How to grow frost-resistant mulberries in the northern regions

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In gardens and summer cottages, mulberry, also known as mulberry or mulberry tree, is grown not only for its tasty and healthy fruits - garden forms do an excellent job as a decorative element. Low-growing weeping varieties are planted to create hedges and decorate small areas, and a tall white or black mulberry tree will keep company with fruit trees in the garden or decorate the local area. Based on heat-loving natural species, varieties have been bred for mid-latitude climates, so the mulberry tree can be found not only in the gardens of the southern regions.

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Mulberry - planting and care

Mulberry is also called the mulberry tree, as it belongs to the mulberry family, which is represented by a genus of tall shrubs and trees. Berries, as they are considered, are not actually berries, but clusters of small nuts with fused pericarps.

Many gardeners know about the beneficial properties of mulberry, but many believe that it does not grow in our area, as they consider this plant to be exotic. But in our area you can successfully grow mulberries. So, mulberry - planting and caring for it.

The best varieties for planting

Although mulberry is a very winter-hardy tree, we must not forget that this is a southern plant, and if its ground part is able to withstand frosts down to -30°C, then the root system can die when the soil freezes to -10°C. Of course, snow, as well as mulch around the trunk, saves the tree from freezing, but this problem can also be solved by choosing a suitable winter-hardy variety.

Today there are up to 400 varieties of mulberry, which include decorative, fodder and fruit forms. Decorative mulberry, planting and caring for which is practically no different from fruit varieties, has an original crown, color and size of leaves, height and shape of shoots. The most common varieties for landscape decoration are: Weeping decorative, Standard weeping, Holly, Black Pendula, White mulberry (Morus alba).

White mulberry has many decorative forms that have an unusual crown, and some of them bear fruit. It is these compact trees that are most often found in city parks, near official buildings, as well as in the courtyards of private gardens.

White mulberry came to us from eastern China. There this tree is planted as a fodder crop - silkworms feed on its leaves, and the berries are of secondary importance.

It is customary for us to plant mulberries exclusively to obtain sweet fruits, but, unfortunately, not all trees can survive in the temperate climate of the middle zone, and in the Moscow region. Therefore, a list of the most resistant and productive varieties for this area is proposed:

Mulberry "Royal". Compact tree of medium height, undemanding to soil. The fruits are black, shiny, large (3-4 cm), fragrant, and taste very sweet. The variety has advantages in all characteristics: rapid growth and early fruiting, high yield, good immunity to frost and disease, tasty and transportable fruits, use of the bark for medicinal purposes.
"Staromoskovskaya". Frost-resistant, self-fertile variety. The trees are compact, of medium height (up to 10 m), the crown is spherical, dense, easy to shape - you can shape it into a bush or form decorative weeping shoots. The berries are dark purple, almost black, 2-3 cm long, with a pleasant sweet and sour taste.
"White honey" High-yielding, very frost-resistant variety. The tree is compact, with a dense pyramidal crown, undemanding to soil and care. The fruits are white in color, 2-3 cm long, with a very sweet honey taste and delicate consistency. The transportability of the berries is low, the shelf life is no more than 6 hours.
"Vladimirskaya". Frost-resistant self-pollinating variety. The tree is low (about 6 m), with a wide, dense crown. The fruit is medium in size (2-3 cm), round in shape, dark purple in color, and tastes very sweet. Transportability of berries is average.
"Black Prince". Unpretentious to conditions, frost-resistant variety with very large (5 cm) berries. The yield is high, the safety and transportability of the berries is good. The fruits are long, glossy, black, have a sweet dessert taste, good for making wine.
Mulberry "Shelley". Another large-fruited variety with early ripening (mid-June). The tree is compact, decorative in appearance, with large, unusually shaped leaves. The fruits are large (up to 5.5 cm), long, matte, intense black in color. The taste is sweet dessert, the aroma is light honey.
"Dark-skinned woman." Frost-resistant, self-pollinating hybrid, bred by pollinating white mulberries. The tree is large, with a spreading, dense crown. The fruits are large (up to 5 cm), cylindrical, black in color, sweet and sour taste. Transportability of berries is good, shelf life is up to 18 hours.
"White tenderness." Frost-resistant, abundantly fruiting, early variety. Productivity is high, achieved due to a long (2 months) fruiting period: from early June to August. The fruits are delicate white in color, medium in size, elongated in shape. The taste is very sweet, but in high humidity and during rainy periods it can become neutral. Transportability of berries is average.

In principle, if you provide good care for mulberries, then any variety can be grown in our latitudes. In many cases, the size of the berries and their taste will differ from the varietal specimens, but the mulberry is such a productive tree that this deficiency will be more than made up for in the amount of harvest. So, be sure to plant mulberries in your garden and enjoy the taste!

Mulberry varieties

Today, such varieties as decorative, fruit and fodder are known. The most popular fruit varieties are white and black mulberries; there are also selected varieties of white mulberries:

Diana,
Mashenka,
Snow White and others.

Decorative mulberry varieties, such as:

Lasiniata,
Aurea,
Globosa

and others, will decorate your garden with a variety of colors and leaf shapes. Perhaps these are the most famous varieties grown in our area.

Types of mulberry formations

In this matter, the gardener can only be limited by his imagination, because this plant is very plastic, you can sculpt any fantastic shape from it, like plasticine - a pruner to help... here is this CORRECT high-quality CLATZ

Standard, non-standard, weeping formation... see photo below (photos are clickable!)

White and black mulberry: planting and care

Mulberry is a tree more than 10 meters high and is resistant to cold, so it tolerates our winters well. One mulberry tree can have female or male flowers, but there are also specimens of trees that have both flowers.

Mulberry gained its popularity not only due to its tasty and varied in color (from white to dark purple) fruits, but also for a lot of useful properties. There are two main planting methods for growing white mulberries: seedlings and seeds. Each method requires skills and the right approach, otherwise all your work may be in vain.

Planting mulberries - seed method

Seeds can be planted either in late autumn or spring, but in both cases the seeds must be treated with a special solution intended for seeds. If you decide to plant mulberry seeds in the fall, it is best to do this in mid or late October.

If it is in the spring, then the seeds must be stratified for 1 - 2 months before planting for better seed germination. You can also soak the seeds for two days using this method: 1 day in cold water, and the second in warm water 30 - 35%. This method can be used in place of two months of soaking.

Before planting, choose an unshaded, sunny place and prepare grooves in which you will place the seeds. These furrows need to be well watered; it is advisable to add fertilizer for fruit and berry crops to the water. It is also a good idea to protect your seeds from rodents. Mulberry seeds are very small, but try to sow them as rarely as possible, this will make it easier for you to plant the seedlings.

You need to sow the seeds 3–5 cm deep, after sowing, water them thoroughly and mulch them so that the soil does not dry out, and if you plant in the fall, take care to insulate your bed so that the seeds do not freeze.

After the seedlings sprout, you will need to water and weed them periodically. Mulberry seedlings, like other plants, can be fed with fertilizers for better growth. If grown correctly, your seedlings will be strong and large by autumn.

These seedlings will need to be transplanted so that they have more space to develop better. The recommended distance should be from 3 to 5 meters, but the distance depends on the mulberry variety. Mulberries begin to bear fruit after 3 to 5 years, depending on care and variety.

Planting mulberry seedlings

Now many companies offer to buy mulberry seedlings and this is perhaps the least labor-intensive way to plant this tree. Purchased seedlings should be planted in early spring in the sunniest place.

After digging a hole, add compost or nutrient soil to it, pour in plenty of water with fertilizer diluted in it for better rooting of seedlings, and cover with soil. Water and mulch the soil around the seedling again. Caring for seedlings involves weeding and watering.

Seedlings can also be planted in the fall, but this must be done a month and a half before frost, so that the fathoms have time to take root.

