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Post by meandtk on Mar 19, 2018 9:33:13 GMT -5
I planted a pair of black mulberries a few years ago. They are now about ten feet tall. I can find no conclusive statement about when they should begin bearing fruit. Can anyone answer this? thanks
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Mar 19, 2018 10:46:52 GMT -5
Gosh Jason, I have no idea. We had one on the farm where I grew up. I used to climb up and just sit there daydreaming. I've eaten more mulberries and bird poo than you can shake a stick at.
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Post by september on Mar 19, 2018 11:04:17 GMT -5
I loved the Dr Seuss books when I was a kid, and always remembered the phrase "and to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street!" I've never seen Mulberries for sale around here, but a couple of years ago I saw some potted ones when we drove across the border into Ontario for a fishing trip. I think it might actually have been at a Walmart in Dryden. I was so tempted to buy it on the way home and hope that it had the phytosanitary tags on it to cross the border, but decided not to take a chance. It had a lot of berries on it, that in fact were dropping and making quite a mess on the cement. As I recall it was about 8-10 ft tall, potted up, but maybe it had been trimmed back. Not sure which variety of mulberry it was.
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stone
Pro Member
Posts: 170
Zone:: 8
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Post by stone on Mar 19, 2018 15:58:30 GMT -5
I would expect fruit at any time...
Where did you get the trees? Are they supposed to be ever-bearing? Were these grafted trees?
The main concern that I would have is whether you got stiffed with male trees.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Mar 19, 2018 20:01:26 GMT -5
Gosh Jason, I have no idea. We had one on the farm where I grew up. I used to climb up and just sit there daydreaming. I've eaten more mulberries and bird poo than you can shake a stick at. This brought to mind the mulberry tree on our property where I grew up from age 10. When that thing would start producing, the birds were there constantly, and there was a MESS under the tree (and all over it) with bird poo and rotting berries. I hated mowing the lawn (one of my chores) during that period! That tree was 20' tall at first, and way taller later on, and I have no idea how somebody could harvest those things before birds got to them!
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Mar 19, 2018 20:37:02 GMT -5
^^^YEP^^^
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Post by meandtk on Mar 19, 2018 20:58:25 GMT -5
I would expect fruit at any time... Where did you get the trees? Are they supposed to be ever-bearing? Were these grafted trees? The main concern that I would have is whether you got stiffed with male trees. Yyi honestly cannot recall, and I carelessly neglected to save any info. I cannot even recall where I got them. Not grafted though. They were tiny seedlings. Yes, you may be right about getting male trees. Sigh
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stone
Pro Member
Posts: 170
Zone:: 8
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Joined: December 2011
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Post by stone on Mar 20, 2018 17:28:58 GMT -5
All is not lost... first you need to observe the catkins... male flowers and female flowers look different, and some trees have both... and apparently some trees change sexes... Got my eyes on a male that hasn't ever offered to do any of that...
If nothing else... you could use the trees as fence posts, and try again, growing from seed.
Re getting berries... I always just climbed up in the tree with the birds... I also have ladders... but... really not the kind of fruit that I'm gonna pick in any quantity...
pick berry, insert in mouth... pick another berry.
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Post by meandtk on Apr 6, 2018 13:21:44 GMT -5
I got my answer. There are berries now. So much has been going on that I missed the blooming. I'll have to watch them closely, as I don't know when the berries mature.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 6, 2018 22:52:12 GMT -5
Yay! I am glad you have fruit on the way. Hopefully the birds will leave you some.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Apr 7, 2018 7:31:14 GMT -5
meandtk , Laura_in_FL , You have to climb that tree and battle the birds for the berries. It's on, like Donkey Kong. Hahaaa
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Post by meandtk on Apr 7, 2018 13:30:34 GMT -5
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caesg
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Post by caesg on Apr 30, 2018 12:34:24 GMT -5
I have a book about pruning fruit trees so that they stay short and easy to harvest. The book focuses on stone fruits, but I imagine would work for mulberries, too? With a small tree, you could cover with bird netting, and also control the amount of fruit production for the benefit of kiddos mowing the lawn. :-) Then again, little trees don't allow for tree climbing, fruit nomming, memories! Ah, the trade offs! The author encourages buying full sized trees, as opposed to dwarf root stock. The first step is cutting the tree off at knee height when it's still a wispy sapling. So, a bit late for this mulberry. The author and book's website can be found at littlefruittree.com/backyard_fruit_trees/Welcome.html
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Post by paulf on Apr 30, 2018 15:25:54 GMT -5
Found a mulberry site and this is what it says:
“Mulberry trees have a lengthy growing season, which in turn, ensures abundant crop. Having said that, if you are planning to grow mulberry trees for their fruits, you will have to be patient as it will take at least 10 years for the trees to start bearing fruits.”
Around here the red mulberry is a weed tree since the fruit is almost inedible and is the cause of red bird poop on everything nearby. The bird poop also disseminates seeds all over and the trees resulting are prolific. Black mulberries are the good tasting fruits and they are grown in zone 6 and warmer. The site said red mulberry trees live for many decades and the black mulberry for a century or more.
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Post by meandtk on Apr 30, 2018 16:35:30 GMT -5
caesg, Yes, I have good memories of climbing a red mulberry tree as a child. Welcome to the site! paulf, These are black. Presently they are small, but they taste soooo good!
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