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Growing Mulberries Naturally

 
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Thank you Steve! I bought mine from a pretty large “Online nursery” so I am sure it’s the first variety you mentioned. Thank you!!
 
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This was my largest mulberry last August. It has amazed me how fast this tree has grown and how healthy it is. Looking forward to a good sized mulberry harvest this year!
20200809_165645.jpg
Large mulberry tree in August
Large mulberry tree in August
 
Steve Thorn
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This is my other bigger mulberry the same day. It fell over when the fence around it fell over in a storm, but it is still doing well. This one has huge leaves.
20200809_165833.jpg
Big leafed mulberry fell over
Big leafed mulberry fell over
 
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r ranson wrote:Last year I experimented on 3, 3-year old trees.  One I coppiced (cut at ground level), one I pollard (kept one stem and only one stem at shoulder hight, and one I left and trimmed the dead branches when the buds started to swell.  

The coppiced one SHOULD do better from everything I've read, but it was the last to leaf out in the spring and is still smaller than the other two.

The pollard one was second last one to leaf out.  About a week after the not pruned one.  It's doing okay, but the top of the pollard died off, and it branched out all up and down the stem as well as from teh root.  So it didn't do the thing I had hoped it would.

The one I left leafed out earliest and has more than twice as many leaves as the other two combined.


But that is what happened one year in my climate on an unusual winter.  So I need to do some more experiments to get a better idea of what works in my climate.



This is something I want to do. I got 3 red mulberries this past winter and have kept them in my greenhouse. I want to plant one on the northwest side of a small orchard, but I don't want it to get 40'+ tall, so I was thinking of coppicing it. I plan on putting it in the ground in a week or two, letting it grow on for the season, and pruning to the ground late winter next year.

I'm going to put one near our woods and just let it grow, but I also want to put one next to a fence and willow tree near our chicken coop...and I'll probably have to manage how tall it gets. Anyone else have experience pruning mulberries?
 
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I am clearing a spot with invasive vines and found this tree: 9ft tall covered with tiny berries and barely any leaves. Is it a female red mulberry? I ran plantnet and it said tamarisk, I don't think so.
Resized_20210407_165351.jpeg
wild red mulberry
 
Steve Thorn
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It does look like an unopened mulberry flower!

Here's another photo of one to compare.



If you can get a picture of the branch and a few buds it'll be easier to tell for sure, but I think it is!
 
May Lotito
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Thanks Steve, that does look similar.

I will wait for them to grow some more to be sure.  I just realized it might be a mulberry yesterday and was really eager to find out. The tree is located in the corner, about to get invaded by honeysuckles.  
https://permies.com/t/151226/Trash-treasure-making-biochar-invasives
Here's a silhouette shot, lots of berries expected.
Resized_20210407_164229.jpeg
Mulberry silhouette
 
Steve Thorn
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The leaves are emerging on my largest mulberry tree, it is the last one to leaf out, and is very resistant to late frost damage as a result. Some of the other varieties got damaged in a late and very hard frost/freeze recently, but this one was totally unscathed.
20210410_114941.jpg
My largest and last mulberry tree to leaf out
My largest and last mulberry tree to leaf out
 
May Lotito
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I went in town to check out a red mulberry tree I know that bear fruits. And there is a Male tree right next to it. I took pictures and compared to my trees. Turned out the tree I was asking is a male, but I do have a female tree up on the hill. Catkins are still small under leaves so that I failed to see them from a distance.
P1130195.JPG
Female red mulberry
Female red mulberry
P1130198-(2).JPG
Male red mulberry
Male red mulberry
 
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The mulberries here are some of the last trees to wake up from hibernation, so they're only just budding where I live.
 
