Muscadine, Scuppernong – Flowers

Q: For the past seven years I have been unsuccessful at growing muscadines. I am not sure why the vines are not allowing the berries to mature, but each year I have blooms and small berries but by mid-June they disappear and leave only stems. The vines are in direct sunlight, getting lots of water and I have pruned them each year in February or March as prescribed.

A: Your description makes me think that you have two vines that have “imperfect” flowers. Muscadines are divided into two flower types: vines that have both pollen-bearing and pollen-receiving (perfect) flowers and vines that have only pollen-receiving (imperfect) blooms. If both of your vines have imperfect flowers, the blooms are not pollinated and the little grapes fall off. If this is the case, you need to plant a perfect-flowering vine nearby.

I can’t quite make out which flower you have but I found pictures of the different flowers here. Check yours out next spring.

The varieties ‘Cowart’, ‘Triumph’, ‘Nesbitt’ and ‘Carlos’ are all perfect-flowered.