Favorite fruiting mulberry cultivars

barnetmill · 04-04-2012, 01:27 PM

My mulberry trees are starting ripen their fruit and I wondered what kind of mulberry trees and fruit do any the people here like? What cultivars do the best for you and what pests and diseases are issues?

raygrogan · 04-04-2012, 07:57 PM

I know there are all sorts of exotic mulberries, mostly in more temperate climes, but the one I grow and like is IE, Illinois Everbearing. It has a big tasty fruit for a long season, and no trouble except trimming back to size most years. They go nuts. This is in Iowa.

barnetmill · 04-04-2012, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raygrogan

I know there are all sorts of exotic mulberries, mostly in more temperate climes, but the one I grow and like is IE, Illinois Everbearing. It has a big tasty fruit for a long season, and no trouble except trimming back to size most years. They go nuts. This is in Iowa.

I have what were sold as IL everbearing. They really took off growing and then I decided to transplant them some where else and finally this year there are some berries starting out on them. These trees seem to send out long shallow, yellow roots that can be quite large seeking out nutrition. Glad to know that the IL everbearing is a good cultivar.

Darkman · 04-04-2012, 09:16 PM

There used to be a mulberry tree on the lot I bought two years ago. That was many years ago and the neighborhood kids would bend the branches down till they broke. Sometime ago it dissappeared. I guess the kids worried it to death.

Richard · 04-05-2012, 04:41 PM

Phil's White

barnetmill · 04-05-2012, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard

Phil's White

I wonder if it is anything like this cultivar:

Quote:

KING WHITE PAKISTAN (SHAHTOOT) Just like the Pakistan, the Shahtoot has long berries - but they are white! If you like super sweet this is the mulberry for you. Zones 9-10.

SHAHTOOT which in Farsi means king berry is a word used on some parts of the indian continent for mulberry.
I year so ago I planted one that died during a drought when I was very busy. I want to go for ripe white berries since the birds my not be so attracted to them as they might for darker berries.

Richard · 04-06-2012, 01:02 AM

Here's an article I wrote 3 years ago about Mulberries:

Morus The Mulberry

barnetmill · 04-06-2012, 07:29 AM

Great article

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard

Here's an article I wrote 3 years ago about Mulberries:

Morus The Mulberry

I will have to find out more about

Quote:

Maclura tricuspidata, the “Chinese Mulberry” or “Che” (also Cudrang, Zhe). This moderate size tree produces a light red fruit about the size of a ping-pong ball

Worm_Farmer · 04-06-2012, 08:15 AM

I have one, but all I know about it is that it was labeled R. Mulberry. I don't know how to ID. But it grows faster then weeds! It went from a cutting to full tree in 1 year. I would compare its growth rate to Papaya.

venturabananas · 04-06-2012, 11:18 AM

I have Dwarf Black Beauty, a Morus nigra cultivar. It makes very tasty fruit and if you have limited space like I do, it has the advantage of staying small. It suffered a bit last year with some fungal disease of the foliage, which is a common problem for lots of my plants (e.g., stone fruit) in my damp, coastal climate. But it looks just fine now, just coming out of dormancy and putting out fruit.

Richard · 04-06-2012, 12:24 PM

In the article, I left out Morus rubra (Red Mulberry) which is native to eastern Canada and the U.S., roughly from Ontario down through eastern Texas and over to the Atlantic Ocean. The fruit is red. Historically in the U.S. it was an important food source for both birds and people. Here in southern California it is less popular than Morus alba -- mainly because it grows to an enormous size in our more temperate climate.

barnetmill · 04-06-2012, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard

In the article, I left out Morus rubra (Red Mulberry) which is native to eastern Canada and the U.S., roughly from Ontario down through eastern Texas and over to the Atlantic Ocean. The fruit is red. Historically in the U.S. it was an important food source for both birds and people. Here in southern California it is less popular than Morus alba -- mainly because it grows to an enormous size in our more temperate climate.

It is my understanding that many of the wild mulberry trees are hybrids M. rubra to either M. alba or M. nigra. Hybrids these days of various cultivars are occuring. Apparently besides the mulberries, the flowering pears are crossing with commercial pears and are found feral in places east of the Mississippi.
I would like to get a lot of different mulberrys going. For me it is the first fruit of season to rippen. Some berries are almost as early. It is claimed that some mulberries have harmful affects on children, but then I do not have any so it is not an issue for me.

sunfish · 04-06-2012, 03:04 PM

Mr. Smarty Plants - Toxic effect of mulberry fruits and sap

Darkman · 04-06-2012, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by venturabananas

I have Dwarf Black Beauty, a Morus nigra cultivar. It makes very tasty fruit and if you have limited space like I do, it has the advantage of staying small.