To prevent the tree from growing too large and looking well-groomed, its crown must be periodically trimmed and shaped.

Features of culture

The natural distribution area of the mulberry (Morus), which is part of the Mulberry family, is the temperate and subtropical zones of Africa, North America, and Eurasia. In Russia, natural species of mulberry trees are found on Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, the Far East, the Black Earth Region, and in the southern regions.

The genus is represented by tall deciduous trees, the height of which in nature reaches 15 m and above, in cultivation the tree is lower. Mulberries are grown en masse in many regions - sweet fruits, leaves, bark containing useful substances, as well as wood with qualities necessary for the manufacture of musical instruments, furniture, and crafts are in demand.

The culture is unpretentious - it grows on loams, sandstones, salt marshes, clay soils without stagnant moisture. She is not afraid of wind and drought, she feels great in urban environments where the air is not clean. In order to hold on to the sandy, loose soil and obtain food and moisture, the taproot goes to great depths and additional root shoots are formed.

Rejuvenating currant bushes

The peculiarity of the tree is that it grows very quickly for 7-8 years, then growth slows down. The life cycle, during which fruiting is maintained, lasts from 200 to 300 years. An ungrafted tree begins to bear fruit after 4-5 years, a grafted tree - after 3-3.5 years.

The trunk is branched, the color of the bark depends on the species - it can be brown, grayish-silver, greenish. The leaf (6-15 cm) on a long petiole is simple, ovate or lobed, the apex is pointed, the edges are finely toothed. There is pubescence on the petioles and the underside of the leaves.

In mid-late May, inflorescences consisting of small flowers bloom. On a female tree it will be a dense, spike-shaped “earring”, and on a male tree the inflorescence will be looser, drooping. One tree can have only female or only male flowers, but there are specimens with both types of flowers. To obtain fruits, it is necessary to plant a male and a female tree. Each region has its own ripening period - in warm climates the fruits begin to ripen at the end of June.

To determine the “sex” of a tree, it is recommended to purchase seedlings that have already produced offspring. This happens around the age of three years.

The oblong-shaped fruit (2-3 cm) is a false berry formed by soft juicy drupes of white-yellow, red, pink, dark purple (almost black) color. The berry is aromatic and has a spicy-sweet taste. It’s easy to pick – as soon as you shake the branch, the ripe berries will immediately fall off, and the unripe ones will remain hanging.

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Decorative mulberry - planting and care

The most common variety of decorative mulberry is “dangling”, up to 2.5 m high. This variety received its name for its long, thin, hanging branches. Mulberry will perfectly decorate your garden, and this variety also produces fruit.

It is better to plant this variety in the fall, in the middle or end of October. In the first year of life of a planted tree, it must be fed with complex fertilizers once a month, watered in dry weather and weeds removed. This variety of mulberry does not need to form a crown, which makes care much easier, but do not forget to remove dried branches.

FROM THE HISTORY OF THE APPEARANCE OF MULBERRY IN RUSSIA

Throughout the world, the white mulberry is most widespread, since it is its leaves that the silkworm caterpillars feed on. In addition, the high frost resistance of this species allows it to be grown in different climatic conditions.

White mulberry was cultivated back in Ancient China, where it was accidentally discovered that from silkworm cocoons it was possible to obtain the finest, strong, shiny threads, from which local weavers first created an amazing light and durable fabric called silk.

When trade relations between different countries began to develop, this particular material became the most in demand throughout the world. It’s not for nothing that the route from China to other countries was called the Silk Road.

For many years, the Chinese carefully hid the secret of silk production. Disclosure of it was punishable by death. But, as they say, “there is nothing secret that would not become apparent.”

Over time, silkworms began to be grown in other countries. Entire farms were created for this purpose. And since the only food for the caterpillars was white mulberry leaves, it quickly spread throughout the world.

In Russia, the first white mulberry garden, consisting of three thousand trees, was planted near Moscow in the 17th century by Decree of Peter I, who decided to start producing domestic silk fabrics. Some trees died due to too cold frosts.

Later, mulberry nurseries and silkworm farms were organized in several regions of the south of the country. Here the trees grew and reproduced very well. Therefore, it is not surprising that by the middle of the 18th century, mulberry became the most popular tree in the south of Russia.

Useful properties of mulberry

Mulberry is very rich in vitamins and can relieve many diseases, and not only the leaves and berries, but even the bark have medicinal properties. Tincture from the berries of this tree has a diuretic, diaphoretic and anti-inflammatory effect.

For older people, mulberry will help get rid of low blood pressure, improve vision and hearing. Diabetic patients can add mulberries to their food or eat fresh berries. Black mulberry will help with heartburn or constipation, and for those suffering from excess weight, black berry will help get rid of it.

The beneficial properties of mulberry can be listed for a long time, so it can be consumed both by children to strengthen the immune system, and by adults, replenishing their body with vitamins.

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Author of the article – LadyElena

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One comment on “Mulberry - planting and care”

I really hope that modern varieties are exactly like this, that is, on one tree there are both berries and male-colored glasses. Previously, it was necessary to plant barren mulberries for pollination, but they grew huge, even larger and taller than female mulberries, shading everything and taking up space. And the berries are really healthy and tasty. When they catch up, it’s impossible to tear yourself away from them.

TO GROW FROST-RESISTANT MULBERRY, YOU NEED TO PLANT IT CORRECTLY

Like all plants of southern origin, mulberry loves well-lit sunny places, protected from wind and drafts. It needs fertile, light, well-permeable soils and always with a neutral or even slightly alkaline reaction (pH 7 - 7.5). The plant does not tolerate close groundwater.

On acidic soils, the entire area is first neutralized (2-3 weeks before planting), covering another 3 m in all directions. The best deoxidizing agent is crushed chalk. You can also use dolomite flour (in both cases, the dosage is 2 kg per 5 square meters of area).

For digging, add (per 1 sq. m): 2 buckets of compost, a bucket of leaf soil and two buckets of sand. Planting holes are dug with a diameter of 80 and a depth of 60 cm at a distance of 3.5 - 4 m from each other. Drainage made of fine crushed stone is laid at the bottom in a layer of 10 cm.

It is best to buy crushed limestone, which today is brought to many regions from the south of the country.

Phosphorus-potassium (double superphosphate and potassium sulfate) are added to each planting hole. The composition of the planting soil and the dosage of fertilizers are the same as when planting apricots and cherries ( see our articles: “How to grow apricots” and “Frost-resistant cherries” ).

After planting, the mulberry is watered very well (3 watering cans per plant) and its tree trunk circles are mulched with straw or freshly cut grass in a layer of 6–7 cm.

Planting can be done both in spring and autumn, but no later than September 20, since the plants must take root and be well prepared for overwintering.

Growing and caring for mulberries in the middle zone

The mulberry tree belongs to the mulberry family and has more than 20 different species.
These trees grow in large quantities in Asia and North America. Silkworms, used for silk production, feed on mulberry leaves. In Russia, mulberry has been considered a valuable tree since the reign of Peter I, who by his decree banned the felling of these trees. At first the tree grows very quickly, but by the age of 4 its growth slows down. Moreover, it can reach from 10 to 15 meters in height. The leaves of the mulberry are jagged, and the dioecious flowers are collected in peculiar spikes. It is noteworthy that the fleshy fruits of the tree can be either white or black. There are two types of mulberries most often grown – black and white. But the difference between these two species is determined not by the color of the berries, but by the color of the tree bark. In the first case, the bark on the trunk and branches has a dark tint, while the white bark is characterized by a light brown tint. In order for a fruitful mulberry to grow, planting and caring for the tree must follow certain rules.

