Questions about Grape Vine

[ihatedarkroast]

Last year I planted a Triumph Muscadine (Scuppernong type) about 20 feet from the coop. I had ordered more vines, which died over the winter/fall. This year I ordered a Black Beauty Muscadine. I am thinking of planting it beside the chicken run, and letting it grow along the fence.

Will the ammonia from the chicken guano and duck guano burn the plant and kill it? I've always heard chicken guano is a hot fertilizer that you have to age it. I don't really clean the run. We just throw layers of hay and mulch on top of it from time to time. The chickens free range all day and are only in there in the early morning. The ducks are only in there at night.

 

[DobieLover]

The chicken manure is not going to be the main concern. The chickens toe nails are. They dig and scratch the root balls around here to the point they've dug up and tipped over a blue point juniper. Cover the root area about 2' around with chicken wire then a thin layer of soil to protect the plant and possibly put a cage around it until it is well established and it should do fine.
I have not found the chickens manure to be overly hot. Especially when it slowly composts in the run with a lot of organic matter.

 

[3KillerBs]

Actually, your main concern should be the structure of the run fence.

Muscadine vines grow rampantly -- climbing and overwhelming trees in the wild. They can easily become too heavy for a structure not designed to take their weight.

 

[ihatedarkroast]

@3KillerBs A fair consideration. The run is held up by railroad ties though, so I think we'll be ok. I'm also planning to prune the vine in a cordon shape along the fence horizontally. Part of me wants it to grow up over the run, but I don't think I would be able to reach the fruit if did that? And pruning would be impossible after a point.

@DobieLover Tonails,homg! haha. That's a good idea, protecting it for a year or two. The vine I'm getting is only a 2 year so it will be fairly tender. :/

Thanks, guys.