This sounds like the mulberry for me. I am very much space challenged. Will the mulberry grow and fruit as an understory tree?

Is Dwarf Black Beauty naturally small or are there dwarfing rootstocks available for them?

venturabananas · 04-06-2012, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkman

This sounds like the mulberry for me. I am very much space challenged. Will the mulberry grow and fruit as an understory tree?

Is Dwarf Black Beauty naturally small or are there dwarfing rootstocks available for them?

I think it is naturally small, but if I recall correctly, mine appears to be grafted (it's too dark to check now). Here's a good link:

L.E. Cooke Company - Persian & Black Beauty Fruiting Mulberries

venturabananas · 04-07-2012, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkman

This sounds like the mulberry for me. I am very much space challenged. Will the mulberry grow and fruit as an understory tree

Not sure how it would do as understory. I'm under the impression that it needs full sun, but I could be wrong.

barnetmill · 04-08-2012, 10:27 PM

How compatible are the red, white, and black mulberry species for interspecific grafting. I ask because I have a very nice looking mulberry that is growing into a nicely sized tree that will likely be very large. It is derived from a cutting of an old tree from either milton or bagdad, FL. Bagdad, FL an old lumber port about IIRC 1840 had a silk industry and I assume that some trees were planted for it. But I do not believe that mulberry trees live that long. Anyway I was hoping for decent berries on this thriving tree. The berries are tiny and I would like to graft the tree over to something else.
So are mulberry trees compatible with other mulberry species relative to grafting?

Richard · 04-09-2012, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnetmill

How compatible are the red, white, and black mulberry species for interspecific grafting. ... ?

Sounds like a fun experiment. True Mulberries (Morus) are vigorous plants so its worth a try. For nursery stock, I have cultivars grafted on seedlings of the same species.

This recommendation is for an established tree at least 6' high and wide:
Consider feeding your Mulberry tree "net 1 pound" of Potash over the active growing season this year and see if it improves of the size and quality of the fruit. For example: Potassium sulfate is usually 50% potash (0-0-50) by weight, so 2 pounds of K2SO4 will supply the tree with "net 1 pound". I would sprinkle about 1/2 pound around the canopy drip line each month for the next 4 months.

barnetmill · 04-09-2012, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard

Sounds like a fun experiment. True Mulberries (Morus) are vigorous plants so its worth a try. For nursery stock, I have cultivars grafted on seedlings of the same species.

This recommendation is for an established tree at least 6' high and wide:
Consider feeding your Mulberry tree "net 1 pound" of Potash over the active growing season this year and see if it improves of the size and quality of the fruit. For example: Potassium sulfate is usually 50% potash (0-0-50) by weight, so 2 pounds of K2SO4 will supply the tree with "net 1 pound". I would sprinkle about 1/2 pound around the canopy drip line each month for the next 4 months.

This tree trunk is about 5-6" in diamter now and has a very good natural shape. It is over 15 feet tall. It only briefly has berries that are very small. I have another tree near by that is shaded that bears much larger berries for a longer period of time. Both trees are near the septic trank and field so nutrition is probably not an issue. But it is already some what late to try the potash since the fruiting almost over for this tree. I had hoped as it got bigger it would have bigger berries. It is now a pretty good sized tree. I will assume that it is a white mulberry and will look for white grafting wood.
Using the same species is a good tip.

Richard · 04-09-2012, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnetmill

This tree trunk is about 5-6" in diamter now and has a very good natural shape. It is over 15 feet tall. It only briefly has berries that are very small. I have another tree near by that is shaded that bears much larger berries for a longer period of time.

Could be different hybrid, species, or cultivar.

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnetmill

Both trees are near the septic trank and field so nutrition is probably not an issue.

I disagree. The distribution of minerals from septic is not very appropriate for deciduous fruit trees. In particular it is very low in Potash.

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnetmill

But it is already some what late to try the potash since the fruiting almost over for this tree.

This is a misconception. We feed the tree this year for next year's crop. Once the tree starts uptaking the Potash, it will take at least 3 months for processes in the roots to manufacture basic compounds to produce enzymes and carbohydrates. These will be utilized on an as needed basis. The processes for fruit production won't begin until winter begins.

04-04-2012, 01:27 PM	#1 (permalink)
barnetmill barnetmill Location: 8b in Northwest Florida near Alabama Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 296 BananaBucks : 78,076 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 110 Times Was Thanked 319 Times in 202 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 37 Times	Favorite fruiting mulberry cultivars My mulberry trees are starting ripen their fruit and I wondered what kind of mulberry trees and fruit do any the people here like? What cultivars do the best for you and what pests and diseases are issues?