How to grow mulberries (mulberries) in the Urals

It would seem that even one walnut is enough for V.V. Telnaya to be known as the first gardener. But no.
The mulberry tree, which is unusual for Chelyabinsk residents, also grows and bears fruit in her garden. Like the nut, the mulberry is formed by the stylite. It may be objected to me that in central Russia and even in the Chelyabinsk region, some enthusiasts grow mulberries in standard form. But having extensive experience in cultivating various garden crops and their varieties, I dare to say that not all varieties and crops that successfully bear fruit in the middle zone are equally successful in Chelyabinsk. The Voronezh origin of the mulberries growing in this garden does not add optimism.

This too often serves as an indicator of insufficient winter hardiness in our conditions. As for the mulberry trees growing in the Chelyabinsk region in a standard form, below I will talk about an interesting experience that gives an answer to the question of whether a mulberry tree feels better - in a standard form or in a standard form. And after that, every gardener is free to choose whether he needs a full harvest of fruits or the ease of care that a standard tree provides.

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The plant, located in the very sun, eaten from large bushes and trees, at first seemed to me like an ordinary black currant. And only as I came closer, I was amazed to recognize the large carved mulberry leaves that I had seen in Central Asia and the North Caucasus. The tree was as tall as a man, with a low (20-25 cm) trunk and an oval crown. Among the greenery there were both ripening (burgundy) and mature (almost black) fruits.

One large branch attracted attention, clearly lagging behind the rest in its development and with a small number of fruits. This happens when the part of the plant that overwintered above the snow freezes significantly, and the part covered with snow emerges from the winter undamaged. My guess was confirmed by the owner of the garden, saying that she had used the mulberry growing method, bending down and protecting all its branches with covering material for the winter, with the exception of the damaged branch that I saw, which involuntarily ended up in the role of a plant growing on a trunk.

The described experiment clearly showed that in our conditions, insufficiently winter-hardy crops, such as mulberry, must be bent down for the winter and protected with covering material for full development and fruiting.

Planting a tree

It is best to plant mulberries in early spring or early autumn. As a rule, gardeners prefer to plant mulberries in the fall , since the plant that survives the winter promises rapid growth and a good harvest. It is important to choose the right place to plant a tree. is known to grow poorly in sandy soil and wetlands . Groundwater on the ground for planting should lie at a depth of no more than one and a half meters. This will ensure the tree grows quickly. Mulberries with male flowers do not bear fruit, but the sex of the tree can only be known after four years. Therefore, it is better to purchase seedlings that are already bearing fruit.

Autumn planting of mulberries

What preparation should be done to plant mulberries?
Half a month before planting, it is necessary to dig a pit, the dimensions of which are determined by the root system of the plant. It should be taken into account that the roots should be freely located, and if cuttings are planted around the main tree, additional space will be needed. 4-6 kilograms of organic fertilizer are placed at the bottom of the pit and covered with a thick layer of soil. This is done in order to prepare the soil and so that young roots do not come into contact with fertilizers. The seedling is placed in a hole and, carefully compacted, sprinkled with soil. If the trunk of the seedling is thin, then you can place a support in the hole, to which you can tie the tree at the end of planting. At the end of planting, the tree is watered abundantly.

Planting mulberries in spring

When planting in spring, all stages are similar to planting in autumn. But the pits for planting are prepared in early autumn, filling the bottom with compost or other organic fertilizers. In spring, you can safely start planting seedlings in already fertilized soil. Replanting the plant in the future is not recommended.

Sapling planting technology

At home, to save space, it is more convenient to grow monoecious mulberries. You can find out the sex of a plant after it starts flowering:

female flowers sit tightly on the peduncle, forming a spikelet;
males form earring-shaped inflorescences with a drooping stem.

In everyday life, male trees are called silk trees. When growing seedlings independently, they are planted in pairs:

if two monoecies have grown, they will both bear fruit;
if they turn out to be dioecious of different sexes, one of them will also bear a harvest;
If both trees turn out to be male, re-grafting is carried out on one of them.

To be sure of guaranteed fruiting, it is better to purchase 3-year-old mulberry seedlings from the nursery, which have already produced their first harvest.

Deadlines

Mulberries are planted in autumn or spring. Most gardeners try to carry out all planting work in the spring, so that the grown and strengthened plant goes into winter in the fall. In the autumn months, mulberries are more often planted in the southern regions. However, some gardeners in the central part of the country try to plant trees in the autumn in order to assess in the spring how well the seedling survived the winter (if it has taken root and started to grow well, the tree will live for a long time).

Spring

Mulberry seedlings are planted in the spring no earlier than April, since the roots of young plants are painfully sensitive to cold. In this case, you need to have time to complete the work before the sap flow begins.

Autumn

Autumn planting of a mulberry tree is carried out in September or early October - before the start of the rainy season and a month and a half before the arrival of frost.

Expert opinion

Stanislav Pavlovich

A gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert See also: When and how to properly collect rose hips

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It is the autumn period that is good for transplanting mulberry seedlings. For example, if layering was grown in the summer or you need to plant root shoots, it is better to do this in September or October.

Preparing the planting hole

For planting mulberries in the fall, the hole is prepared at least two to three weeks before planting. Dig a hole of such a size that the roots of the seedling can enter it freely. On average, on fertile soil, the size of the planting hole is 0.6x0.6 m, the depth is 0.7 m. It is made deeper in the case of:

heavy clay soil - in this case, you need to lay drainage on the bottom (broken brick will do);
poor, depleted soil - add 5-7 kg of rotted manure, compost and 100 g of superphosphate to the hole. All this is sprinkled with a layer of earth so that the fertilizer does not burn the roots.

For spring planting, all work to prepare the hole for the mulberry seedling, including the application of fertilizers, is carried out in the fall.

Schemes and step-by-step instructions for planting mulberries

At least half a month after preparing the planting hole, you can plant mulberries in it:

in the center of the hole, a pole is strengthened - a support to which the seedling will be tied;
the roots of the seedling are lowered into the prepared hole and straightened;
the root collar is not buried, otherwise the tree will form too many root shoots and become wet at the base, provoking fatal diseases. The mulberry neck in cold regions should also not be left too high above the ground so that it does not freeze in winter;
dig in the roots, constantly shaking the tree trunk so that there are no air voids left in the soil;
compact the earth in the tree trunk circle and pour 20 liters of water into it;
when all the liquid is absorbed, mulch the tree trunk circle with suitable material;
tie the seedling to a support.

It is important to remember that the root system of a young mulberry seedling is fragile, the roots break off easily, so you need to work with it carefully.

The mulberry planting pattern in the form of a standard tree is 5x4 m; for the bush form, a 2x3 m pattern is used.

Growing and caring for mulberries

Gardeners especially appreciate the large-fruited mulberry, whose berries reach the size of a matchbox.
The leaves of the tree are also large. This variety is considered early, and the fleshy black fruits ripen almost simultaneously. In addition to large fruits, this type of tree has a number of other advantages: it is easy to care for, undemanding to the type of soil, has high frost resistance and can easily tolerate dry climates. Thanks to its hardiness, mulberry serves as an excellent element of landscape design in urban areas.

Despite the fact that mulberry is considered a southern plant, this tree is very popular among gardeners in the Moscow region. Its cultivation consists of the following steps:

regular watering;
loosening the soil around the trunk:
weeding;
periodic soil fertilization;
pruning;
protection from pests.

WHAT FROST-RESISTANT MULBERRY SHOULD YOU GROW ON YOUR PLANT?

We are a research and production company, so we try to research all the latest varieties of fruit, ornamental and vegetable crops. We will definitely carry out comparative tests of them.

In addition, we work for you, which means we offer you the best.

In our experimental plots, we tested all the varieties of frost-resistant large-fruited mulberries offered on the market today and came to the conclusion that almost all of them have a number of disadvantages.