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My neighbor here in Zone 3b-4, offered me cuttings from 20ft trees that were fruiting last year and every year. Really wanted them but had no plan. Now that I know where I'll be putting my chicken coop/runs, I'm wondering if I can just "stick" them in opportune spots.
I can start them in pots of sand and then transplant if that's best. TYVM
 
Steve Thorn
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Mary Beth Alexander wrote: Now that I know where I'll be putting my chicken coop/runs, I'm wondering if I can just "stick" them in opportune spots.
I can start them in pots of sand and then transplant if that's best. TYVM



Some varieties of mulberry will root easily from cuttings and some may be really picky. I've heard that the wild North American varieties tend to fall in the trickier category. I like to have a separate nursery bed for trickier stuff to root, where it can be nurtured and get strong to be transplanted in its final home the next year.

This was an interesting thread about rooting mulberries.

Making mulberries on the cheap

Hope your cuttings do well!
 
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I have a very old ( red) mulberry tree, that was gifted to me. It has produced so many berries over the years. Some for the wildbirds, some for my chickens & lots for me 😄 ! A few years ago it was damaged by freak ice storm. But still produces berries. I want to get some starts or cuttings from the tree. But have no idea when I should do this?

 
Steve Thorn
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Hardwood cuttings are my favorite personally, but some mulberries may be hard to root that way from what I've heard. These are done during the dormant season.

Semi hardwood cuttings can be taken once some of the current season's growth has gotten firmer.

Right now could be a good time for air layering. It is more labor intensive, but I've heard it can have good results.

Would love to hear how your cuttings turn out if you give it a try!
 
Wendy Boardman
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Steve Thorn thank you for the tips on when to do too cuttings from my mulberry tree. I had not thought of air layering. Have read very little on the subject, but am willing to learn. If I do get any to root & plant, is it possible to keep them small like a shrub?
 
Steve Thorn
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Glad it was helpful!

You can prune them to be a smaller size, but my personal theory on growing fruit trees is that the plants will be the healthiest and produce the most when they grow as closely to their natural shape as possible. Some mulberries will grow huge amounts in height each year, and to prune off all of the new growth can negatively affect their health.

There are some mulberry varieties though that are natural dwarfs. These can be a great option if you are looking for a smaller sized tree, as they naturally max out at a smaller size.

Hope your mulberries do well!
 
Steve Thorn
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Young mulberries forming!
20210411_175536.jpg
Mulberries forming!
Mulberries forming!
20210411_175522.jpg
Mulberries forming
20210411_175546.jpg
Mulberries forming
 
Steve Thorn
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It looks like there are going to be a ton of tasty mulberries this year!
20210416_072432.jpg
Lots of big mulberries forming!
Lots of big mulberries forming!
20210416_072437.jpg
lots of mulberries forming!
20210416_072507.jpg
lots of mulberries forming!
 
May Lotito
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Both my dwarf everlasting and Pakistan mulberry trees died back to the ground and regrew this year. They already leafed out after a warm March then got hit by snowy weather in late April. I am not expecting fruits this year again, maybe they just don't fit in my area.

On the other hand, my wild mulberry tree is loaded with fruits, although they are kind of small. I plan on propagating more from that tree, so what's the best way to do it? Can I just cut and stick a  1"-2" thick branch in ground or I need to air layer for branch so big? Thanks.
P1140087.JPG
Wild mulberry tree
Wild mulberry tree
P1140090.JPG
Fruits only 1" long
Fruits only 1" long
 
Steve Thorn
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My Pakistan has had troubles also. It didn't die back to the ground this year, but it got hit extremely hard by a bad late frost, and it has some new growth coming back, but I may just cut it down. My other mulberry is much hardier and didn't have any damage and leafed out even later than the wild ones, which got hurt by the frost but not as bad as Pakistan.

I'm going to try propagating it with hardwood cuttings later in the late Fall and see how that works, and I might give air layering a try as well. I have had minimal success grafting  mulberry so far. Would love to hear how yours turns out and what you try!
 
Steve Thorn
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Mulberries are quickly becoming one of my favorite fruits. Not only do these mulberries have a sweet and extremely pleasant flavor, but they are also easy to grow and are producing a great crop after just a little over two years after being planted.