04-04-2012, 07:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
raygrogan raygrogan's Photo Gallery Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 250 BananaBucks : 10,467 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 125 Times Was Thanked 314 Times in 166 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 17 Times	Re: Favorite fruiting mulberry cultivars I know there are all sorts of exotic mulberries, mostly in more temperate climes, but the one I grow and like is IE, Illinois Everbearing. It has a big tasty fruit for a long season, and no trouble except trimming back to size most years. They go nuts. This is in Iowa.

04-04-2012, 09:16 PM	#4 (permalink)
Darkman Dirt Master Darkman's Photo Gallery Location: Pensacola, FL South of I-10 Find me on the map! Zone: 8b/9a Name: Darkman Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 1,249 BananaBucks : 209,822 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 9,263 Times Was Thanked 1,582 Times in 702 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 243 Times	Re: Favorite fruiting mulberry cultivars There used to be a mulberry tree on the lot I bought two years ago. That was many years ago and the neighborhood kids would bend the branches down till they broke. Sometime ago it dissappeared. I guess the kids worried it to death. __________________ Darkman in Pensacola AS ALWAYS IMHO AND YOUR MILEAGE MAY DIFFER!!!!!!!! Life - Some assembly required, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong! Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable! Statistics - Data that analyst twist to support the insane opinions of those that pay them.

04-05-2012, 04:41 PM	#5 (permalink)
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Richard un-Retired Richard's Photo Gallery Location: Vista, CA Find me on the map! Zone: USDA 10b Name: Richard Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 9,674 BananaBucks : 545,883 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,636 Times Was Thanked 12,543 Times in 4,721 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,685 Times	Re: Favorite fruiting mulberry cultivars Here's an article I wrote 3 years ago about Mulberries: Morus The Mulberry __________________ Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

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04-06-2012, 08:15 AM	#9 (permalink)
Worm_Farmer Worm_Farmer 's Photo Gallery Location: Palm Bay, FL Zone: 9b Name: Mike Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,533 BananaBucks : 50,308 Feedback: 14 / 100% Said "Thanks" 5,326 Times Was Thanked 1,830 Times in 679 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,866 Times	Re: Favorite fruiting mulberry cultivars I have one, but all I know about it is that it was labeled R. Mulberry. I don't know how to ID. But it grows faster then weeds! It went from a cutting to full tree in 1 year. I would compare its growth rate to Papaya.

04-06-2012, 11:18 AM	#10 (permalink)
venturabananas venturabananas's Photo Gallery Location: Ventura, CA Find me on the map! Zone: 10 Name: Mark Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 2,845 BananaBucks : 244,408 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,752 Times Was Thanked 3,969 Times in 1,713 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 39 Times	Re: Favorite fruiting mulberry cultivars I have Dwarf Black Beauty, a Morus nigra cultivar. It makes very tasty fruit and if you have limited space like I do, it has the advantage of staying small. It suffered a bit last year with some fungal disease of the foliage, which is a common problem for lots of my plants (e.g., stone fruit) in my damp, coastal climate. But it looks just fine now, just coming out of dormancy and putting out fruit. __________________

04-06-2012, 12:24 PM	#11 (permalink)
Richard un-Retired Richard's Photo Gallery Location: Vista, CA Find me on the map! Zone: USDA 10b Name: Richard Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 9,674 BananaBucks : 545,883 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,636 Times Was Thanked 12,543 Times in 4,721 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,685 Times	Re: Favorite fruiting mulberry cultivars In the article, I left out Morus rubra (Red Mulberry) which is native to eastern Canada and the U.S., roughly from Ontario down through eastern Texas and over to the Atlantic Ocean. The fruit is red. Historically in the U.S. it was an important food source for both birds and people. Here in southern California it is less popular than Morus alba -- mainly because it grows to an enormous size in our more temperate climate. __________________ Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

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sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 998,911 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,592 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: Favorite fruiting mulberry cultivars Mr. Smarty Plants - Toxic effect of mulberry fruits and sap

04-08-2012, 10:27 PM	#17 (permalink)
barnetmill barnetmill Location: 8b in Northwest Florida near Alabama Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 296 BananaBucks : 78,076 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 110 Times Was Thanked 319 Times in 202 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 37 Times	Grafting Re: Favorite fruiting mulberry cultivars How compatible are the red, white, and black mulberry species for interspecific grafting. I ask because I have a very nice looking mulberry that is growing into a nicely sized tree that will likely be very large. It is derived from a cutting of an old tree from either milton or bagdad, FL. Bagdad, FL an old lumber port about IIRC 1840 had a silk industry and I assume that some trees were planted for it. But I do not believe that mulberry trees live that long. Anyway I was hoping for decent berries on this thriving tree. The berries are tiny and I would like to graft the tree over to something else. So are mulberry trees compatible with other mulberry species relative to grafting?

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