Joe,

Mulberry are tough plants I would not worry about transplanting it. I prune mine in to bushes, just so much easier to enjoy the fruit in that form.

Bamboo,

Does that mean I can transplant it this time of year without any problems?

When can it be pruned?

I was thinking about cutting it way back so only the trunk is left, maybe 2 feet of trunk, then let it bush out. Does that sound doable? Can I transplant it now and prune it at the same time?

Thanks

I have dug up and potted many mulberry seedlings and am always impressed with the extensive root systems. If you could slowly saturate the soil all around the tree and afterwards use a forked garden tool or pitchfork to loosen the soil from the roots, so much the better. After you end up with a big bare rooted plant that I soak in a big tub of water for a couple days before replanting it. Adding Super Thrive to the water really helps, but is not necessary with mulberries. They are busy trying to take over the Earth, if jujubes don't do it first.

Joe,

I have transplanted them this time of year no problem. Yes you could prune it at the same time. Pruning it when transplanting is better for the plant anyway. What I do is cut it off at 2-3 feet and then constantly prune off the new growth that tries to grow up. All you are doing is removing the growing tip from the limbs to cause it to branch.

We had a couple of big mulberry bushes up north and a couple of them in tree form as well. The bushes are just easier. Mine here are young and in training but they grow fast.

whether you do it now.. or in the PROPER PLANTING SEASON ... which would be when its dormant..

is simply a function of your ability to do PROPER AFTERCARE ...

you leave for one week.. or forget to water for one week.. and it could be a loss .. in z9 .. in the heat of summer ...

can it be done.. sure.. why not..

should it be done.. is left to the fates .. most likely.. its fate .

ken

After care could be the problem with doing it now.
I've found several other small mulberry trees on the property so I'll try one or two now.

I'd like to try putting a couple of the plants in pots. Any ideas, advice on doing that?

Thanks

Joe,

If you mulch it heavily with chips after transplanting (away from the trunk of course) you really don't have to do much but give it a drink now and then. Far as potting them up I have no clue...maybe Fruitnut will chime in.

Bamboo,
I'll try the mulch. I guess pine bark or leaves will do??
I've read that mulberry likes rich soil so I'm guessing lots of compost?

Thanks

Joe,

I just use tree company wood chips but the leaves would be great. The mulch really helps us Florida folks as it holds the moisture in and cools the soil. I just let the chips rot down...mulberry bushes are not high on my to be babied list though I do give them a a couple shovels full of rabbit manure a couple of times a year.

"What I do is cut it off at 2-3 feet and then constantly prune off the new growth that tries to grow up. All you are doing is removing the growing tip from the limbs to cause it to branch."

When I cut the tree at 2-3 feet there won't be any limbs on the trunk, just trunk. When It starts putting out new growth, from the trunk that has been cut back, is that new growth what I prune?
How much do I let the new growth grow before pruning?

Not sure I follow you when you say you're trying to prune the new growth to keep it from growing up.???

If I follow correctly, the new growth from the trunk is what makes new limbs. It is those new limbs that are pruned at the tip?? How long would those new limbs get before pruning the tip? How much of the tip is pruned?

I guess I'm not completely following or am not sure if I am.

Thanks

I found this video.It may help. Brady

Here is a link that might be useful: Pruning a Mulberry

Great video Brady. Joe does that clear it up?

coping
I am not familiar with Super Thrive, exactly what is it, a fertilizer, growth hormone or something else?
Dan

Brady,
Thanks for the video. Unfortunately I have slow dial-up and will have to wait until I can access a high speed connection to view it.

coping
I can imagine how to use S-T with seeds, potted plants and bare rooted stock, however when using S-T for scions do you soak them before grafting or provide a wet bandage on the graft union. I just attemped a number of grafts and they don't look good.
Dan

After cutting greenwood during the growing season for grafting, or after pulling dormant wood from the fridge for grafting, I pre-wrap all but the bottom 2" of the cut-to-length scions with stretched Parafilm. The buds on some kinds of fruit scions don't get covered, like pomegranate buds, for instance. I want to 'fill 'er up' with the S-T prior to graft day by standing the scions up inside of a tall cup which has about 1-1/2" of water with a few drops of S-T mixed in. If I had waxed the bottoms of the scions earlier, I clip off the bottom 1/4" so the 2" of unwrapped scion now submerged in the water/nutrient soup can wick up this soup. The scions can sit in the cup for an hour, or a day, or a couple days before they get bark grafted or cleft grafted.Before the actual grafting, I do pull them out of the soup and let them air dry for 1/2 hour or so until the soaked bark dries to a normal color.My thought is that the sealed scions can be nourished with the S-T until hopefully the r/s sap begins to flow downstream to it......To prepare the r/s before graft day, I water the whole r/s area well a couple days or so before graft day, and sometimes fertilize it also a number of days beforehand.The large number of very experienced grafters on this site do use many different procedures to graft successfully, and I value the superior counsel of those that have both invented the wheel and continue to make it better.There are lots of recipes for making good-eating gumbo.

Brady,
I was able to view the video today and that is just what I needed to see.

Thanks

Joe,
I'm happy it helps and I'm very glad she made it,because I have some young Mulberries and little space for them when they start growing. Brady

It will be interesting to see how these wild mulberry work out. I have no idea what they might be or whether it is even worth the effort. That's the fun of gardening. Also potted some wild dewberry that are doing well so far.

My yard was somewhat overrun with Mulberry. ...if there wasn't privet there, it was Mulberry. So I was cutting some of the Mulberry back, and left a stump. After about month, there were 2' shoots that sprouted up, so I was thinking of leaving them, and seeing if they would grow as bushes, and would thereby be easier to collect the fruit.

Is that the best way to do it? ...maybe I'll do that with some of the more established mulberry trees as well, once they go dormant this winter.

(For the privet, I cut, drill a hole in the stump, then drown it in extra concentrated brush killer.)