1Summer 2008Horticulture Hints

Vacation Plant Care Summer is the time when people commonly take their longest vacations. If you

are going to be away from home for more than a few days, you may return to find substantial damage has occurred to plants left unattended. This is especially true for plants growing in containers – both indoors and outside. The ideal solution is to ask a friend who is knowledgeable about plants to check on your plants regularly and water them when necessary. Be sure to give written instructions on the needs of each plant since your friend is not as familiar with them as you are.

If indoor plants are going to be on their own, move them away from sunny, bright windows so they use water less rapidly. Right before leaving on your trip, thoroughly water all of your indoor plants. Plants in small pots will tend to dry out the fastest. If you will be gone for more than a few days, enclose these plants (pot and all) in clear plastic bags to retain moisture and prevent drying out. Plants in plastic bags should receive bright light but no direct sun that could cause excessive heat buildup inside the plastic.

Group all of your outdoor container plants together in a shady location near the northern side of a building or under the protective cover of a large shade tree or covered patio, and water them thoroughly. If you’ll be gone for more than a few days, inexpensive irrigation timers – available at local nurseries and hardware stores – can work very well hooked up to an irrigation system. It’s probably easier to use a sprinkler to water a grouping of your container plants. But, if you wanted to be more sophisticated, drip systems are also available.

Water your home grounds very well prior to leaving, especially if there has been little rainfall. A thorough, slow soaking will provide a lasting supply of moisture. Make sure that you mulch all flowerbeds, vegetable gardens, shrub plantings and newly planted trees

Flowerbeds and vegetable gardens are particularly vulnerable to drought while you are away. To water automatically, place either soaker hoses or sprinklers to cover various beds and areas of your landscape. Connect them to hoses attached to a timer at each faucet you use for irrigation. Set the irrigation timers to come on twice a week and stay on long enough to thoroughly soak an area.

Gingers for the Summer Garden As our landscapes languish in the summer heat, a wonderful group of plants

called gingers thrive and delight us with bold foliage and attractive flowers. Native to tropical or semitropical regions, gingers flourish in the heat, rain and

humidity. Despite their tropical origins, many gingers are hardy throughout the state and make excellent, permanent additions to the landscape. Gingers produce a thick, fleshy stem that grows at or just below the soil surface called a rhizome. With a good, thick mulch of leaves or pine straw, the rhizomes are easily protected during the winter. And if the top is killed by hard freezes, the rhizome will resprout in the spring.

The plants we call gingers actually include many genera with many different sizes, growth habits and flower shapes. Low-growing gingers, like Kaempferia pul-chra, smaller species of Curcuma or Globba, make great groundcovers or clumps at the front of shady borders. Medium-size gingers 3- to 6-feet tall include species of

Summer 2008Horticulture Hints

Landscape Gardening and Ornamentals

Care for Your Perennials Our long growing season and

plentiful rainfall can produce abundant and even rampant growth during the summer. Tall plants can shade out or fall over onto smaller plants, and some plants will spread into areas where they were not intended to grow. Note these observations and make decisions on what to remove, divide or transplant this fall. In the meantime:

• Prune back overgrown perennials, especially those that bloom over a long period and well into the fall.

• Stake or otherwise support larger perennials that need it. If young children will be playing around the garden, the stakes should be taller than they are to avoid injury.

• Straighten a leaning plant and wedge a piece of brick or stone at the base. This will support the plant more upright without being visible.

• Many perennials spread by underground stems, some fast, some slow. Promptly dig out unwanted growth outside the area allotted to the plant, pot it up, replant it somewhere else or throw it away. Barriers extending 8 to 12 inches down in the ground around aggressive spreaders can help keep them under control.

Bark Lice are Harmless You may be alarmed to see a thin

film of silvery webbing over large areas of the bark of your trees in late summer. The webbing may extend from the ground up the trunk and into the branches. The insects that produce the webbing, bark lice or psocids, are harmless. They are scavengers and will not hurt the tree. No control is neces-sary.

2 Horticulture HintsSummer 2008

Curcuma, Hedychium and Costus, and the shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) grows 10- to 12-feet tall. These larger gingers are excellent choices for accent, screens or at the back of a border.