They also have a huge harvest window. They started producing in late May and are still pumping out mulberries almost two months later and don't seem like they will stop anytime soon!
20210524_200000.jpg
I love mulberries
I love mulberries
20210524_195730.jpg
Mulberry cluster ripening
Mulberry cluster ripening
20210605_155317.jpg
They turn form white, to red, to black when fully ripe
They turn form white, to red, to black when fully ripe
 
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Thanks. for your information and kind offer.  What zone are you in?...I'm afraid those seeds probably wouldn't grow here in Nebraska even though we're near a river...sad cuz I love me some blackberries...I can almost taste the ones you've describing
 
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Ok, a giant stack of questions.
-What have people done to keep mulberries at a good picking height? I saw someone above with the advice to pollard at about 6 ft. Has anyone coppiced mulberry? Other ideas?
-We have a bunch of wild sown mulberries growing in our yard, some with plentiful tasty fruit and some with no fruit at all. Anyone know what's up with that? Will cuttings from fruitful plants also be fruitful? I've heard of mulberries CHANGING SEX if they're cut back hard. What??? Wacky.
-Anyone have recommendations for a good named variety for zone 4, and where to buy it? There is so much confusing info out there it's hard to know where to start...
-How are folks doing cuttings? I'm trying to decide whether to take cuttings from my wild fruitful berries or buy a named variety and clone from there...
 
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Has anyone had any luck growing white mulberry from seed?

Do I need to freeze it, scarify it, or treat it in any other way before planting?
 
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Bethany Ringdal wrote:
-What have people done to keep mulberries at a good picking height?
-We have a bunch of wild sown mulberries growing in our yard, some with plentiful tasty fruit and some with no fruit at all. Anyone know what's up with that?
-How are folks doing cuttings? I'm trying to decide whether to take cuttings from my wild fruitful berries or buy a named variety and clone from there...


I have three young mulberries I planted in my yard (and just discovered this thread) and decided to do some experimenting after NO fruit last year. At the beginning of spring I pruned one mildly, one brutally (6 feet, all branches, straight across), and left one. The one that was not pruned was covered with flowers but gave ZERO fruit. The two pruned trees gave me about a kg of berries combined (good for young trees, I think, and I missed a lot of picking because of birds and crummy weather), and if my old mulberry tree is any references I should get another harvest in the fall. They are native-type, so small fruit but sweet.
This year I'll cut the tall tree that I didn't prune yet, and see if it changes its tune.

I also have several white mulberries that have come up in the yard from bird droppings, I topped them in spring as well and they each squeezed out a few fruit. They are maybe 1 year old, max, so it's still early.

If you figure out cuttings, let me know. I took a few and put them in a pot and they didn't put out any roots, not sure what happened there, everyone says they're so easy but.... *shrugs*
 
Steve Thorn
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Kate Downham wrote:Has anyone had any luck growing white mulberry from seed?

Do I need to freeze it, scarify it, or treat it in any other way before planting?



I haven't grown them from seed yet, but I bet they would sprout if you plant them outside now or leave them in the fridge for a while.

I haven't tried white mulberries yet, but have heard they are very sweet but not as flavorful as the black ones. Has that been your experience?
 
Kate Downham
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I've only tried white mulberries dried, they are really tasty dried, either on their own, or coated in chocolate. They were very sweet, crunchy, and a bit bland, but pleasant.

Very different from fresh black mulberries, but I haven't tried those dried. Hopefully when the black mulberry tree from the nursery I planted this year grows I can try to dry those too... If we don't eat them all raw or in mulberry crumble!
 
Tereza Okava
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This talk of different varieties sent me down a Google rabbithole last night, during which I determined that my no-fruit tree is apparently male, which I had not considered (long, beautiful flowers that never turn into fruit).

I was mostly leaving that tree for the birds (it is replacing a large mulberry that is dying), I guess now it's for the birds and for the girl flowers!
 
