Southern Home is a black interspecific hybrid muscadine and bunch grape that was released by J.A. Mortensen, J.W. Harris, D.L. Hopkins, and P.C. Andersen at the University of Florida in 1994 as an ornamental, dooryard grape for its vigor and unique leaf shape, resembling that of a maple leaf. It is also highly tolerant to many fungal diseases as well as Pierce’s disease. Additionally, it is an everbearing cultivar that produces ripe, uniform fruit. These berries begin to uniformly ripen in mid-August, with a few later clusters that may ripen into October or November, and they typically adhere to the vine for longer periods than other muscadine cultivars. This vine also propagates readily from herbaceous cuttings and does not require grafting in well-drained soils. Southern Home is considered the best muscadine for the home garden due to its ornate foliage and pleasant flavored fruit. They are spur pruned, and they perform well when trained to either a single wire bilateral cordon or a Geneva double curtain with two bilateral cordons. They should be spaced 12 to 20 feet between vines and 10 to 16 feet between rows. Hardy to Zones 7-9. Photo courtesy of AgriStarts.
Grape ‘Southern Home’ Vitus rotundifolia
Description
Southern Home is a black interspecific hybrid muscadine and bunch grape that was released by J.A. Mortensen, J.W. Harris, D.L. Hopkins, and P.C. Andersen at the University of Florida in 1994 as an ornamental, dooryard grape for its vigor and unique leaf shape, resembling that of a maple leaf. It is also highly tolerant to many fungal diseases as well as Pierce’s disease. Additionally, it is an everbearing cultivar that produces ripe, uniform fruit. These berries begin to uniformly ripen in mid-August, with a few later clusters that may ripen into October or November, and they typically adhere to the vine for longer periods than other muscadine cultivars. This vine also propagates readily from herbaceous cuttings and does not require grafting in well-drained soils. Southern Home is considered the best muscadine for the home garden due to its ornate foliage and pleasant flavored fruit. They are spur pruned, and they perform well when trained to either a single wire bilateral cordon or a Geneva double curtain with two bilateral cordons. They should be spaced 12 to 20 feet between vines and 10 to 16 feet between rows. Hardy to Zones 7-9. Photo courtesy of AgriStarts.