In their natural habitats, most gingers grow under the canopies of trees in filtered light, although some grow in the open at the edge of water and in sunnier conditions. Most gingers will do best where they receive direct sun for about two to four hours a day, although shell ginger and some species of Curcuma and Hedychium will grow in full sun. When planting gingers into the landscape, choose a location with appropriate light and generously amend the soil with compost, well-rotted manure or peat moss and a light application of an all purpose fertilizer.

Consider planting some gingers in your land-scape this summer. Their bold, tropical foliage, attractive flowers and, in some cases, wonderful fragrance will add a lot to your summer gardens.

Houseplants and Container Plants

Houseplants summering outside will need to be watered very frequently during summer heat. If watering becomes too much of a chore, repot the plant into a larger container and it won’t dry out as fast. Don’t forget to watch pots sitting on wood decking. Water under the pot can cause the wood to stain and even rot. Boost the pot up with special pot supports (often available where garden products are sold), or use three pieces of brick.

Frequently watering leaches nutrients from plants growing outside in containers. Fertilize occasionally with your favorite soluble fertilizer, or use a slow-release fertilizer following label directions.

Container plants are often used to add color and enrichment to outdoor living areas, such as porches, decks, patios and courtyards. You should be aware of a couple of precautions.

First, when pots are sitting on a wooden surface, such as a deck, the area under the pot stays damp enough to stain the wood or even cause wood rot. Boost up pots sitting on wood surfaces with pieces of brick, pot feet (available a local nurseries) or other materials so that the area under the pot dries out between waterings.

Second, if the pot is sitting on bricks set in soil or sand or if the pots are sitting on soil, the roots can grow out of the drainage holes and into the ground below. This can cause real problems. The plants begin to rely on the roots in the soil and, when you attempt to move the pot, you will have to cut or break the roots in the ground. This causes shock to the plant and should be avoided. Prevent this from occurring by lifting pots occasionally, or, boost pots up off the ground as recommended for wood surfaces. You can also simply make sure pots are not placed in a situa-tion where the roots can grow into the ground.

Gardening With Children By midsummer, many adults are thinking of ways to provide

something for kids to do until school begins. Why not start a gardening project? You can introduce your youngsters to the joys of gardening and at the same time exercise their bodies and brains.

To be successful during the summer months, plant seeds or plants that will thrive in our hot, humid climate. A good selection of flowers, vegetables and herbs can be grown now. Whatever you decide to grow, start with a well-prepared bed, or, if gardening in containers, use a good potting soil and the proper-size container.

During bed preparation, explain to the child why you need to add fertilizer and organic matter to the soil. A simple answer would be that the fertilizer provides nutrients needed by the plant. You could compare a fertilizer to vitamins. Just as getting enough vitamins is important to our growth and health, fertilizers provide nutrients that make the plants more healthy and productive.

Mention that although we incorrectly call fertilizers “plant food,” plants make their own food through a remarkable process called photosynthesis. In this process plants absorb the energy of the sun, and use it to create the food they need to live and grow.

The organic matter also adds nutrients, but, more important, it improves the soil so the roots of the plants will grow better. The organic matter helps create air spaces and aids in drainage of excess water from the soil. The air spaces allow oxygen to be present in levels needed to maintain a healthy root system. A loose soil also helps the roots grow through it easier.

Most kids are familiar with the recycling of aluminum, paper and glass. Introduce them to the recycling of organic yard waste through composting. Compost is a valuable soil amendment that you can easily make yourself with grass clippings, leaves and vegetable and fruit peelings from the kitchen. The LSU AgCenter has an excellent free brochure that will guide you in establishing a compost pile. Contact your local LSU AgCenter Extension office for a free copy.

You can start your plants from seeds or purchase transplants from local nurseries (try both ways). Flowers that will grow well in the summer include: angelonia, marigold*, zinnia*, periwinkle, portulaca, verbena, sunflower*, gomphrena, wishbone flower, balsam*, melam-podium, pentas and cosmos* to name a few.