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Hi Dan, I may graft some mulberries soon. It sounds like you took the cuttings in summer. What kind of cuttings were they (tips, hardwood, with fruit, etc.?)? When did you graft them onto your seedling in Michigan? Did you make an extra slit below the grafts to bleed the sap?

Dan Allen wrote:I collected mulberry cuttings from across the us on my way home from Florida.  Amazing the different characteristics from state to state and tree to tree. I grafted them all on to a seedling tree here at my farm in Michigan to see what takes. I have cuttings from a tree at a rest stop in Kentucky that had long mulberries like a Pakistan variety, but it was growing wild along a fence.

 
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The property I live on now has a 30ft. white mulberry on it. Delicious and super sweet fruit!

I recently learned it's one of the few trees you can eat the leaves, so I went out and ate a few, suprisingly crispy and very good to eat, not a lot of flavor IMO but definitely refreshing.

Since then I also learned about Mulberry leaf tea. I harvested a bag full and then began the process of fermenting them, this is bruising them with a rolling pin and then putting them in a jar for anywhere from 24hrs. to 6 weeks, I might go for 3-4 days, have to be careful they don't get mold. then dry in dehydrator and make tea. The bruising releases chemicales that blacken the leaves and releases a wonderful floral scent, can't wait to try some!
 
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Experiences with Mulberry:

We have been using a fruitless mulberry (they are all morus alba) for cut forage for our sheep, most especially for the dry season here, May-Nov. Mediterranean Zone 9
The tree was already here when we moved here.
I will say it has *unbelievable* potential for ruminant browse forage. It’s high protein (16-28%, tests show), and so it effectively and far more healthily replaces legume forage really well. (ruminants can have issues with too much legumes, especially out of growing season).

It grows back very quickly (we take only thin, barely woody branches at first) and then cut the thicker ones bit by bit nearer the end of the season, til the tree is fully pollarded by the time frost hits in Nov/Dec.

Every other year, we pollard 6 ft higher in order to give the tree a break. The tree which has a trunk diameter of ~1.5 ft, doesn’t seem to care what we do to it. It’s absolutely drought tolerant without supplemental water, and has no diseases that I can tell. It gives thick luscious shade.
We use the 1/2-1 inch canes for both rocket mass heater fuel and we use the bark for paper-making—this is some of the BEST cambium bark for that in the history of paper making!

The *young* leaves are tender and tasty. I wouldn’t advise the older leaves, though they could easily be used like grape leaves for Dolmas. Nothing is poisonous that I know of.

Ive come to REALLY TRULY appreciate this tree. And because I also yearn for real mulberry fruit,
we’ve planted a few fruited mulberry varieties since.

The best tasting, and so far the most beautiful tree in its shape and foliage, as well as leaf shape and color, is hands down the Persian Mulberry tree (Morus nigra).
It’s much slower growing and shorter/stockier than the Morus nigra Pakistan and the Morus alba species, but IMO it is a far, far more lovely tree than either one.
I doubt I will ever prune any of the branches in this tree. It’s so beautiful as is. The sheep can of course browse the lower leaves as the tree gets bigger.
(I will use the other varieties for cut forage and maybe plant more).

The fruit on the Persian came in the second year -just a few - on a bare root tree that we planted in a high water table area with clay soil. It was slightly mounded but I doubt it needed to be. I find more and more that deciduous trees don’t mind wet feet in their dormant season unless they are apricots
We did water first dry season for establishment but it’s been fine on own since. This is the 4th year and it’s fruiting like gang busters. Over several weeks, so far. I think it might end up fruiting all summer, which is remarkable.

The fruit is the size and shape of a Himalayan blackberry, but ohhhhh so much tastier!
It’s less acidic, but still has a balancing tartness, a perfect non-overbearing sweetness that allows its somewhat complex mellow floral flavor to come through really well. This taste is not a harsh berry like the blackberry. It’s smooth and very versatile. This might sound strange to say, but this fruit *feels*/tastes healthy going down. I can tell it’s good for my body anyway.

