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desertdance

Pakistan Mulberries

A forum member gave me an answer to a post over a year ago. I really wanted cuttings of the Pakistan variety of Mulberry. He was pruning his tree, which he started as a cutting, and according to all I've read, you stick them in the ground, and they will grow.

It's been a month now, but even in Southern California, our nights are in the 40's. The cuttings are green, and the buds look healthy.

We have about 16 cuttings planted in a row, on a drip system. Any experience with the Pakistan would be much appreciated.

We hope for one or two trees. If they all take, not sure what to do, but it might come to me.

Thanks!

Comments (29)

  • copingwithclay
    10 years ago

    I appreciate your eagerness to root these cuttings to get new trees started, and the Pakistan is a tree with fruit that many people enjoy. H o w e v e r .... you will be really beating the odds if any of these form roots Many other kinds of mulberries are more than willing to form roots on cuttings, but the Pak. is commonly found to promptly use it's stored milky sap to get the buds to swell and form leaves....without having the rooting hormone/whatever is needed to get roots to develop. You will likely smile at all the new leaves that quickly form, and later frown as each withers away after. When you do an autopsy, you will likely find ZERO roots at the bottom of the submerged stick..It might be easiest to just buy a young , rooted Pak tree to get started. Sorry.

  • Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hello! It occurred to me our zones are different. Where you live, a Pakistan can't cut it, but in my zone, it will rock!

    Have a little zone envy? We all do at times.

  • fabaceae_native
    10 years ago

    desertdance, unfortunately the zone difference probably has very little to do with the different rooting success with Pakistan. I would be inclined to believe what Coping says, since he is comparing it to other mulberries.

    If you check out some older posts on the subject you'll find that rooting success varies so widely with mulberries, from reports of sticking large branches into the ground and getting them to root, to the majority that just seem to fail. I've tried cuttings from several species of Morus, and many different trees, and only found one that roots reliably, and then only from very large previous year growth taken in winter and rooted in a pot inside with bottom heat. These same cuttings will not root outside in a garden bed (so far at least).

    But even if you have to end up buying a Pakistan from the nursery, it's still fun to at least try rooting cuttings... Good luck!

  • persianmd2orchard
    10 years ago

    If anyone figures out the trick to rooting mulberries let me know. I have failed twice to propagate a stand out white mulberry. I'm going to try to graft this time which I hear does better for mulberries. The Pakistan gives great fruit Suzi you won't be disappointed with--no real acidity like a classic mulberry flavor, instead it has a unique sweetness that is quite rich, full, and very satisfying.

  • Tony
    10 years ago

    Suzi,

    There is hope, You can learn how to Air-layering it with rooting hormone. Just Youtube Airlayering.

    Tony

  • copingwithclay
    10 years ago

    Tony's idea to try airlayering on the Pak tree is a good one that I also have used to start some new Pak trees during the growing season when the leaves are busy photosynthesizing away. Instead of using a loose, stretchy wrapping to contain loose soil mix surrounding the upright 1/2" to 1" thick branch with a 1" wide strip of removed bark, I used a stiff, ridged, 2-part plastic "shell" that was duct-taped together tightly to contain densely-packed, moist soil mix. In about 6 weeks most of the compartments had roots developed inside. If you want more details, I could add them. Good luck. Don't loose the enthusiasm.

  • Janiemae753
    10 years ago

    Is there any place I can purchase a small Pakistan mulberry tree? We are here visiting from Texas and want to take one home. Any nurseries have them?

  • Bradybb WA-Zone8
    10 years ago

    How small and visiting where?Mine from Burnt Ridge was about four to five feet,but they grow quickly. Brady

  • Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I potted up a couple of them, and am noticing green buds swelling, so I have listened to you and decided to give them a good jerk to see if I could pull them out of the pot. Nope! I grabbed on to one, lifted the pot, and it hung on. Big sign of roots. If there are no roots, the cutting will simply pop out. Two for sure, are rooted.

    Tomorrow, I'll check the ones in-ground, at the bottom of the hill, and see how they are doing.

    Suzi

  • Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I just checked the ones down on the hill. They are 120' below the potted ones, and in full shade at 9:00 AM The hill shades them. They may not know how warm it is at the top of the hill, and show no signs of budding. One little one has no roots, but is still green stemmed.

    I tried pulling a big one out and it didn't give. I suspect it has roots.

    I planted these a day after they were cut. These were not cuttings that made a week trip across country. They were very fresh. They went into water immediately after being cut. That might be the difference between roots or none.

    Local cuttings might have a better chance of rooting than those that come from a distance. No clue. Just wondering.

    Suzi

  • yukkuri_kame
    10 years ago

    Got some cuttings of Pakistan (both white & black, I think), Hunza and Weeping mulberry. I'll be grafting onto my big fruitless (male), which I did on a small-scale last year.

