{"id":1840,"date":"2019-09-19T01:23:56","date_gmt":"2019-09-19T01:23:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=1840"},"modified":"2019-09-19T01:25:28","modified_gmt":"2019-09-19T01:25:28","slug":"mulberry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2019\/09\/19\/mulberry\/","title":{"rendered":"Mulberry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Morus nigra<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morus alba<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction: The Mulberry is native to western Asia, but had spread to Europe by\nthe time of the ancient Greeks. The fruit is excellent when fully ripe, but too\nsoft to be a useful commercial fruit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutrients:\nDried mulberries are a substantial food source, somewhat comparable to figs in\nnutritional value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease\nof growing: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hours\nof winter chill 3<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Size\n15-30 ft tall x 15-30 ft wide<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zones:\n5-10 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blooming\nperiod: Early summer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fruiting\nperiod: Mid to late summer <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chill requirements: 400 hrs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bearing age: 2-3 years<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing: 15-40 ft apart<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate:\nMulberries are naturally adapted to grow in hot dry summers and cold winters,\nbut they are quite adaptable and will grow in most places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Site:\nThe trees need full sun for best productivity, but will also tolerate some\nshade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 6.5 – 8.0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil:\nMulberries will grow in most soils, but do best on a fertile one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When: Obviously you can only plant when trees are\navailable, which usually means in winter or early spring for bare root trees\n(though some people prefer to plant in autumn, while the soil still holds some\nheat). In cold climates bare root plants are usually planted in spring. In\nmild-winter areas they may be planted nay time between late fall and early\nspring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plants in containers can be\nplanted at any time of year, but are more expensive and don\u2019t usually do as\nwell (sometimes they are simply left over bare root stock that has been potted\nup).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How: Dig the planting hole 2\u20113 times as wide as the root\nball, to give the roots plenty of loose soil to grow into. You want the hole to\nbe the same depth as the root ball (or roots if bare root), so it can be set\ninto the ground at the same depth it was growing in the nursery. This is most\neasily measured by laying a stick across the hole to get the right height. The graft union should be 3-6\u201d above the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In poorly drained soils you\nmay have to plant on a mound, to keep the collar of the tree from staying wet\nfor long periods (too much water could cause it to rot). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start planting by throwing a\ncouple of shovels of soil (possibly mixed with some organic matter if the soil\nis poor \u2013 to help it hold moisture) into the bottom of the hole. Make this into\na slight mound and then spread the roots out evenly over it. You then put some\nsoil in the hole to anchor the tree in place and firm it down. Then re-fill the\nhole with the rest of the soil (make sure the tree remains vertical). You may\nalso want to add some rock phosphate to the soil as you go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you have finished\nplanting the tree should be on a slight mound, so as the soil settles it becomes\nflat. If it starts out flat it may end up as a slight depression where water\ncan collect (which can be a problem on poorly drained soils).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You then water the tree\nthoroughly, not only to supply water to the plant, but also to settle the soil\nand establish contact between roots and soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final step is to spread\nout a mulch to conserve water, and keep down weed competition (keep this six\ninches away from the trunk). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also a very good idea\nto put a permanent label on the tree saying the variety and rootstock (and\nwrite it down in your garden journal).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support: Newly planted trees were once routinely supplied\nwith a stake to support them, but it is now thought that trees become stronger\nmore rapidly if not staked. Staking is only usually necessary on very windy\nsites (especially for dwarf trees which grow on weak rootstocks).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protection: If gophers live in your area you will have to plant\nyour trees in gopher wire baskets (I make my own to whatever size I need). If\nother rodents are a problem (they may chew on the bark, stunting or even\nkilling the tree) you may have to use various kinds of metal or plastic mouse\nguards. These should go several inches into the ground and should have gravel\naround them to deter digging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maintenance: I have found mulberries to be very trouble free and mine gets no\nattention at all except at harvest time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilizing: Not usually necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watering:\nEstablished trees are very drought tolerant and rarely need watering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pollination:\nTrees are self-fertile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pruning Mulberry is terminal\nbearing, which means they produce fruit at the end of new growth. They don\u2019t usually require much pruning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Propagation:\nMulberry is easily grown from softwood or hardwood cuttings and can grow into a\nproductive tree surprisingly quickly. It can also be grown from seed, but this\nis slower and some trees will probably be fruitless males. Special cultivars\nare sometimes budded on to seedling rootstocks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Containers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch:\nA mulch of compost or aged manure is useful, as it keeps the soil moist, keeps\ndown weeds and supplies nutrients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests: Birds\nare the main problem when growing mulberries as they adore the fruit, and if given the opportunity will\nstay around the trees until they have stripped them bare. Netting is the most\neffective solution, though it has to be pretty thorough as they will try to\nfind a way in through any openings. Another possible approach is to\nstring up bright flashing objects like shiny\naluminum pie tins, mylar tape or old cd\u2019s. You might also try inflatable\npredator balloons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caterpillars sometimes go for\nmulberries, including the silkworm, which live their whole lives on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disease:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When:\nThe fruit has a fairly long ripening period and may stay on the trees for\nmonths if birds don\u2019t get to it. I like the fruit even when it is slightly\nunder-ripe and tart. It gets sweeter when fully ripe (and very soft and mushy).\nIf left on the tree for long enough it may even dry out completely, just like\nthe related Fig. Dried mulberries are a very nutritious food and have been\nwidely used in Afghanistan and neighboring countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How:\nYou can start harvesting the fruit as soon as it turns dark purple, though it\noften disintegrates if you pull too hard. When this happens the abundant bright\nred juice often stains hands and clothes. If there is a lot of fruit you can\ntry laying a sheet under the tree and shaking it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage:\nRipe fruit must be used promptly, as it doesn\u2019t keep for more than a day or two\n(if you have a lot it can be made into preserves). Dried fruit can last for\nmonths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual growing methods<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ornamental uses: It isn\u2019t a good idea to plant trees over paved areas\nas dropping fruit will stain them. Larger trees make great shade trees, casting\ncool, dense shade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rootstocks<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food\nuses: Young leaves are edible and may be used like grape leaves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Morus nigra Morus alba Introduction: The Mulberry is native to western Asia, but had spread to Europe by the time of the ancient Greeks. The fruit is excellent when fully … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1841,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fruit-trees","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Mulberry-Pakistan.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1840"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1843,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840\/revisions\/1843"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}