Only one variety amazed us with its truly unique qualities - absolute resistance to pests and diseases, high frost resistance (tree - up to -33 degrees, root system - up to -20 degrees), amazing taste (sweet with a delicate spicy aroma) of the largest, juiciest berries (up to 8.5 cm in length).

This is the GALICIA variety . We offer it to you and promise that it will not disappoint you!

Mulberry propagation

For novice gardeners, the relevant question is: when does mulberry begin to bear fruit and how to reduce the waiting time for fruit. Under optimal growing conditions, the tree produces its first fruits 4-5 years after planting . But there are ways to significantly reduce the waiting period by grafting with cuttings.

Mulberry seed propagation involves planting seeds that have been previously soaked in a growth stimulator.
When the seedlings become larger, they can be planted from each other at a distance of 3 to 5 meters. When propagating from seeds, there is a risk that the seedling does not inherit the characteristics of the mother plant ; it is used for budding.
Most often, mulberry propagation is carried out by cuttings . In greenhouses, special conditions are prepared for this in order to transplant cuttings. Cuttings no longer than 20 cm are cut from tree shoots, but always with buds on them. They are planted in loose soil about 4 cm deep. A few leaves are left on the cuttings, and an environment of high humidity is created in the greenhouse where the mulberries will be grown. This manipulation is usually done at the end of June or mid-July. And in the fall, the cuttings will already have formed a root system and the first shoots will appear.

If the mulberry begins to bear fruit poorly or for the purpose of propagation, the tree is grafted. For the procedure to go smoothly, certain rules must be followed:

To make quality cuts, use well-sharpened tools.
Do the grafting quickly, since oxidation is possible around the sections.
At the end of the procedure, the grafting sites must be covered with oil paint or garden varnish.

Sometimes grafting is used to form a spherical crown in the future. For these purposes, certain varieties of fruit trees are selected. Grafting is usually done in the fall , leaving the seedlings in a warm place (greenhouse, house) for wintering. Grafted seedlings can be safely planted on the site in the spring.

Caring for the tree

Caring for mulberries includes regular garden work - watering, loosening, weeding, fertilizing, crown formation and pruning, treatment against pests and diseases.

Watering and fertilizing

Mulberry is a drought-resistant plant, but it tolerates winter cold more easily, having received enough moisture during the period of bud formation: in dry weather from spring to mid-summer, it is periodically watered abundantly. If the spring is rainy, this is enough; the tree does not need additional watering. In the second half of summer and autumn there is no need to water at all.

In general, you need to monitor spring watering only in the first 3-5 years of the tree’s life. In adult mulberry specimens, the root system is deep enough to provide itself with moisture.

After the start of fruiting, it is advisable to regularly fertilize the trees:

During the growing season, a single feeding of nitrophoska when the buds open is usually sufficient for mulberries;
if necessary, carry out another feeding of the mulberry in early June - fermented diluted bird droppings or slurry are added along with watering.

In order for trees to stop growing shoots in a timely manner and begin preparing for winter, they cannot be fed in the second half of summer and autumn.

Tree trunk care

It is desirable that in the first couple of years of the mulberry’s life, the soil in the circle around the trunk remains loose, without a hard crust and weeds. This can be achieved without any special worries by mulching with crushed bark and sawdust. This simultaneously protects the roots of the tree from freezing in winter.

Crown formation

The mulberry tolerates pruning calmly. It is advisable to carry out shaping and rejuvenation work in the spring, before the buds open.

When planting an annual seedling:

cut it to a meter in height (if it is shorter, leave it as is). Shoots that have managed to grow are removed;
in the second year, 3-5 of the strongest and horizontally located shoots are left (their angle to the trunk should be more than 45°). They should start at a height of 70 cm or more, the rest are removed. The central branch of the mulberry is cut so that it is 4-5 buds longer than the others. At the bifurcating top, one shoot is removed. Skeletal side branches are cut so that they are longer than the upper ones (while the length of the lowest ones is left more than 30 cm);
A three-year-old mulberry tree with a trunk and several skeletal branches is considered an adult. It no longer needs formative pruning;
in subsequent years, only sanitary pruning of the tree is carried out, removing non-viable branches.

If the first formative pruning is carried out on a two-year-old mulberry seedling: all lateral shoots up to a height of 70 cm are removed, and from those that remain, those growing at an angle of less than 45° to the trunk are removed. Up to 5 shoots are left from the horizontal ones, shortening them to the 3-5th bud from the trunk. The upper branches are made shorter than the lower ones, and the top is decorated as indicated above.

In the southern regions, the mulberry tree is pruned along the trunk at a height of 3 m so that it produces fruits and not greenery, and it is easier to harvest from low plants. In northern latitudes, the mulberry itself does not grow higher than 2 m.

To form a bush form:

if a one-year-old mulberry seedling does not have lateral shoots, work begins only in the second year of its life;
If annual mulberry seedlings have shoots, leave 2-4 of the strongest ones. In this case, the lowest branches should be 15 cm upward from the soil, the upper ones - 50 cm. Unlike the formation of a tree, these shoots are at an angle of 45° to the trunk. They are pruned at the 3-4th bud from the trunk, and then the trunk itself is pruned at the level of the topmost shoot;
in the second year, the 2-4 strongest branches are cut to the 3-4th bud from the trunk, and last year’s branches are shortened by a third or a quarter of the length. Remove all other shoots.

In the future, only weak annual shoots and those that grow deep into the tree crown are removed.

Preparing for winter

In the northern regions, Trans-Urals, and Siberia, even frost-resistant mulberry varieties need to be prepared for the winter cold. The freezing tips of tree shoots do not pose a threat to the harvest - they quickly grow back. But if frost hits during flowering, fruiting will be scanty at best.

To protect mulberries from freezing in winter, as indicated above, ensure regular watering during bud formation. Besides:

mulch the tree trunks with sawdust in a layer of 5-6 cm, and several spruce paws are laid on top to retain snow;
if by November the green areas of the mulberry shoots have not yet become lignified, they are cut off (work can be carried out at temperatures above -5°C);
In the first years, the flexible branches of a young bush-shaped mulberry for wintering are bent to the ground and covered with non-woven material, pressing it to the ground with something heavy. They also wrap the lower part of the trunk to protect against rodents. After the end of night frosts in the spring, the shelter is removed;
During return frosts, smoking helps.

It is not necessary to wrap the trunk of an adult mulberry tree for the winter. Ripened shoots practically do not freeze or burn.

Disease Control

Despite the fact that mulberry is resistant to disease, sometimes it exhibits pathological changes. The most common diseases that affect trees are bacteriosis and powdery mildew .

Bacteriosis affects shoots and leaves. Small spots of irregular shape appear on them, which subsequently grow and become black. Gradually, the diseased leaves curl and fall off. External deformation occurs in the shoots, and stone-like clots are noted on them. Treatment of wood consists of treating it with special means, which include phytoflavin.

When a tree is infected with powdery mildew, a white coating appears on the leaves. The disease progresses in hot weather. The fight against the disease consists of treating the tree with foundationazole. As a preventative measure, it is necessary to burn fallen leaves in the fall.

There is also a risk of mulberry being damaged by pests, which include mulberry moth, mites and American butterfly . Moth caterpillars eat young mulberry leaves in the spring. To get rid of pests, the tree is sprayed with chlorophos. No less dangerous for mulberry growth are mites, which, hiding in the finest webs, eat the leaves. To kill ticks, use the drug Actellicom. But the most dangerous pest is the American butterfly, whose caterpillars are capable of destroying a large number of leaves in a short period of time. They also fight it by treating wood with chlorophos.

Mulberry is rich in vitamins and microelements, therefore it is widely used in folk medicine. Both berries and leaves with roots are used for medicinal purposes.