    But I also want to try rooting some cuttings. Does anybody know anything about Hunza White Mulberry? Any idea on how easily they will root?

  • fabaceae_native
    10 years ago

    That's great if you're able to grow Pakistan from cuttings Suzi!

    Cuttings from many plants won't root until they leaf out, so it sounds like you have been very fortunate with this attempt!

  • Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Oh happy day! Today I checked the potted mulberry. I feel it has roots because it refuses to be pulled from it's pot.

    I checked it, and then did a double take! Could those be mulberries? Wow!

    {{gwi:126313}}

    The member I got the cuttings from told me his tree fruited the first year he stuck a cutting in the ground. I guess it's possible, but this is one of the cutest things I've ever seen!!

    Suzi

  • yukkuri_kame
    10 years ago

    My mulberry grafts last year bore big, juicy fruit almost immediately.

    Some pomegranate cuttings I had potted up tried to flower and fruit very early on, but I nipped that in the bud.

  • Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    So an update! Out of all the cuttings we planted, 5 survived. We did nothing except put them on a drip system. The 5 that lived obviously have roots. They are in ground (except for the one in a pot), and I was shocked to look down the acreage and see a pop of pure green coming up past a boulder. That is life people!

    Sorry, naysayers! You can stick a Mulberry in the ground and it will root!

    Suzi

  • Bradybb WA-Zone8
    9 years ago

    I hope they grow well Suzi.
    This is the second straight year in my young Pakistan's life,that all the fruit is falling off while still green.Maybe next year. Brady

  • eloise_ca
    9 years ago

    Congrats Suzi! I rooted some cuttings in water and planted two. I was so thrilled until I went to check on my cuttings and those stupid rats (squirrels I am sure) chewed up all the leafing parts. I hope the small stems will continue growing but will put wiring or some sort of covering to protect them.

  • tillyjunkie
    9 years ago

    hello my fellow gardeners, can someone tell me where i can buy a few cuttings of this pakistan mulberry variety? i would really love to grow them. thanks!

  • copingwithclay
    8 years ago

    Desert Dance- Would you be willing to provide a status report on the 16 cuttings from the Pakistan mulberry tree? Thank you.

  • Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
    Original Author
    8 years ago

    I have 2 survivors. One is huge. Taller than me and much fatter :-) The other is making big leaps this year after we discovered it's drip system emitter was clogged. All is fixed now. Had sweet Mulberries on cereal in spring. Looking forward to next year!

  • PRO
    Paradise Nursery
    7 years ago

    Mulberry Trees are one of our favorites! The red Pakistan seems to be more juicy, but the white is also juicy that the white Pakistan mulberry. They both are very sweet and delicious. Since there is less juice in the white Pakistan mulberry, the sweetness seems to be more even more intense, like honey. In Los Angeles and online we have both the Pakistan Red Mulberry as well as the Pakistan White Mulberry Available.

  • parker25mv
    7 years ago

    Pakistan mulberry has a large fruit size and is good tasting, but not as excellent tasting as Persian Black mulberry. In climate zone 10, Pakistan mulberry does grow better than other mulberry varieties, but all mulberries grow fine in zone 9.

  • perennialprobowler
    7 years ago

    I spread some mulberry seed and put some cuttings in the ground last year. I can't get enough mulberries I hope I have survivors

  • Tony
    7 years ago

    I have plenty of large wild Mulberries growing on my property. I chopped them down and bark grafted all the good tasting varieties like Pakistan, Girardi, Oscar. Illinois Everbearing, and Kokuso. The grafts will bear fruits in the first season.

    Tony

  • maria p
    6 years ago

    I know this is an old thread...but wondered if anyone was willing to sell a few cuttings of a Pakistan Mulberry? I've searched eBay (nada) and online nurseries - they mostly sell plants and currently are out of stock, with a couple of incredibly expensive exceptions. In addition to cuttings will pay for shipping, handling etc. Thank you in advance and sorry if this isn't the best way to ask, I've literally just joined! thank you!

  • Neringa Maxwell
    6 years ago

    We grow 3 different mulberry trees on the property. The tallest one is 5 y.o. Pakistan Mulberry- overloaded with fruit every April. Last year my young son used the fallen berries to fertilize his garden. Few months later I noticed mulberry seedlings all over his garden bed. Now, a year later, we have a luscious forest of young Pakistan Mulberries, some are already taller than me. I wonder if they will be fruit bearing? Also, I noticed some of them having different shaped leaves- not smooth oval ones but intricate cut pattern- would that by any chance indicate male sex of a tree?

  • Tony
    6 years ago

    You may have some Hybrids seedlings on your hand. Just let them fruits and hope a few taste better than their parent.

    Tony

  • doug van
    4 years ago

    i bought my pakastain mulberry tree from online Starkbrother nursery