West orientation of your trellis. When planting in full sun, I prefer North/South orientation so that the vines can get sun on both sides of the trellis as the day progresses. Regardless of the orientation, full sun is always best.

John Marshall

goGardenNow.com

goGardenNow.blogspot.com 

I had almost no muscadine grapes. How can I get big yields?

I have a dozen muscadine grapes, all different varieties. This past summer they produced a very large amount of foliage but almost no grapes. I had very few spring blooms. Although I do not prune too closely, I have had grape yields in the past. I use only organic culture... How can I get big yields?

 There are a few things that can contribute to poor muscadine yields. But since you noted that you "do not prune too closely", I expect that's the problem. If you haven't pruned enough in the past, plants will produce a lot of thin, unproductive shoots. I suggest you prune closely this season, leaving only 3 or 4 buds per spur. In addition, reduce the number of spurs.

What is insecticidal soap? How does it work? Can I m ake it myself?

What is insecticidal soap? How does it work? Can I make it myself?

Insecticidal soaps are environmentally friendly formulations made from mineral or vegetable oils that kill soft-bodied insects either by suffocation or destroying their cells. Insecticidal soaps do not leave toxic residues. They must contact the insects to be effective.

Here's a quick and easy way to make insecticidal soap. Mix one cup of cheap vegetable oil with one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid. Do NOT use soaps formulated for automatic dishwashers because they may contain chemicals that can harm plants. Do NOT use soaps with bleach added. Add two teaspoons of the soap mixture per cup of warm water in a plastic spray bottle. Stir thoroughly. Test a bit of the mixture on a small part of the plant to assure that the mixture won't do damage to the plant. Spray only on cloudy days or before dusk. Hot sunlight combined with insecticidal soap can damage plants.

How close does a muscadine grape pollinator have to be and what would be a good pollinator?

How close does a pollinator have to be and what would be a good pollinator.

The nearer the better. Within 100' should be okay. Within 20' would be better. Plant one or two pollinators with the others and you should be okay. There are many good pollinators. Cowart, Carlos and Triumph are good.

John Marshall
goGardenNow.com
goGardenNow.blogspot.com

How do I prune musadines to run on a trellis, how and when to do I fertilize?

Growing up as a kid I enjoyed gathering and eating wild muscadines. I decided to try growing some myself. I planted 2 vines in April. How should I prune them to ensure they are trained to run on the trellis? What time of the year is the best time to prune the vines? What is the best type of fertilizer to use and when to use it as well as how much? I enjoyed your video on prunning your muscadines. Since mine are young plants I don't want to be to aggressive and lose my plants.

Beginning now (July), choose 1 shoot (the longest and strongest) to train as the trunk. The goal is for it to reach the trellis wire, which should be at 4' height. Tie it to a 4' long stake. Use plastic tape or cloth ribbon. Remove all other shoots growing around the base of the plant, and remove any shoots growing from the "trunk" that are emerging any lower than the trellis wire. You can do that now.

When the "trunk" vine reaches the trellis wire, clip off the upper end of it. This will encourage lateral branching along the trunk. Remove all shoots except for the top two. Those will be trained to the trellis wire to serve as arms.

You can prune to train (as mentioned above) any time of year. When pruning for fruit production, do it late winter or very early spring before growth begins.

10-10-10 fertilizer is about as good as any. Fertilize any time between early spring and mid summer. Amount depends on size/age of plant.  For specific recommendations, take a soil sample to your nearest Cooperative Extension Office for analysis. The test results will include recommendations. 

I've grown clover for cover crop, and that worked well. I haven't needed to fertilize my vineyard in years.


John Marshall
goGardenNow.com
goGardenNow.blogspot.com

Will my muscadine vines bleed to death?

I've pruned my muscadine grape vines, and water is dripping from the cuts. I was told they might bleed to death. Is that possible?

The water that's dripping is sap. The sap is running because it's spring, the weather is warming, and your vines are coming out of dormancy. There is no danger that your vines will "bleed" to death.

There is a possibility that orange slime mold might grow in the sap. You can read about that in another blog post. The slime mold won't harm your plants.

John J Marshall
goGardenNow.com

John also blogs at goGardenNow.blogspot.com.

Slime mold on muscadine vines.

"Hello, I live in the northeast corner of Alabama and in early Feb., I pruned our muscadine vines.  Two of the vines are still "bleeding" and forming an orange colored build-up.  Should I do something?  If so, what?  Thank you for your time,  D.L."

It's slime mold, a species of Fusarium. It grows in the sap. Looks bad but is harmless. When the sap stops running, the mold will dry and flake off.

That reminds me of another question I'm often asked about vines "bleeding". I'll deal with it in a separate post.

John J Marshall
goGardenNow.com

John also blogs at goGardenNow.blogspot.com.

FAQ: What garden tasks should I do in March?

Among the most frequently asked questions, "When is the best time to...", is near the top of the list. Here are a few gardening tasks for March organized by region.

Northeast States: Frost is possible. Continue pruning dormant deciduous fruit trees, shrubs, vines; but avoid removing spring flower buds. Order spring flowering bulbs, onion sets, strawberries, rhubarb, and asparagus, if you haven’t already. Add mulch to planting beds, if needed. Plant bare-root fruit trees and shrubs. Clean and oil garden tools.