Mulberry: what it looks like, features

Young mulberries grow quite quickly, but growth slows down over the years. As a rule, the height of an adult tree is 13-15 meters. The foliage is quite dense, the leaves are alternately arranged, with a serrated edge. Inflorescences are male and female. Most often, monoecious plants are found, i.e. those on which both female and male inflorescences open. But there are also dioecious ones. On trees with male inflorescences, as a rule, the foliage is larger and lobed.

Mulberry fruiting begins at 5-6 years of age and lasts on average up to 200 years. But the oldest mulberry or mulberry grows in Uzbekistan; the tree is more than 600 years old.

Growing mulberries in the middle zone and caring for them

Mulberry is a fairly ancient plant that is of great importance for both medicine and cooking.
Mulberry wood is in great demand in the manufacture of musical instruments and various interesting crafts. And delicious wine, juice and jam are made from its berries. Cooks often add dried fruits to the dough to give it an unusual taste and color. The silkworm, from whose threads the most valuable silk is produced, feeds on the leaves of the tree and uses it for living. And the first paper was made by the Chinese from mulberry bast.

This plant has an ancient history. In the middle zone, black and white varieties are popular. However, they differ from each other not in the color of the berries, as we used to think, but in the shade of the bark. Black fruits are considered more juicy and tasty, and therefore they are used for making jam and juice. And white varieties of wood are more resistant to frost, so they are ideal for the cold winters of the Urals.

Nuances of plant care in different regions

Climatic conditions require changes in agricultural techniques for growing mulberries. For planting in regions with cold climates, it is necessary to choose only the most frost-resistant varieties and carefully prepare trees for wintering.

In the Moscow region and in Moscow

Modern cold-resistant mulberry varieties take root well in the middle zone. Under snow, the tree can withstand short frosts down to -30ºC. It can freeze only in a snowless winter, and a frost of -10 ºC is sufficient.

In the Moscow region, daylight hours are not enough for the crop, so here mulberry grows twice a year - in spring and autumn. The tree forms a cork layer between the mature and immature areas of the shoot. Therefore, in the fall, the mulberry tree sheds the non-viable tips of its shoots, this helps it survive the winter more easily.

In this region, it is more convenient to grow mulberries in bush form. Otherwise, its cultivation in the central zone of the country does not differ from agricultural technology in the south.

In Siberia and the Urals

Plants that best combine yield and winter hardiness are obtained here by growing seedlings from seeds collected from the healthiest and most prolific mulberries. Another feature of growing mulberries in Siberia and the Urals is that trees in open ground produce their first harvest later, at 8-10 years of age.

In these regions, it is better to plant seedlings on southern slopes or on the southern side of tall buildings. In lowlands and areas blown by cold winds, young trees disappear.

In winter, young mulberry plants are protected from the cold and ensure that they are covered with snow. Mature trees are carefully mulched.

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White mulberry varieties are considered more frost-resistant. And even in severe frosts, mulberries overwinter best on a low bole. Since the ends of the shoots freeze, sanitary pruning of trees and bushes must be carried out annually.

In the southern regions

Mulberry is a heat-loving southern tree; it not only tolerates hot climates and lack of moisture, but produces the greatest yields in such conditions. At the same time, it does not require special care: young seedlings, even when planted in the fall, tolerate warm winters well, quickly grow, reaching a height of 15-20 meters in adulthood.

Landing rules

The optimal time for planting a tree is considered to be spring or early autumn.
It needs to be planted on an elevated area, well lit by the sun. The mulberry tree is quite unpretentious to the soil, and therefore it can grow well on saline soil. But the plant still prefers well-drained soil. The hole for planting should be prepared in advance so that it has time to stand. The ideal size would be 70x70x50 cm, so that the root system can be positioned completely and without unnecessary bends. The soil must be mixed with a bucket of humus. The resulting composition is divided equally. Half should be poured into the hole and the roots should be carefully placed on it, and the remaining soil should be covered with them. The soil must be thoroughly compacted and watered. The distance between the bushes will depend entirely on how the crown is planned to be formed in the future.

After the tree is planted, the soil around it needs to be mulched. This will protect the roots of the plant from freezing in winter and from washing out the soil in the spring when the snow melts.

When buying seedlings, you need to be very careful. Mulberries are usually divided into male and female. You need to purchase a tree that has already bear fruit. This is a kind of insurance against obtaining a male individual, which does not bear fruit and is used only for landscaping.

TO GROW FROST-RESISTANT MULBERRY, YOU NEED TO KNOW ITS BIOLOGICAL FEATURES

Trees of modern cultivated varieties of mulberry do not grow higher than 3.5 - 4 m. Their frost resistance reaches -30 degrees, however, a closely located root system can be damaged even at -15 degrees, therefore, when planting, the root collar is deepened to 8 - 10 cm. It is very durable , so she is not in danger of being supported.

In addition, tree trunk circles are carefully covered for the winter. The frost resistance of wood in northern varieties is quite high, but even if during very severe frosts some branches freeze, this is not a problem, since the plant has an amazing ability to quickly restore vegetative mass.

It is thanks to this property that frost-resistant mulberry varieties grow and bear fruit remarkably well in amateur gardens in the North-Western and Central regions, the Urals, and Siberia.

The fruit of the cultivated frost-resistant mulberry is a large drupe, reaching a length of 6-7 cm and a diameter of up to 3 cm. These berries taste simply amazing - sweet with a slight sourness, tender and very juicy. Ripen by the end of July. One problem is that they are absolutely not transportable and need to be processed immediately after collection.

Principles of care and feeding

Basically, growing mulberries in central Russia does not bring any difficulties. It is enough to plant the tree correctly and provide it with proper care. The last one is:

proper watering;
applying fertilizers;
weeding;
correct pruning.

Mulberry tolerates pruning and crown formation well.
The tree is quite resistant to frost, but young branches can suffer and freeze even at minus 30 degrees. But this is precisely what makes it possible to form a mulberry bush. Young branches that have frozen slightly begin to sprout new shoots in the spring, turning the tree into a small bush. In this case, the owner only needs to carry out sanitary pruning to give it a well-groomed appearance. If there is enough space for the mulberry, it can reach a height of 10 meters. It is most convenient to form a crown at a height of no more than 1.5 meters. To do this, it is enough to bend the branches and give them a head start by cutting off excess shoots. This height allows you to comfortably pick berries and gives the tree a beautiful appearance.

In the first year after planting, additional fertilizer is not required. The young tree will have enough nutrients that were added to the soil with humus. But after the mulberry begins to bear fruit, it requires additional feeding. It is especially necessary when planting plants in sandy soils.

The first fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers is carried out immediately after the snow melts. But it is also allowed to use bird droppings or mullein infusion for this purpose. Fertilizers are re-applied in mid-July. In the fall, it is necessary to apply phosphorus or potassium fertilizers, which will help preserve the roots of the plant from freezing and provide it with everything necessary for the winter.

Pruning must be done very carefully, otherwise the mulberry may stop bearing fruit. Therefore, you need to cut off only the top shoots and leave the main shoots untouched.

Care

A young tree is cared for in the same way as an adult - watered, fed, pruned.

Watering

Mulberries have a unique attitude towards moisture - the roots do not tolerate stagnant moisture, but can cope with drought. Water it from spring to mid-July during periods when there is little or no rainfall. In the second half of summer, watering is stopped.

Fertilizer application

In the first year you don’t have to feed it - fertilizers are applied during planting. Subsequently, in the spring they are fed with organic and nitrogen fertilizers, in the summer - with phosphorus-potassium complexes. An additional source of nutrition is mulch made from humus and compost.

Loosening, mulching

Before mulching, the tree trunk circle is loosened and freed from weeds. Mulch (layer 15-20 cm) will protect against crust formation, moisture loss, and prevent the growth of weeds. Rotted sawdust (fresh ones acidify the soil and take away nitrogen), a mixture of humus and pine litter, and leaf humus are suitable as mulch.

