Mulberries are one of the best things about summertime. Picking the sweet, dark fruits right off the tree is even better when you can do it yourself. 88 percent of the water in fresh mulberries is absorbed by the fruit. Only 60 calories per cup of fresh and juicy mulberries (about 140 grams) make them ideal for snacking.
Mulberries, like raisins, can be dried and eaten as a snack. There are 12 percent protein, 70 percent carbohydrates, 14 percent fiber, and only 3 percent fats in the dried fruit. To put it another way, mulberry has the highest protein content of any fruit. Other nutrients found in these foods include potassium and Vitamin C as well as Vitamin E and K1.
Additionally, mulberry trees provide shade in the summer and attract a variety of birds, including bluebirds, tanagers, warblers, and orioles, who are all drawn to the sweet, colorful fruit. Bees and butterflies will visit your garden in the spring when the tree is covered in berries.
It’s All Mulberry!
Mulberry is a fruit that grows on a mulberry tree. Mulberry trees are fruit-bearing trees that produce a high volume of fruit while requiring minimal care. Once they’re established, all that’s required of you is occasional pruning and watering. Mulberry trees come in a wide variety of varieties. The black mulberry (Morus nigra), red mulberry (Morus rubra), and white mulberry are the three most commonly grown mulberry trees (Morus alba).
The most popular fruits come from the black mulberry tree, which is native to the western part of Asia. Even before the Roman Empire came to an end, Europeans have been cultivating this tree for its fruit.
Red mulberry trees are a little more resilient than black mulberry trees, according to this study. Native to North America, they thrive in deep, rich soil and are particularly common in the eastern United States. It is common to find them growing along streams and in valleys.
There are white mulberry trees that originate in China. Silkworm production was the original reason for their introduction to the United States. The red mulberry tree, with which they hybridized, is now a naturalized species.
According to the variety, mulberry trees can grow to varying heights. The tallest trees are white mulberry trees, which can grow to a height of 80 feet. Seventy-foot-tall red mulberry trees are common. The shortest of these three species, the black mulberry tree, grows to a maximum of 30 feet in height.
Even when they’re young, mulberries are a fast-growing tree. On the branches, the leaves are arranged in an alternate pattern. The margins are frequently lobbed or saw-toothed. Inflorescences, which are clusters of white flowers, are common. There are many drupelets in each cluster of berries, and each one contains one seed and is made up of several individual juice-filled drupes or segments. The drupes form a single berry when combined.
Like blackberries or raspberries, the fruit can be used in the same way. Muffins, pies, pancakes, and sorbets all feature mulberries as an ingredient. Summer smoothies and ice cream both benefit from the addition of mulberry fruit.
A mulberry tree in your yard will provide you with an endless supply of sweet and delectable treats. Mulberry tree planting instructions can be found here.
Is It Time to Plant?
Planting the mulberry tree is best done when temperatures aren’t too extreme, but there isn’t a specific time of year when this is the best option. With mild summer temperatures, planting in the spring or fall is the most common method. Temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit are not ideal for planting.
Where Do I Put My Seeds?
Mulberry trees thrive in full sun, but they can also grow in partial shade. Choosing a spot that isn’t close to any buildings, pipes, or fences is essential. Trees of all sizes should be spaced at least 15 feet apart, but larger trees can be as far apart as 30 feet.
Mulberry fruit stains concrete and decking, so you may want to plant the tree in a spot with soil under its canopy. Overripe fruit will fall to the ground, so keep an eye out for a few splattered on the ground. Those splattered fruits will bake onto any surface they come into contact with in the summer sun!
Growing in a container is an option, but it doesn’t always guarantee good fruiting because the height is restricted to around 6 feet or less. Until you’ve settled on a permanent location for your tree, this may be an effective way to get it off to a good start.
How to Grow Your Own Food
Mulberry trees have a low germination success rate, so starting from seed requires special attention to ensure a successful outcome. In order to increase the likelihood of mulberry seeds germinating, cold stratification should be applied for a period of four to sixteen weeks.
Use a seed starting mix that has been sterilized. Plant just below the soil’s surface, and make sure the growing medium is always moist. Make sure the plants get at least 12-16 hours of sunlight a day as they grow after germinating. As seedlings mature, gradually expose them to the elements outside. Tree saplings under the age of two years should be kept indoors or in the shade during extreme weather conditions.