The Pakistan and White Mulberries are younger than this Persian one, the fruit is very yummy, and less tasty, less complex, but they are more overtly vigorous trees than the Persian. Faster growing for sure. And fruited in *first* bare root season.

An accident occurred a month or two after we planted them as bare-root 7 ft saplings. Their water line was blocked for several weeks (!!) this was the dry season, and they dropped their leaves and fruit. Turned  brown. They looked dead. Dry season, so no rain.
We unblocked the line and a week later there were green leaves growing out of their crowns!!
I mean they came back full force!! Their top branches did die, but the bottom foot or two grew like gang busters. This paradoxically is better for us anyway, as it’s easier to cut forage and pick berries from a lower shrub.
We have Oaks for the tall trees here!
I don’t know, but I don’t think the Persian might have been this hardy and vigorous??
In the end though, my money is on the Persian for *long term* vigor, sturdiness, and fruitfulness. Slow & steady wins the race they say

Someone asked about using mulberries as living hedges. 100% can be done- but I’d use Morus alba- it’s so fast growing and if you bend down the branch tops, they will take root. So you could do a living woven fence Osage orange style. (They are in fact in the same family!!) Google it if you don’t know about this super beautiful way to have a food and forage fence…

If you wanted to back this living fence up on one side for security, I really think native hawthorn (to each one’s area) is a great option. They grow well, very thorny, into habitat-filled thickets, produce healthy berries, are great ruminant forage, and are suuuuper wildlife supporting. Plus in floody areas, they simply thumb their nose at standing water. Don’t care, might even prefer it, as long as the flooding is seasonal.😁
They might even be great riparian bank stabilizers.

Climbing roses also works great for all the same reasons, but you’ll get awesome fragrant, bigger flowers too. Every area has their own native rose—they are super valuable in my experience. But perhaps not as great a bird nesting habitat as hawthorn. And they’re beautiful and fragrant. And secure. Tears up clothing and flesh real well

So I hope these experiences add to the conversation somewhat.





 
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tuffy monteverdi wrote:Experiences with Mulberry:


So I hope these experiences add to the conversation somewhat.



I think you added a LOT to the conversation.
I was reading down the thread and planning to mention forage but you did so very thoroughly so I will just add that
it is my second favorite "tree hay" tree (first is willow) for my rabbits. It took a little more time for them to "like"
the mulberry. And that happened when I fed it to them dry after cutting and putting in feedbags over the summer.
They eat everything except larger woody stem and even that, they peel off the bark.

Mine are all currently volunteers.
It is very hot and dry and often rainless here in west Texas and still it grows.
That characteristic may make it #1 this year as my willows are struggling even with microirrigation.
We have a lot of 100+ days and very little rain this summer.

We had a lovely white fruiting mulberry volunteer. As mentioned, the fruit is nice if a little bland.
I realize reading this thread that my harvesting for tree hay has not helped with the fruit.

I have been unsuccessful so far with cuttings but that is definitely not my strong point.
I finally got a successful willow cutting and that is supposed to be dead easy.

I just realized I should make more use of the mulberry tree hay with my jersey!
 
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Kate Downham wrote:Has anyone had any luck growing white mulberry from seed?

Do I need to freeze it, scarify it, or treat it in any other way before planting?



Last year, I harvested white mulberries from a local park. I used most in some cookies and jellies, and the rest I dehydrated in the sun- it wasn't enough for a substantial snack, and I sort of just tossed the extras into a raised bed.

Earlier this year I noticed a weird plant I hadn't remembered planting, and curious I left it, then forgot about it for a few months... Fast forward to today and it turns out I have an almost 3 foot tall white mulberry sapling.

Maybe I got lucky- I only threw maybe a handful of dried fruit in
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my yard is FULL of mulberry volunteers- local red ones and white ones as well.  I leave them and cut them for forage, and i'm noticing that some have fruit on them this year. there are plenty in my neighborhood, so the birds are coming by and leaving seeds, but i also leave the fruit on the tops of my trees for the birds to encourage it.
 