Mid-Atlantic States: Frost is possible. Continue pruning dormant deciduous fruit trees, shrubs, vines. Avoid removing spring-blooming flower buds. Spray dormant oil on dormant fruit trees, if you haven’t done so yet. Add mulch to planting beds, if needed. Take soil samples to your local Cooperative Extension Service for analysis. Adjust pH, if necessary. Plant bare-root fruit trees and shrubs. Clean and oil garden tools.

Mid-South States: Late frost is possible. Continue pruning dormant deciduous fruit trees, shrubs, vines. Spray dormant oil on dormant fruit trees, if you haven’t done so yet. Fertilize fruit trees and shrubs when dormant, if you haven't done it yet. Add mulch to planting beds, if needed. Take soil samples to your local Cooperative Extension Service for analysis. Adjust pH, if necessary.

Lower South and Gulf States: Finish dormant pruning of deciduous fruit trees, shrubs and vines. Do not spray fruit trees with pesticides if flowers are in bloom. For that matter, don’t spray any flowering shrub or tree with pesticides while flowers are in bloom. Fertilize fruiting shrubs, trees and small fruits.

Plains and Rocky Mountain States: Follow the same regimen as for Northeast States.

Pacific Southwest and Desert States: Follow regimen for Lower South and Gulf States.

Pacific Northwest States: Follow the same regimen as for Mid-Atlantic States.

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FAQ: What garden tasks should I be doing in January?

Among the most frequently asked questions, "When is the best time to...", is near the top of the list. Because some of the information is pertinent to backyard fruit growers, I'm posting this at Backyard Fruit Guide as well as goGardenNow blog. Here are a few gardening tasks for January organized by region.

Northeast States: Prune dormant deciduous trees, shrubs, vines. Mow ground covers to maintain neat appearance. Remove snow from evergreens to avoid limb damage. Maintain house plants and check to make sure foliage doesn't come into contact with cold window glass and drafts. Refill bird feeders often. Browse seed catalogs and nursery web sites. Order spring flowering bulbs, onion sets, strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus for later delivery. Check bulbs and roots in cool storage; throw out rotten ones.
Mid-Atlantic States: Prune dormant deciduous trees, shrubs, vines.  Mow ground covers to maintain neat appearance. Maintain house plants and check to make sure foliage doesn't come into contact with cold window glass and drafts. Refill bird feeders often. Browse seed catalogs and nursery web sites. Order spring flowering bulbs, onion sets, strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus for later delivery. Check bulbs and roots in cool storage; throw out rotten ones. Add mulch to planting beds, if needed.

Mid-South States: Prune dormant deciduous trees, shrubs, vines.  Mow ground covers to maintain neat appearance. Begin spraying dormant oil on dormant fruit trees. Feed house plants, and inspect them for insects and disease and check to make sure foliage doesn't come into contact with cold window glass and drafts. Refill bird feeders often. Browse seed catalogs and nursery web sites. Order spring flowering bulbs, onion sets, strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus for later delivery. Check bulbs and roots in cool storage; throw out rotten ones. Add mulch to planting beds, if needed. Take soil samples to your local Cooperative Extension Service for analysis. Adjust pH, if necessary.

Lower South and Gulf States: Prune dormant deciduous trees, shrubs, vines.  Mow ground covers to maintain neat appearance.Begin spraying dormant oil on dormant fruit trees.  Continue planting and transplanting broadleaf and evergreen trees and shrubs, perennials and ground covers. Continue to irrigate shrubs and trees as long as weather is above freezing. Fertilize trees and shrubs when dormant, if you haven't done it yet. Maintain house plants and check to make sure foliage doesn't come into contact with cold window glass and drafts. Refill bird feeders often. Browse seed catalogs and nursery web sites. Order spring flowering bulbs, onion sets, strawberries, asparagus for later delivery. Add mulch to planting beds, if needed. Take soil samples to your local Cooperative Extension Service for analysis. Adjust pH, if necessary.

Plains and Rocky Mountain States: Follow the same regimen as for Northeast States.

Pacific Southwest and Desert States: Follow regimen for Lower South and Gulf States.

Pacific Northwest States: Prune dormant deciduous trees, shrubs, vines.  Mow ground covers to maintain neat appearance. Begin spraying dormant oil on dormant fruit trees. Fertilize trees and shrubs when dormant, if you haven't already. Remove snow from evergreens to avoid damage. Maintain house plants. Refill bird bath. Refill bird feeders often. Browse seed catalogs and nursery web sites. Order spring flowering bulbs, onion sets, strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus for later delivery. Check bulbs and roots in cool storage; throw out rotten ones. Add mulch to planting beds, if needed. Take soil samples to your local Cooperative Extension Service for analysis. Adjust pH, if necessary.

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FAQ: When can I dig muscadine grape vines?

I have a chance to get cuttings/plants from an abandoned muscadine/scuppernong vineyard. It has been abandoned for possibly 10 years or more, and is all grown over with trees and brambles. The people who owned and worked it are gone now, and half of the vineyard has been plowed under, and is now in soybeans. What a waste. Anyway, what is the best way for me to get cuttings/dig up plants/ or whatever?

 If you can find rooted plants now, this would be the time to pull them. Keep the roots moist from digging until planting. You might find vines growing along the ground that are rooted in two or three places. Cutting behind each set of roots is fine. Vines are usually propagated by layering, so if you find vines on the ground that have rooted, you've simply found vines that have layered themselves and done that part of the job for you.

John J Marshall
goGardenNow.com

John also blogs at goGardenNow.blogspot.com.