Vegetables you can plant now include Oriental-type eggplants, hot peppers, okra, sweet potato, banana pepper, “Gypsy” pepper, peanuts*, yard-long beans* and luffa*. The last two need something to climb on. Make a teepee out of bamboo stakes for the vines to climb on and the kids will love to sit inside.

I talk to so many gardeners who say that an adult introduced them to gardening when they were children. Gardening is one of the best ways to put children in touch with nature. Planting a few vegetables will help kids realize that food doesn’t just appear on grocery shelves. Take some time, and open a child’s eyes to the wonders of garden-ing.

* Plants easily grown from relatively large seed that children can handle when plant-ing.

3Summer 2008Horticulture Hints

Checklist for Summer• If needed, control thrips, aphids, cucumber beetles and spider mites on roses by

using a recommended insecticide or miticide. Also continue black spot control on highly susceptible types of roses by using a recommended fungicide at seven- to 10-day intervals.

• When irrigating, water the soil area thoroughly. Try to irrigate less often, but irrigate well each time. Light, overhead sprinkling is not the best way to water.

• Continue to plant warm-season bedding plants. These include coleus, celosia (cockscomb), periwinkle (vinca), blue daze, scaevola, zinnias, melampodium, portulaca and begonias.

• Lantanas can still be planted. They thrive in Louisiana’s hot summers. Try lantanas in containers, too.

• Dig and store gladiolus corms in a well-ventilated, freeze-proof place for planting next spring. Also, remove old foliage on caladiums.

• Plant sunflowers in late summer for fall flower arrangements. Flower colors include yellow, orange, red, bronze, white and combinations of these. It usually requires about 60-80 days from sowing seed until first flower color.

• Prune azaleas no later than mid-July. Pruning azaleas after early to midsummer may remove next season’s developing flower buds. This applies to most spring-flowering shrubs as well as hydrangeas and gardenias.

• In early summer, gardenias may have aphids, whiteflies and the associated black sooty mold. For optimum plant performance, control the insects with Orthene or a summer horticultural oil spray.

• Camellias and azaleas need care to set a good crop of flower buds for next year. Healthy, vigorous plants will set buds, but weak plants may not. If plants lack vigor, fertilize them, provide moisture during stressful periods and control pests. Remember that these acid-loving plants need a pH of 5.5. Submit a soil sample to your county agent’s office if you are unsure of your soil situation.

• Louisiana irises are semidormant in the late summer. Prune off seedpods and yellow or brown foliage to help keep the plants more attractive. You may transplant or divide Louisiana irises beginning in August.

• Cut faded flowers from flowering annuals and perennials to encourage new growth and flowers. Old blooms and seed heads left on the plants can retard continued flower production.

• Finish any pruning you may need to do to shrubs in the landscape, particularly those that bloom in winter or spring. Pruning later (after June) may interfere with flowering.

Dan GillConsumer Horticulture

4 Horticulture HintsSummer 2008

Vegetable GardeningCrop Highlights

Broccoli and Cauliflower. Both can be direct-seeded beginning in mid-July through September or transplanted from early August through early September. It takes four to six weeks to produce transplants from seed. In general, broccoli and cauliflower will require 5 to 6 pounds (or pints) of a complete fertilizer such as 8-24-24 per 100 feet of row. These crops, especially cauliflower, require fast, continuous growth for proper head development. Keep them well watered and fertil-ized. Sidedress plants with three-fourths pound (1 ½ cups) of ammonium nitrate per 100 feet of row 3-4 weeks after transplanting and again in 14 days.

Varieties that will produce in about 60 days from transplanting reduce the chance of cold-weather damage. Recommended varieties are:

Broccoli Cauliflower Gypsy Decathalon Majestic Cumberland Everest Marathon Wentworth Incline Packman Premium Crop White Passion Snow Crown Patriot Candid Charm

Snap Beans. Late August through early September is the best time to plant. Normally 50 to 55 days are required from planting until harvest. Don’t let beans suffer from drought. Choose Provider, Bluelake 274, Roma II, Derby, Storm, Festina, Atlantic, Pod Squad, Bronco, Royal Burgundy, Green Crop, Hialeah, Strike or Gator Green. For a yellow wax bean, choose Golden Wax. Bush beans usually will produce more successfully than pole beans in the fall because of their earlier maturity.

