Rich: You sure can't be faulted for lack of trying. If I lived in upstate SC, I wouldn't be growing grapes at all, in fact I found out years ago they are not worth growing in Northern Virginia, at least with my technology. Just too many fungal and insect problems, not to mention PD. I know there are some commercial vineyards in Virginia, but they take a lot of inputs. In your location, I would probably be growing a high-yield trailing blackberry like Doyle or Triple Crown. More fruit volume per length of trellis than grapes, and they make an excellent wine with real fruit flavor. And no fungal or insect problems at all. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

I've got a muscadine vine and two Fredonia vines growing in New Braunfels. They're all fairly good producers, despite my lax attention to good viticultural practices. By late summer they're afflicted by a variety of ailments (I'd assume Pierce's disease is among them) but nothing's ever been able to keep the vines from coming back even more vigorously the next spring. You shouldn't have any problem with the muscadine, but I'm not sure how long your muscat will last even with vigilance.

Where in Upstate SC was your Vineyard? What fungicides and insecticides were you using and how often were you applying. I am considering planting Vinis vitera on 3309 rootstock Cabernet Sauvigngon and Merlot and have heard if you spray fungicide and insecticide evry other week pierces is not a problem .....would be interested in any experiences out there....I am really not interested in planting muscadines.

I plan on getting a Victoria Red (even though one guys blog showed them heavily infected with PD). I was also looking for Conquistador but have had no luck finding a source. Hey, I just noticed your handle jvsand5! How's all the tropicals doing? I need another Luc's Garcinia if you will part with one and I'm looking for anyone stateside with Eleagnus latifolia or So Shang. I have ordered cuttings from Oscar but none of them rooted and I have seeds coming from Luc but I think they are held up on the border since it has been almost a month. garymc - I have another section of the yard devoted to Muscadines so that area is full. And I have some wild grapes (Possum grapes? whatever they call the little tiny dark ones) rooting and they seem immune to Pierce's Disease.