Trimming

The mulberry tree produces many side shoots and quickly grows in width, so both ornamental and fruit trees need to be pruned. Weeping varieties especially need pruning. Rejuvenating and formative pruning is carried out before the sap begins to flow and buds open - during this period it is less painful. But the temperature must be positive, since at low temperatures the cut branch may freeze.

In the fall, 1.5-2 weeks before frost, sanitary pruning is carried out - damaged, diseased, dry branches growing inside the crown are cut off. The growing season is already over by this time, and pruning will not harm the plant. The sections are not treated with varnish or any other means, so as not to delay the healing time.

Fruit collection

The fruits ripen unevenly - the ripening period lasts 2-3 weeks. In the south it occurs in the first half of June, in mid-latitudes the berries ripen in July, in Siberia - from July to September. At the same time, there are fruits of varying degrees of maturity on the branch. Mature ones are easily separated from the branch if you shake it, so you can quickly collect them - spread a film under the tree and shake the branches. The berries must be processed within a few hours, otherwise they will become unusable.

Mulberry propagation methods

Experienced gardeners recommend several methods for propagating mulberry trees. Most often used for this:

Each of these methods has its pros and cons. Which one to use on your site should be determined by the condition of the soil and the skill of the gardener.

Propagation by seeds is carried out only by experienced breeders who want to obtain new varieties from the rootstock. Most often, white mulberry seeds are used for these purposes. Before sowing the material, it must be placed in a stimulating solution for a day. After this, the seeds are placed in a small container with soil and covered with glass to create a greenhouse effect. After germination, the glass is removed and the young stems are provided with sufficient sunlight and moisture. Transplantation is performed after the appearance of the second leaf.

After just two years, young seedlings can be transplanted to a permanent location. And after another year, you can graft a cutting from a plant that has tasty berries onto a young tree. Black mulberry cuttings are often used for this.

Grafting is used to produce several varieties of berries on one tree. To perform the procedure, cuttings from frost-resistant white mulberry varieties are usually used. It is allowed to graft several cuttings of different varieties onto one tree. This is done in early spring before the sap begins to flow. The procedure must be performed by making an indirect cut on the drive and rootstock. They need to be docked together and tied so that they do not move. In just a few years it will be possible to enjoy berries with different flavors from the same tree.

Reproduction methods

Mulberries are propagated by seeds (or generatively), as well as by grafting, layering or suckers, lignified or green cuttings (vegetative options).

Seeds

For germination, it is better to use fresh mulberry seeds from the current year. After separation from the pulp, they are kept under normal room conditions until planting. In February, soak for a couple of hours in any growth stimulant, slightly dry and sow in light and nutritious soil to a depth of 1-2 cm.

Maintain a temperature of 20-22˚C in the room with the planted seeds. After the emergence of seedlings, cultivation is continued by adding lighting and lowering the temperature by 2-5 degrees.

In April, mulberry sprouts are transplanted into a container with soil prepared in the fall, maintaining a distance of 5-6 cm between them. In the first summer of growth, the seedlings reach 20-40 cm in height.

After a year, they are transferred to a greenhouse or open beds for growing, which lasts 2-3 years. The technology for transplanting young trees to a permanent place of growth is described above.

The disadvantage of propagating mulberries from seeds at home is the inability to guess whether a seedling will appear with female or male flowers. It is also possible, without knowing it, to grow a barren tree due to its incomplete inheritance of maternal characteristics. This mulberry tree will also need a pollinator.

Cuttings and offspring

In amateur gardening, this is the most effective and at the same time simplest way to propagate mulberries. Operating procedure:

for cuttings, annual growths measuring 15-17 cm are needed;
cuttings are cut in the first days of June and, after removing all the leaves except two at the very top, they are planted in a greenhouse;
prepare the soil - a mixture of equal parts of low-lying peat, humus and river sand;
In summer, mulberry cuttings need to be watered little by little, but constantly, several times a day. By autumn they will take root. If the length of the cuttings is 20 cm, well-rooted ones are immediately transferred to a permanent place. If it’s less, they’ll grow it in a greenhouse for another year at most (if it’s longer, it will be difficult to remove the overgrown but fragile roots of the mulberry tree from the ground).

Mulberries reproduce well by layering. To do this, having received growth after pruning, the next year they pin it to the ground and get horizontal layering. To obtain vertical ones, little by little shoots are earthed up, which grow back after pruning onto the stump of the mother tree. They are collected in the spring or next year in the fall.

Vaccination

The mulberry variety you like can be propagated by grafting using any of the known methods - copulation, bark, or splitting. Vaccinations are carried out at any time of the year, except autumn. White mulberry varieties are considered the best for rootstock.

It is not for nothing that the mulberry tree is called a tree for the lazy - strong three-year-old seedlings require practically no care, except for fertilizers, rare watering and, if necessary, sanitary pruning. The mulberry will provide sweet berries for hundreds of years, but you need to pay a little attention to the young seedling at the beginning of its life.

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Mulberry grafting

All known methods can be used to graft mulberries. But experienced gardeners advise choosing copulation - cutting grafting. If simple copulation is used, then it is necessary to splice the scion and rootstock, the thickness of which should be the same.

On the rootstock and scion, oblique cuts must be made between two buds, and their length should be equal to the diameter of the plants being joined, multiplied by 4. So, if the diameter of the rootstock and scion is 12 mm, then the length of the cuts will be 48 mm. Next, you need to combine the sections with each other and wrap them with any elastic material or budding tape.

Improved tongue copulation is also used. To do this, you need to make cuts on the cuttings and rootstock in the same way as described above, after which they need to be supplemented with tongue cuts. It is necessary to retreat a third of its length from the end of the cut, then a cut is made to the middle of the cut on the scion up and down on the rootstock. The places of the cuts must be placed next to each other, after which the tongues are wound in such a way that they are aligned very closely. At the very end, the grafting site needs to be wrapped with tape.

Differences when grown in different regions

An important factor in successful agricultural technology is the climatic features of the country’s region:

for central Russia, which is characterized by cold winters and the possibility of late frosts, the ideal plant form is considered to be a bush, up to 5 m high. The varieties Nadiya, Belaya Honey, Black Prince, White Tenderness are ideal;
for the North-West of Russia, a difficult region for growing mulberries, preference should be given to the hardy early ripening varieties Belaya Honey or Black Prince. The plant is formed in the form of a bush;

Mulberry is increasingly becoming a favorite among gardeners. The plant is resistant to adverse weather conditions, has minimal care requirements, takes root well and begins to grow. It is noteworthy that seedlings that have survived for 2 years become several times stronger than young plants. With a little care, the owner will provide the harvest for the future generation - the average life expectancy is 200 years.

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Features of the mulberry tree

The mulberry tree does not require human or insect efforts for pollination - mulberry berries set after light gusts of wind that carry light pollen.

At the beginning of their life, mulberry trees are distinguished by rapid growth; over the years, the growth becomes less. In the garden, mulberries are shaped by pruning, keeping growth to 2-4 meters. Curly trees formed from red or white mulberry look impressive; they decorate the garden landscape and are used to decorate hedges.

Mulberry is unpretentious, tolerates slight soil salinity, but does not tolerate cold winters. For cultivation in problem areas, it is necessary to select varieties with high winter hardiness. If the tree takes root on the site, it can grow for more than 100 years, producing over 100 kg of mulberries annually.

Mulberry fruits are fused drupes of purple-cherry, white or pink color. In some species they are edible.

Mulberry diseases

The mulberry tree is quite resistant to various diseases, but in some cases it can also get sick. Most often it suffers from brown leaf spot, curly leaf spot, powdery mildew and bacteriosis. The tree can also be damaged by the tinder fungus.

Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease. The affected plant develops a whitish coating on the surface of the stems and leaf blades. During the dry period, the disease develops most actively, especially if the crown of the plant is thickened. As soon as the first symptoms of the disease are detected, the tree should be sprayed with Bordeaux mixture, Fundazol or a suspension of colloidal sulfur. For preventative purposes, in the autumn you need to rake and destroy all fallen leaves.

Cylindrosporiosis

Brown leaf spot is also a fungal disease. In the affected specimen, red-purple spots with a ring border form on the surface of the leaf blades. As the disease progresses, the leaf tissue inside the spots falls out, and the foliage itself turns yellow and flies off. As soon as the first signs of the disease are noticed, the tree should be treated with Silite solution (1%). In this case, about 3 liters of this solution should be used per plant. Repeated treatment is carried out half a month after the first.

Bacteriosis

Most often, young stems and leaf blades of mulberries are affected by bacteriosis. Irregularly shaped spots appear on their surface, and over time they turn black. As a result of the development of the disease, the leaves curl and fly away, as well as the deformation of the stems, while gum-like clots form on their surface. To combat this disease, use the drug Gamair or Fitoflavin

But it should be taken into account that a plant suffering from bacteriosis cannot always be cured. In this case, you must try to prevent infection by regularly carrying out preventive treatments.

Small leaf curl

Pests are carriers of a viral disease such as small leaf curl. In a diseased tree, the foliage wrinkles between the veins, and then granular knots form. As the disease progresses, the leaf plates shrink and curl, the stems become very fragile and rough, and an abnormal increase in their number is observed.

Attention!
The disease cannot be cured, which is why preventative measures are so important.

To prevent the plant from becoming infected, it is necessary to combat insect vectors, these include all sucking pests, for example: thrips, aphids, mites, etc.

tinder

The tinder fungus settles on a tree and leads to the destruction of its wood. Its spores, getting into wounds and cracks in the bark, parasitize the plant, which leads to the destruction of its trunk. After such a mushroom is discovered, it must be cut out, capturing part of the wood, and destroyed.

The resulting wound must be treated with a 5% solution of copper sulfate. Then it must be covered with a mixture, for the preparation of which you need to combine lime, clay and cow dung in a ratio of 1: 1: 2. If there are mechanical damages on the surface of the tree and gum leaks out of them, then it is necessary to clean these wounds, then they are disinfected with a 1% solution of copper sulfate, and then they are treated with a solution of Nigrol and wood ash, which must be sifted. The ratio of components should be 7:3.

Rules for planting seeds and transplanting into soil

Reproduction of mulberries by seeds is considered a rather complex and grueling process. But for an avid gardener, such an activity will be a source of excitement.

Although gardeners resort to this method quite rarely, since its results are not always successful : even if you do everything correctly and get shoots and seedlings, it is not a fact that plants grown from seeds will have the species characteristics of the variety.

Most often, breeders resort to the seed method of growing mulberries, and then only in order to grow rootstocks and ameliorative attachments.

Did you know? Mulberry is a long-livers: its average age indicators

—
200–500 years.
During this period of time, the tree will not only decorate the landscape design, but also bear fruit. If you still want to take a risk and get mulberry seedlings using this method, then follow the following planting instructions:

Collect the seeds. To do this, you need to pick well-ripened berries, pour them into a glass or plastic container with a wide bottom, mash them well, put them in a warm, well-lit place by the sun and wait for fermentation. This way the seeds will be well separated from the pulp. They must be washed well in water and passed through a fine sieve so that they are completely cleared of any remaining pulp.
The resulting seed must be dried, wrapped in paper and stored in a dry and dark place.
1.5–2 months before sowing, it is necessary to stratify the seed material: just place it on the top shelf in the refrigerator. If stratification has not been carried out, then it is necessary to soak the seeds in water three days before sowing.
Immediately before starting sowing, it is recommended to keep the crop seed in a growth stimulator.
The time to sow mulberry seeds is early February. To do this, you need to take a special container or wooden box and fill it with fertile soil. The soil temperature should not fall below +22ºС. The seed is deepened into the soil 1 cm.
Seed germination usually begins after 7 days. After germination, they need to be planted in a large container, where they will grow for two years.

Video: how to plant mulberries from seeds

PART 1

PART 2 The time for transplanting seedlings obtained from seeds is spring. Seedlings are placed in holes with parameters 80x80. The root collar should not be deepened into the soil. At the bottom of each hole you need to place 200 g of humus mixed with wood ash (also 200 g). After transplantation, the plant requires abundant watering. The soil around it needs to be compacted and mulched.

Important! Mulberries grown from seeds are most often used as a rootstock on which varietal varieties will be grafted. So, gardeners are not averse to experimenting and grafting samples of white and black mulberry onto the plant. Such an experiment will effectively diversify the decorative characteristics of the tree.

Pests and diseases

One of the problems of growing mulberry trees is their susceptibility to attacks by pests and diseases: the plants need to be provided with adequate protection measures. Mulberries can suffer from attacks by mulberry moths, Comstock worms, beetles, wireworms, spider mites, and mole crickets.

Did you know? The mulberry got its name due to the fact that the silkworm, an insect whose larvae are wrapped in silk threads, likes to feast on its foliage.

You can recognize the pest and eliminate it as follows:

Mulberry moth is an insect whose wingless females, after mating, lay eggs under the bark of a mulberry tree, somewhere in mid-March. The eggs soon hatch into caterpillars that feed on the buds and leaves of the tree.

The end of April - the beginning of May is the period when the caterpillars go deeper into the ground (approximately 3-20 cm) at a short distance from the plant trunk and pupate. For preventative purposes, the soil around the mulberry trunk, within a radius of one meter, should be carefully dug up in the spring. Caterpillars can be destroyed by hanging corrugated paper on tree trunks, the outer side of which must be smeared with something sticky (vaseline, entomological glue). The tracks will stick and can be removed without any problems. In order to quickly and efficiently deal with the mulberry moth, it is necessary to spray the trees with a solution of “Gaupsin”, “Lepidocide” or “Bitoxibacillin” in the proportions of 50 ml of biological product / 10 liters of water.
Harm Khrushchev is that they cause irreparable damage to the root system of the plant, which can lead to death for newly planted young trees. Adult beetles can be seen in the evening on April and May days: they fly over the mulberry, feeding on its foliage, inflorescences and ovaries.

During the same period, females lay clutches in the ground at a depth of 10–30 cm. Already in July, larvae hatch from the eggs, which in the first year of life feed on small roots, and in subsequent years they begin to work on the large roots of the plant.

Only in the 3rd–4th year, depending on the climate in the region, the larvae turn into beetles. The necessary measure to combat ticks is spraying with a solution of Decis, Arrivo, Aktara, Bombardier, Confidor, Tanrek or other insecticides, strictly observing the proportions specified in the instructions. For preventive purposes, the seedling root system is soaked in a mixture of mullein, clay, and water in a ratio of 0.7:0.8:0.1 with the addition of “Aktara” (0.2%) or “Confidor” (0.25%). Young plants that begin to wither must be replanted: they are dug up, the roots are treated with an insecticide, and the soil is dug up and the larvae are selected by hand. Only after this can the plant be transplanted to the same place or another, if the rhizome is not too damaged.
Medvedka is an insect whose habitat is soil: the pest lives and reproduces in the ground, preferring areas with high humidity - near water bodies, in lowlands. In search of food (plant stems and roots), the mole cricket migrates to new areas and reaches the mulberry tree.

The time of oviposition by females is June-July, the depth of egg laying is 5–15 cm. A month later, larvae appear, and a year later, beetles.