Butter Beans. This crop is harder to produce in the fall than are snap beans. Plant early enough to produce before frost and late enough so they’re not blooming while temperatures are too high for fruit set. Plant early August through about mid-August. Plant bush beans for fall production (Henderson, Baby Lima, Nemagreen, Fordhook 242, Thorogreen, Jackson Wonder, Dixie Butterpea).

Irish Potatoes. Plant small whole potatoes saved from the spring crop from about mid-August to early September. Good soil moisture is essential. The seed potatoes may not sprout readily after planting because of a physiological rest period of about 90 days that they have to go through after harvesting in the spring. After this rest period is satisfied, the tubers should sprout. Fall yields are lower than spring yields. Use seed potatoes for seed pieces.

Cabbage. Plant seed beginning in mid-July, and seed through September. You also may transplant beginning in early August through mid-October. Fertilize the same as broccoli and cauliflower. Space cabbage, cauliflower and Chinese cabbage about 12 to 14 inches apart and broccoli 6 to 12 inches apart. Double drills (two drills of plants spaced 10-12 inches apart on single row) will help maximize yield. Try Rio Verde for late plantings. Recommended early maturity varieties include Green Boy, Stonehead (AAS) and Dynamo (AAS). Maturing a little later are Rio Verde, Solid Blue 780 Blue Vantage, Blue Thunder, Cheers, Vantage Point, Savoy Ace (AAS) and Savoy King (AAS).

Squash and Cucumbers. These two crops can be planted in June, July and Au-gust. Summer plantings will normally be ready to begin harvesting after about six weeks. Yields are usually lower than spring plantings. A fall crop of yellow summer squash, zucchini and cucumbers can be grown by planting seed in August. Squash vine borers may be a more severe problem in fall than in spring, so be prepared to control them with an insecticide. Viruses are a problem in the fall, so spray regu-larly to control insects that transmit them.

Pumpkins. Pumpkins for Halloween should be planted in early to mid-July. Apply 3-5 pounds of a complete fertilizer for each 100 feet of row before planting. Plant five to six seed in hills about 4 to 5 feet apart on rows 6 to 8 feet apart. Thin to one or two plants per hill. Apply a sidedressing of 1 pound (1 pint) of ammo-nium nitrate per 100 feet of row when vines begin to run. Keep soil moist for best production. Howden and Biggie are excellent varieties to grow for Halloween. The Connecticut Field is an old popular variety. Recommended varieties of giant pump-kins are Big Moon, Full Moon, Big Max, Atlantic Giant and Prize Winner. The medium-size varieties that have done well in research trials are Spirit, Lumina, Big Autumn, Gold Rush, Autumn Gold, Gold Bullion, Howdy Doody, Small Sugar and

Vegetables to Plant in June

Transplant heat-set tomatoes for fruit production in August through October. Plant collards, cucumbers, melons, cantaloupes, okra, southern peas, pumpkins and summer squash. Transplant eggplants, all the peppers and sweet potato slips. Start seed of fall tomatoes and bell peppers. Good pest control practices are necessary because of the high pressure of insects and diseases now.

... in July Transplant tomatoes and bell pep-

pers in mid-July for fall production. Also, plant okra, southern peas, cucum-bers, squash, cantaloupes, pumpkins and watermelons.

... in Mid- to late JulySeed broccoli, Brussels sprouts,

cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, collards and winter squash; transplant bell peppers and tomatoes.

... in August This very hot time may experience

damaging droughts. Start bush snap beans and bush limas. Plant seed for cucumber, collards, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, summer squash, southern peas, mustard and green shallot sets.

... in Mid-August North Louisiana can plant Irish

potatoes and start seed for head lettuce and beets. Transplant broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

... in Late AugustSouth Louisiana now can do the

above (mid-August).