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I just wanted to chime in and say:

Mulberry is an incredibly vigorous plant.

I pollarded a tree very early this spring (it already had very poor form and some dead branches… was surrounded by honey locust and brush I cleared out)….

… and those large branches I cut off and stacked… those branches are still sending out green leaves / water shoots !



Also, not sure if it’s been mentioned already, but I will air dry mulberry leaves for the use and tea. There’s some studies that indicate mulberry tea helps lower bad cholesterol and increase good as well as will decrease post meal blood sugar spikes in diabetics.
 
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My success (so far) with mulberry cuttings
I'd started a mulberry from a seed and the tree is 5 years old with no sign of fruiting. Might be male? And anyway the mother seed was from a common small black fruit. These are native here in this region of the Western Himalayas, so I think they're Black Mulberries, though some have white fruit.

So in Feb (winter) I got cuttings from someone in my region who said they're from a tree with long black fruit and a tree with white fruit. I left them in a bucket longer than I should have, and they leafed out. I planted them out in a garden bed, and the leaves dried up and fell off, and now by August several of the cuttings now have new leaves. The bed is mulched well, so I hope they survive the winter. I'll plant them out to their permanent spots in late spring before they leaf out.
 
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Mulberries come up as volunteers everywhere where I live. Its a matter of getting rid of the ones you don't want. I would guess that fire used to control their spread, but this area is now a city. I can tell you they are not at all picky. No need to water, mulch or fertilize. You can prune them very aggressively. I quit mowing my own lawn about 30 years ago and now have a dozen or so in the back yard with 8 inch diameter trunks. The fruits off of the same tree vary in flavor from insipid to excellent. I seek out the fruits in the direct sun for snacking, they seem to have the best flavor. Next summer my plan is to preserve mulberry juice for winter. I spread a tarp under a tree and shake the trunk and branches. I can gather a couple gallons of berries in a few minutes this way. I add a little water to the fruit and simmer it for 15 minutes or so, then strain all the debris away. I'm left with a lovely purple juice. I tried to make wine last year, but that didn't turn out.
I am curious whether rabbits can be fed leaves from mulberries when they drop in the autumn. I have noticed the leaves on the ground can be green and dry. Is this tree hay waiting to be gathered?
 
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Bethany Ringdal wrote:
-What have people done to keep mulberries at a good picking height? I saw someone above with the advice to pollard at about 6 ft. Has anyone coppiced mulberry? Other ideas?



Dont do that, let the tree grow big, it will produce way more fruit and be easier to harvest.  Dont think in terms of picking individual berries by hand, think in terms of scooping up gallons at a time.  Do this

 
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Rebecca Norman wrote:
And anyway the mother seed was from a common small black fruit. These are native here in this region of the Western Himalayas, so I think they're Black Mulberries, though some have white fruit.



Just something to keep in mind that I think a few people in this thread may have similarly misunderstood:

Most "black mulberries" grown anywhere in the world are actually black-fruited Morus alba. In fact, albas come in basically every color from white to red to black.

In North America, most wild "red" mulberries have been hybridized with the invasive albas, which were planted widely early in the colonial era. Some truly native rubras do still exist, but mostly what you find are albas or alba/rubra hybrids.

The true "black mulberry," i.e., M. nigra, can be acquired and is still grown in some areas, but it is very, very common for even nurseries to believe any mulberry with black fruit is a "black mulberry" and to mislabel albas as nigras. I do not believe nigras ever form white fruit.

A ploidy test can usually resolve the question, since alba is diploid while nigra has a bizarre and enormous ploidy of 22. Last year I grew seeds alleged to be nigra from Sheffield's, but they proved to be diploid. The Persian Black Mulberry scionwood from Fruitwood Nursery is true nigra, if anyone wants to try grafting it. M. nigra does not root easily, or maybe at all.

Mulberries with very elongated fruit are usually macroura, yet another species. I don't know as much about those as I haven't tried growing them or looked into them as much.
 
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