In order to lure a mole cricket out of the soil, you need to dig holes 50 cm deep and fill them with fresh manure. The manure will give off heat, which will attract pests, and they will hide in it. In winter, manure needs to be scattered, and the mole crickets hiding in it will die. The pest can also be dug up and destroyed manually. Soil treatment with Confidor is also recommended.
Beetles are called click beetles (wireworms). with a long body, colored yellow-brown. The ideal living environment for larvae is moist soil; they do not tolerate dryness. Females lay eggs in the ground at a depth of 2–5 cm. The larvae feed on mulberry roots.

In order to protect mulberry roots from wireworm attacks, it is necessary to treat them with Aktara or Confidor before planting.
Comstock worms - these are pests that prefer to feed on the sap of mulberry leaves and shoots, as a result of which the foliage turns yellow, falls, and the tree becomes depressed and dull. The pest quickly spreads throughout the plant, leading to a decrease in yield. Insecticides are powerless against it.

In order to combat it, it is necessary to tear off the cracked bark from the tree, from which the pest has sucked the juices, and treat the trunk with lime mortar. It is also recommended to carry out sanitary pruning of diseased branches and remove shoots that thicken the crown.
Spider mite also sucks the juices out of the mulberry, which provokes its oppression; the crop cannot fully grow. During periods of drought, the mite is especially dangerous for the mulberry tree and can even lead to its death. A preventive measure against ticks is timely weeding. To eliminate the pest, the affected tree is treated with Actofit.

Its susceptibility to diseases can also create problems in growing mulberries, including:

Wilt (verticillium) is a fungal disease that causes yellowing and wilting of crop foliage. The fungus enters the plant through the root system if it suffers mechanical damage or damage caused by pests: the fungus penetrates the vessels of the plant and spreads throughout its entire above-ground part. The ideal conditions for the development of fungus are high humidity, which is facilitated by dense and dense plantings. Verticillium is very dangerous because it can cause the death of the plant. The danger of the disease is also manifested in the fact that the fungus can live in the soil for 10 years. There are no highly effective means of combating the fungus, but prevention can be carried out: trim the branches of the plant in a timely manner, remove weeds. For planting, it is worth choosing mulberry varieties that are resistant to verticillium wilt.
Important! High-standard mulberry varieties are more resistant to diseases.
The soil at the planting site should be treated with formaldehyde - per 1 m² you will need 10 liters of solution prepared in the proportions of 65 ml formaldehyde/10 liters of water. Make sure that the area does not have high humidity.
Bacteriosis - a bacterial disease, the appearance of which is signaled by brown spots on the foliage and shoots of mulberries that appear in the spring. The spots soon darken and the affected foliage and bark dry out. Diseased trees or parts thereof must be destroyed and burned. The plant needs to be sprayed with a 5% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
Cylindrosporiosis is also a fungal disease. Pathogenic fungi are carried by wind and overwinter on fallen leaves. The disease makes itself known by brown spots, which are initially limited to veins and then grow. The disease begins to progress in rainy and damp weather. The disease must be prevented: keep a distance when planting trees, trim the crown in a timely manner. Diseased parts of the tree must be treated with a sulfur solution.
Curly small leaves are caused by mycoplasma, which enters the area along with diseased seedlings . The disease makes itself known by curling of the foliage, which leads to depression of the general condition of the plant: the growth of apical shoots slows down, dwarf lateral branches will grow from the affected buds, soon the fungus damages the rhizome, the ripening of fruits is extended for a long time, and the berries become small and lose their taste. In order to protect your own plantings from disease, carefully inspect the seedlings you purchase. Choose varieties that are resistant to curly small leaves for planting. If you grow seedlings yourself, then choose only healthy cuttings.

Important! Spraying mulberries with biological preparations is permissible only when the plant is grown for decorative purposes (say, for hedges); treating mulberries intended for human consumption with insecticides and pesticides is prohibited.
The decision to plant mulberries should not be spontaneous. Most gardeners approach this step responsibly and thoughtfully. After all, in order to grow healthy mulberry trees that will be distinguished by high decorative and productive qualities, it is necessary to become familiar with the peculiarities of their planting and development.

Mulberry pruning

Mulberry pruning is recommended during partial or complete dormancy. The tree tolerates the procedure best in early spring before sap flow begins. Often, rejuvenating and formative pruning should be carried out from late April to early May until the buds open. In autumn, after the end of leaf fall, sanitary pruning is needed, and the air temperature outside should not be less than -10℃.

How to trim mulberries

Different types of mulberries have different pruning features. For example, weeping mulberries require thinning pruning and also require shortening of stems and branches. Due to the fact that this species recovers quickly, it is not afraid of even very strong pruning.

The stamped mulberry tree only needs to shape the crown. To do this, on a long stem without branches, you need to form a lush cap in the shape of a ball or a falling cascade of branches.

Decorative mulberries are the most difficult to form. It will also be difficult to systematically maintain the original shape of the tree.

Mulberry pruning in spring

While the plant is young, all branches must be cut off from its trunk to a height of 1.5 m. In this case, in an adult plant they will not descend to the surface of the site. The preserved conductor can be grown to 5–6 m, while all competing stems are cut off.

If you don’t want to carry out formative pruning, then you can allow the crown to grow as it wants. You can form a not very tall tree that is easy to care for. To do this, the apical shoot should be cut at a height of 1.35–1.7 m, then a skeleton should be formed, which should be similar to a dwarf apple tree - it should have 8-10 skeletal branches.

Once the plant is formed, you will need to maintain the created shape. For this purpose, you need to cut and pluck out unnecessary stems. You should not trim drooping branches - you should simply support them.

Mulberry pruning in autumn

After complete leaf fall, we need to prepare for winter. So, at this time it is necessary to do mandatory sanitary pruning - cut out all injured, dried out, damaged by frost or disease, excessively thin branches and stems, and crowns growing inward. Basically, the mulberry tree does not need annual sanitary pruning.

Mulberry parasites

Pests rarely settle on mulberries. Most often, this plant is harmed by American butterflies, Comstock scale insects, spider mites and mulberry moths.

White American butterfly

The greatest danger to the mulberry tree is the white American butterfly. The caterpillars of this pest are brown-green, with orange-yellow stripes on the sides and black warts on their surface.

These caterpillars are able to gnaw off all the foliage on the mulberry tree. It is necessary to inspect the tree, prune it and destroy any spider nests found. It is necessary to install special catching belts on the trunk, and spray the crown of the plant with Chlorophos.

Mulberry moth

Mulberry moth caterpillars also feed on the foliage of this crop. To protect the plant from such pests, it is necessary to treat it with Chlorophos in the spring, when the buds begin to swell, because it is at this time that such caterpillars appear.

Spider mites

If spider mites settle on a tree, then you can see the finest cobwebs on it.

Attention!
Parasites are very small and cannot be seen with the naked eye. However, such mites pose a great danger to mulberries.

Insects pierce the surface of the leaves and suck the juice from them. As a result, the foliage turns brown and flies off. This pest is one of the main carriers of viral diseases that cannot be cured. The tick is an arachnid insect, so to destroy it it is necessary to use acaricidal agents.

Treatment

In general, mulberry is not very susceptible to diseases, but growing in the garden next to other fruit crops, it can become infected from them. Garden pests (insects, caterpillars) also will not bypass the delicate leaves and sweet fruits, so mulberry trees need preventive, but regular treatment against these scourges.

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Mulberry leaves can be affected by fungal spores (bacteriosis, powdery mildew, brown spot). These diseases first manifest themselves as a kind of coating on the leaf plate, which over time leads to the formation of holes, drying out and death of the leaf. To prevent this phenomenon, trees are sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux mixture (a universal fungicide), sulfur or lime solution. Treatment is carried out in the spring, before the buds open.

Pests can cause no less damage to the crop: insects and their caterpillars, for which mulberry leaves are a real delicacy. Caterpillars of the American butterfly and mulberry moth can destroy all the foliage on a tree in a few days, so preventive spraying must be carried out before these pests appear.