5Summer 2008Horticulture Hints

Oz. Frosty, Big Autumn, Neon, Magic Lantern and Aspen produce a dwarf vine that should be tried in home gardens. Many ornamental pumpkins like Jack-Be-Little, Baby Bear, Munchkin, Lil Ironsides and Baby Boo can be planted.

Greens. Begin planting greens, mustards, turnips and collards during August. Keep the soil moist to ensure a good stand. Try some of the white turnips, like White Lady, Tokyo Cross and Shogoin for roots and Seven Top, AllTop, Topper and Southern Green for greens. Also good are Just Right, Royal Crown and Purple Top WG.

Shallots. Dry sets of shallots can be planted from August to April. About 50 to 60 days from planting, tops will be ready to harvest.

Fall Bell Peppers. If plants from the spring are still in good condition, they can be nursed (sprayed or dusted and watered) throughout summer. They will set fruit again as the temperatures become more favorable. If seeds of bell peppers haven’t been planted by early July, buy transplants.

Fall Tomatoes. Transplant fall tomatoes in July to early August. Be prepared to spray with insecticides and fungi-cides; insect and disease pressure is usually worse in the fall than in the spring. The heat-set varieties that have produced well in recent trials are Sun Leaper, Florida 91, Sun Master and Sun Chaser, Phoenix, Redline, Solar Set and Heat Wave II. These varieties have the ability to set some fruit in high temperatures, allowing the fruit to mature before cool weather. Row covers, which protect the plants from the first frost, have prolonged the harvest period, and they enhance

fruit maturity. Also worth trying in fall are Bingo, BHN 216, Spitfire and Mountain Crest, Mountain Fresh or cherry tomatoes.

Since fall tomatoes are such an unsure crop, it’s inter-esting to try several early varieties. Certain varieties may produce better in some parts of the state than others because of the variation in climate and soils. Start early, and get a strong bush.

Lettuce. Head lettuce can be grown in Louisiana in late August. A common mistake is planting the seed too deeply. Lettuce seed require light for germination, so scatter the seed on the row and lightly rake into the soil. Plant leaf lettuce in September. Keep the soil moist until the seeds have germinated and are well established. Head types are tougher to grow. Keep lettuce growing actively to keep it from becoming bitter.

Recommended varieties of lettuce are: head lettuce – Ithaca, Mavrick and Great Lakes 659; leaf lettuce –Slobolt, Grand Rapids, Red Fire, Tango, Red Sails, Salad Bowl, Sunset, Simpson and Elite; romaine lettuce – Parris Island, Ideal, Green Forest, Tall Guzmaine and Green Towers; but-terhead or bibb lettuce – Buttercrunch, Ermosa, Esmerelda, Nancy, Oak Leaf; batavia types (leaf lettuce with a unique flavor) – Nevada, Sierra.

Thomas KoskeJames Boudreaux

Turfgrass and LawnsTurfgrasses need to make good growth during this time. If they don’t make it now, don’t

push them in the fall when they need to store carbohydrates for the winter. Keep up a good fertility program through August only, then slow down. Water deeply only once or twice a week as needed.

Watch for chinch bugs in St. Augustine and Bermuda grasses. There’s still time to dethatch through July if it’s needed. Water and fertilize after dethatching.

Centipede should receive its second and last fertilizing in late July or August. It needs the most moisture of all the turfgrasses. On centipede, apply only one-half pound of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft as a complete turf fertilizer or 17-0-17. Other types of grasses can use about twice this rate. A slow-release turf blend fertilizer is best and worth the extra cost. Carpet grass only needs one fertilizing in spring.

If your last fertilizing is in early September rather than August, add some potash with or shortly after only a light (one-fourth pound) nitrogen application. You will need about 1 pound of potash (K

2O) equivalent per 1,000 sq ft. You can apply this as 1 ½ pounds muriate

of potash. Apply all granular materials on a dry lawn, and water in. A winterizer fertilizer should be low in nitrogen and high in potassium, or just use 0-0-60 (muriate of potash). Don’t just go by the name “winterizer,” because it may be a northern type of fertilizer for fescue blend.