Dig a planting hole three times as wide as the root ball and three times as deep as the saplings you’re relocating (whether they’re your own or purchased). You can gently untangle any circling roots after you remove the tree from its pot. Remove the soil from the pot and use it to backfill the tree’s hole. When planting a tree, it is best not to amend the soil so that the tree’s roots are forced to search for water or nutrients.
Care
Mulberry trees are hardy and low-maintenance plants. In order to thrive, they still necessitate a certain level of attention and maintenance. Learn about the best ways to maintain your mulberry tree so that it thrives in your yard!
Temperature and the Sun
Young saplings need some wind protection as well as full sun and moderate temperatures for mulberry trees to thrive. But it’s the full exposure to the sun that really matters. It is true that newly planted saplings can tolerate some afternoon shade, but in the long run, full sun exposure promotes greater growth and vigor.
In USDA zones 4 to 9, mulberry trees thrive. There are both frost-resistant and warmer-climate varieties available. Select a variety that is suited to the climate in which you live if possible. These trees are deciduous in colder climates, but in warmer ones, they will keep their leaves all year.
Humidity and Watering
Even though mulberry trees can survive in dry conditions, they produce their best fruit when they are located in an area with regular rainfall. Mulberry fruit that is of high quality can only be obtained through regular watering.
Once the tree is established, it should receive about an inch of water per week. During the first year of a tree’s life, water it a little more frequently because its roots have not yet spread far enough to find additional water.
Watering deeply is preferable to watering heavily. It is best to water the tree from the outside in, so either invests in a soaker hose or use a regular hose set to a slow trickle. As a result, the soil is better able to retain water, which the tree can then use when it is needed.
Soil
A wide range of soil conditions can be tolerated by mulberry trees. They’d prefer a rich, loamy soil with plenty of organic matter, but they’ll grow in just about any environment. It is possible to grow container-grown trees in a soilless environment using compost and peat-based potting medium.
Soil that drains well is a necessity. Tree roots can become infected with a variety of fungi if the soil in which they are growing is too wet. Despite the fact that most mulberries are rot-resistant, it is best to be proactive and ensure that the soil drains freely.
Salt tolerance is a characteristic of mulberry once it has grown to maturity. While black mulberry prefers a slightly more acidic soil pH of up to 4.5, white and red mulberry varieties prefer 5.5-7.5, with 8 being the upper limit for fruit viability in these varieties.
Fertilizing
Mulberry trees require very little in the way of fertilizer. In most cases, a single application of compost in the late winter or early spring is sufficient. The 10-10-10 balanced slow-release fertilizer can be used in the late winter or early spring if compost is not available.
The distance between the fertilizer application and the tree’s trunk should be kept to a minimum of 6 inches. This holds true for composting applications as well.
Pruning and Instructions
Pruning mulberry trees in the winter is the best time to do it. Trimming the bushes in the winter is the ideal time to get this job done.
Larger cuts should be avoided, as mulberry sap will leak out of them. Larger cuts also allow more room for fungi and bacteria to enter the tree’s trunk, putting it at risk of infection.
In order to make harvesting easier, mulberries can be trained outward rather than allowed to grow to their full height. To keep the trunk angled outward from the tree’s base, concrete blocks can be used to bend and weight down the young tree’s trunk. At least a year should pass before you remove them, so that the wood has time to harden. Once the weights are removed, the tree will retain its shape.
Propagation
It is common to grow mulberry trees from seed, cuttings, or grafts.
It is possible to grow mulberry trees from seed or cuttings taken from an existing tree. The plant can be grown from seed.
Above, we touched briefly on seeds. Take 6-8″ tip cuttings from healthy, vigorous branches to use for cuttings. ‘ You’re looking for something with a diameter no larger than a pencil. Remove all but the most recent leaves from the cutting’s tip before slicing. Apply a powdered rooting hormone to the cut end before placing it in moistened potting soil. Roots will begin to appear within a few weeks if the soil is kept moist.
Grafting should be left to the experts. It can be difficult to get a perfect graft for a mulberry tree because it bleeds a lot of sap from cuts.
Reaping the Benefits of the Harvest
What is the flavor of mulberries? Of course, it’s summer! Harvesting your mulberry fruit is the best part of growing a mulberry tree, no matter what variety you choose. What do you think? Let’s discuss it!
Harvesting
There is little to no fruit on young mulberry trees in their first year, and in some cases, there is no fruit at all. After that, the mulberry tree is laden with fruit. It’s easy to identify these fruits, which can be found in a variety of colors ranging from white mulberries to dark purple because they grow quickly.
For mulberries, harvesting begins in mid-June. It may last until the end of August, depending on the species. Mulberries of the red, white, and black colors typically bear fruit first, with the black ones following later.
A tart berry is a result of picking early berries by hand. In the long run, waiting too long may result in the berry falling from the tree and being wasted. It’s possible to remove the more ripe berries with a method that can be repeated every few days.
Spread a tarp or an old sheet under the tree for shade. When you’re done, shake the branches above it. A few of the more overripe berries will fall to the tarp, but the majority of the remaining berries will remain attached to the vine.
Storing
The fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days if you are not going to eat it right away. As with other berries, keep an eye on them as they can go bad quickly.
For long-term storage, freezing the harvest is an option. Rinse and dry your berries on a kitchen towel. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet once they’ve dried. Transfer to an airtight container or freezer storage bag after freezing until solid.
As a storage option, drying can work well. Make sure your berries are thoroughly coated with the lemon juice by soaking them in a bowl of 1 quart of water for a few minutes after they’ve been washed and destemmed. Place them on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate them until they are completely dry. The texture will be similar to that of a raisin.
Troubleshooting
Mulberry trees, in comparison to other plants, have fewer disastrous problems, but they do have some issues to deal with. There are a number of things we can discuss to help you out.
Problems Increasing in Number
Mulberry splattering is one of the most serious issues that the fruit faces. If you don’t pick the berries on a regular basis, the soft berries will fall from the tree and splatter on everything in their path. Ants and other insects are attracted to the fruit because it is sweet and tasty to them. Don’t let pests take over the area around your tree by keeping it clean and well-maintained.
Pests
However, the tree is also infested with this type of pest. However, preventing ants from nesting in your mulberries is a cinch. Spend some money on an inexpensive tree tangle trap that you can paint on the tree’s trunk. It’s best if you paint a wide band that covers the entire length of the trunk. The ants will become entangled and be unable to reach the fruit. Retouch the paint as soon as the stickiness begins to fade.
Another problem with mulberries is that birds like the black fruit (and red and white mulberry fruit, too) as much as we do. Even though it’s possible to cover the tree with bird netting, it’s usually preferable to let them eat their fill. While eating, they can be a little messy, so be prepared to pick up any berries that fall to the ground.
Diseases
Leaf and fruit brown spots and black spots can be signs of bacterial blight caused by Pseudomonas syringae bacteria. Near wet branches and leaves, this bacterium thrives in places with poor air circulation. Cankers can form on the branches and eventually the trunk if left unchecked. Branches, leaves, and fruit that have been damaged should be removed. If the tree’s trunk develops cankers, it’s best to remove it before it completely dies.
Keep the canopy open so that air can easily pass through it to prevent this blight. In order to improve airflow, prune away branches that droop or cross over one another.
FAQ.
Q. When it comes to mulberry trees, how tall can you expect them to get?
A: They can grow up to 80 feet tall, depending on the variety. In most cases, the Morus alba white mulberry is the tallest.
Q. Mulberry trees are illegal because of this.
A: The male, pollen-producing mulberry tree isn’t allowed in some areas of the United States and the rest of the world. These cities include Phoenix, El Paso, and Las Vegas. Because of the high levels of pollen they produce, these trees have been outlawed in all of the cities in the southwest United States. This pollen can trigger numerous allergic reactions when carried by the hot desert wind. There are no mulberry problems in areas that aren’t in the desert Southwest.
Q: Why can’t I buy mulberries at the store?
A: Mulberry fruit is extremely delicate, and as a result, it is not widely available for sale. At farmer’s markets, you may occasionally come across people selling their own produce, but this is unlikely to happen in your local supermarket.