Except for Bermuda or zoysia lawns, post-emergence weed control should not be at-tempted any more until the grasses are near dormant (winter) or in the midspring growth season. High temperatures can cause excessive herbicide damage on permanent grasses, even if they are listed on the herbicide label as tolerant. On Bermuda and zoysia, try MSMA, DSMA, 2-4, D three-way ‘zone’ types or Image herbicides now before mid- September. Delay this if very hot and dry.

Thomas J. Koske

6 Horticulture HintsSummer 2008

PecansNuts on pecan trees rapidly increase in size during June,

July and early August. Provide irrigation if rainfall is inad-equate. Drought at this time can cause pecans to be smaller than normal.

Considerable nutlet drop often occurs in June and early July. The drop can be caused by lack of pollination. These nutlets have few, if any, blemishes. Hickory shuckworm and pecan nut curculio can also cause nut drop in June and July. A puncture can normally be seen on nuts damaged by insects. A white blotch can frequently be seen around the puncture made by shuckworm. A tobacco type of stain is usually seen around the puncture of a curculio. Malathion and Carbaryl can be used to control shuckworm and curculio.

Spraying for control of scab disease is usually not eco-nomical for yard trees since 4 to 6 fungicide applications are often needed to obtain control of scab disease. The scab fungus requires moisture on the leaves for infection to occur. Removing low limbs and providing good air circulation around the tree can reduce scab infection.

Filling of nuts occur in August and September. Inadequate water at this time will decrease quality of pecans. Soak trees weekly if it doesn’t rain 1 to 2 inches a week. For deep penetration, let a hose drip under the trees for 8 to 10 hours.

Lichens frequently grow on the trunks and branches of pe-cans. The growth gives trees an unkempt appearance. Lichens are sometimes mistaken for harmful parasites; however, they are harmless.

Lichens are not single plants, but composite organisms made up of algae and enveloping meshes of fungus filaments. Like Spanish moss, lichens obtain their food chiefly from air and water. They attach themselves not only to trees, but also to such inanimate objects as fence posts and rocks.

The grayish-green paper-like growth that occurs on the bark of pecan trees is a common lichen. This irregular growth varies from less than an inch to several inches across. Its edges are usually lobed and curled upward.

Rapidly growing pecan trees with expanding trunks seldom have much lichen growth.

John PyznerPecan Research-Extension Station

Muscadines – The Grape of the SouthThe muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia Michx.) was the

first American grape species to be cultivated. This fruit has a long history in commercial and backyard culture. The oldest and most consistent commercial interest in muscadines has been in wine, but juice and fresh fruit market have also been developed. Muscadines so differ from “bunch” grapes geneti-cally, anatomically, physiologically, and in taste that they should be considered a separate fruit.

Muscadines are native to the Deep South and are well-suited for backyard production. They are heat- and drought-tolerant and have very few insect and disease problems. These qualities make them an ideal choice for a homeowner who would like to grow some fruit.

History — For much of the history of muscadines, cultivars were simply wild selections preserved through

Fruits and Nutsvegetative propagation. The first recognized muscadine cultivar was a bronze selection found before 1760 by Isaac Alexander in Tyrrell County, N.C. This selection is important historically, as well as viticulturally (grape culture) as the first American grape cultivar. It was known as The Big White Grape or Hickman’s Grape and was later named Scuppernong after the area in which it was found. With time, the name scuppernong became generic for all bronze muscadines, regardless of actual cultivar name. In common usage, scup-pernongs are sometimes even thought of as a separate species from muscadines or “bullises,” traditional generic names for the dark-fruited types. Bullis and its variants (bullace, bullet grape, bull grape) are very old names for dark-fruited mus-cadines. It is important to note that all cultivars of this type of grape, regardless of the berry color (bronze, black, red, etc.), are correctly called muscadines. Muscadines are usually considered to be a grape, both in common terminology and in botanical taxonomic classification.

Vineyard Site Selection — Muscadines are limited in their production to the cotton-belt areas of the southeastern United States that have a moderate climate. Vines should not be planted where temperatures drop below 10 degrees, with some damage and death of vines occurring as temperatures drop below zero degrees, depending on the rapidity of temperature drop, preconditioning, age, cultivar and condition of the vine.

Although muscadines will survive and produce a crop under a variety of soil conditions, planting is not recom-mended where soils have poor internal drainage. Never plant where surface water stands more than a few hours even after the most severe storms. If poor drainage may be a problem on an otherwise good site, install a tile drainage system or plant on a raised bed that allows complete surface drainage. Soils that have a hardpan or water table near the surface are not satisfactory. Growing grapes without irrigation is not advisable. Particle-free water from a well or municipal source is generally suitable. Pond water is not suitable for trickle or microirrigation unless extensively filtered.

Variety (Cultivar) Selection — An overriding consid-eration in the selection of cultivars is whether they have self-fertile flowers or self-sterile pistillate flowers. Self-fertile, perfect-flowered cultivars that have both male and female flower parts do not require pollinizers. Pistillate cultivars have only female flower parts and must be adjacent to pollen producing types. Pistillate cultivars should be planted with one row of a self-fertile, pollen-producing cultivar between two rows of pistillate cultivars.

If muscadines are being grown for fresh fruit consump-tion, several characteristics should be considered. As mentioned above, if female varieties are grown, a perfect-flowered variety must be planted close by to provide pollen, or no grapes will be produced. Other considerations might include qualities that contribute to visual appeal such as size and color. But more importantly for homeowners who do not want to spray their vines would be disease-resistance of the berries. Three good choices of muscadine varieties with good resistance to berry rot diseases include:

Florida Fry – Bronze, self-fertileIson – Black, self-fertileNoble – Black, self-fertile

7Summer 2008Horticulture Hints

Home Use — A brief description of some of the cultivars that are suitable for the pick-your-own production follows:

• Black Beauty. Female, black, large berries that ripen early to midseason, excellent flavor with edible skin, moderate yield, good cold hardiness, high vigor.

• Black Fry. Female, black, won’t shatter when picked, ripens evenly in midseason, large berries with dry stem scar, very good disease resistance and cold hardiness, excellent flavor.

• Cowart. Self-fertile, black, large berries borne in large clusters that ripen early to midseason, good disease-resistance and cold hardiness, very good flavor, wet stem scars, vigorous plants with high yields.

• Fry. Female, bronze, very large fruit borne in large clusters that won’t shatter when picked, ripens early to midseason, fair disease-resistance and cold hardiness, excellent flavor, wet stem scars, vigorous vines.

• Higgins. Female, reddish-bronze, large clusters of large fruit matures late in the season, tough but edible skins, wet stem scars, good disease resistance and cold hardiness, good flavor, vigorous vines, high yields.

• Ison. Self-fertile, black, clusters ripen evenly early in the season, very good flavor, large berries with dry stem scars, very vigorous vines with good cold hardiness, moderate yields.

• Loomis. Female, black, medium to large berries ripening mid- to late season with dry stem scar, high vigor, low yield, excellent flavor, good cold hardiness.

• Sweet Jenny. Female, bronze, clusters ripen evenly during midseason, medium- to high-yielding vigorous vines, good disease resistance and cold hardiness, very good flavor, large berries with dry stem scar.

• Triumph. Self-fertile, red-bronze, medium to large berries with good flavor and dry stem scar, ripens early in the season, poor cold hardiness, moderate vigor.

Vineyard Layout — Before planting, establish the layout of the vineyard. Row width and spacing of plants will be determined in part by the trellising system used. Several trellising systems may be used for muscadine production. The simplest system is the single-wire Bilateral Cordon (BC) system. Post placement should be 24 feet within rows and 10 to 12 feet between rows. End posts should be 3 to 5 inches in diameter. All posts should be guaranteed pressure-treated. Rows should be well-anchored or braced by any of several methods.

Within-row planting distances for muscadines should be about 12 feet. Use either drip emitters or microjet emit-ters. If soils are sandy and irrigation water is abundant and cheap, microjet emitters are preferred because they provide more thorough coverage of the soil. Trellis wires should be 9-gauge, high-tensile steel wire, smooth or crimped. Wire should be permanently attached to one end and loosely stapled to interior posts. Attachment at the far end should be amenable to loosening because wires must be stretched each year following pruning.

Planting and Training — Planting should be done in the spring using dormant plants or during the growing season us-ing potted plants. Depth of the hole should be about 8 inches with a diameter of 6 to 8 inches. Under dry conditions, pour about 1 gallon of water into the planting hole before planting. To encourage vigorous growth of the new plant, prune off all branches and suckers, leaving only two to four buds on the main stem. If roots of a plant will not fit within the hole, prune off the excess length. Care should be taken to untangle

roots if plants are pot-bound. Do not cut roots of actively growing plants. Plants should be planted 1 to 2 inches deeper than they were growing in the nursery or pot and buds should be visible above the soil line. Plants should be watered in immediately Do not use fertilizer in the hole at planting.

Training Newly Planted Vines — Proper training of the newly set vineyard and pruning of mature vines are extremely important operations. Young vines properly trained and cared-for will usually bear an economical crop the third year. If training is neglected, a year’s growth or more will be lost even though all other operations are performed. When training young muscadine grapevines, follow as closely as possible the step-by-step procedure listed below:

1. After planting, prune to a single stem and cut the vine back, leaving two to four buds. This step is most important because it balances the root system with the top, limits the number of growing points, and forces new, strong wood that will rapidly develop into a permanent trunk.

2. Tie a durable string such as nylon or binder twine from the stub of the new plant to the trellis. A soft, small-diameter wire may be used instead of the string. Using bamboo stakes instead of the training wire or string is an excellent system that promotes straight trunk development without additional training time.

3. After new growth is about 1 foot long, select the strongest shoot and train it to the string or wire by tying it loosely to the training cord. Remove all the other shoot growth from the plant. Note: some growers prefer to keep two shoots to develop into double trunks. This practice, if done properly and if the tendrils of one trunk are not allowed to girdle the other trunk, offers insurance in later years against winter trunk kill or other injury.

4. As the new trunk grows, tie it loosely to the training cord. Pinch or clip side shoots that develop in the leaf axils. Do not remove leaves growing on the main trunk until it reaches the trellis wire. This training process must be repeated once every two or three weeks throughout the first summer. If the trunk does not reach the wire the first summer, cut it back during the dormant season (early spring) and start again with step 1.

5. Steps for vertical one-wire trellis training. When the new trunk reaches the trellis wire, pinch it back to 4 inches below the wire to encourage branching. Tie a string from the top of the vine to the wire and place enough tension on the string to straighten the trunk. Train one new branch to each trellis wire to form the permanent fruiting arm.

6. Train the fruiting arm along the wire by tying it loosely to the cordon wire as it grows. Do not prune back side shoots on the permanent fruiting arms until the dormant season.

7. Allow the fruiting arms to meet halfway between the vines and pinch each shoot tip when it reaches 10 feet in length (usually the second year) to form the permanent cordon fruiting arms. Fertilizer should be applied to the plants about two weeks after vine growth starts at the rate of one-fourth pound of 10-10-10 banded in a circle 6 inches from the plant. A second and third application may be made at the same rate 6 and 12 weeks later.

8 Horticulture HintsSummer 2008

Visit our Web site:www.lsuagcenter.com

Prepared quarterly by:

Tom Koske, Horticulture Specialist

Jimmy Boudreaux, Ph.D., Vegetables/Citrus Dan Gill, Consumer HorticultureDavid Himelrick, Ph.D., FruitsTom Koske, Ph.D., Lawns and VegetablesJohn Pyzner, Ph.D., NutsBob Souvestre, Master Gardener Program Parish agents, please adapt these suggestions to your area before disseminating.

School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Science155 J. C. Miller Hall - LSU, Post Office Box 25100, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70894-5100

(225)578-2222; Fax: (225)578-0773The LSU Agricultural Center is a statewide campus of the LSU System and provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.

School of Plant, Environmental and Soil SciencesHorticulture Division155 J. C. Miller Hall - LSUPost Office Box 25100Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70894-5100

Summer 2008Horticulture Hints