mulberry cuttings

[Darth Masiah]

7/4/20
took some cuttings in april from a mulberry tree that had small fruit. never noticed these trees in a corner of the property. i was so happy when i found them, as i didn't do any research and figured the monster leafed mulberry by the house was the only type that grew native. they didn't skip a beat and even grew fruit.

 

[leatherback]

cool.How did you go about the cuttings?

 

[Darth Masiah]

8/1/20


8/16/20


8/22/20
something knocked my fruit off. still ate it.

 

[Darth Masiah]

cool.How did you go about the cuttings?

cut near or through a node at the base and dipped in clonex. put under a dome until the buds start pushing out.

 

[leatherback]

cool. Quite straightforward.

 

[Darth Masiah]

cool. Quite straightforward.

yeah, they rooted quick like my maple and privet cuttings

 

[Darth Masiah]

2/13/2021
the first two cuttings i took in may rooted so quick, i took another in late june and it rooted no problem. all three went through winter outside.

 

[Darth Masiah]

3/2/2021
time to make moves, so to speak.

 

[Crawforde]

I started a few mulberry cuttings last year.
they are almost as good at it as willows.
just stick the bottom end in something water, and wait.
they grow like weeks.
I have yet to see if I can make anything decent from them, but I have a couple of white mulberries and a whole mess of red.
the leaves on the mother tree are huge.
they should shrink with pot life and ramification. I hope.

 

[JonW]

I started a few mulberry cuttings last year.
they are almost as good at it as willows.
just stick the bottom end in something water, and wait.
they grow like weeks.
I have yet to see if I can make anything decent from them, but I have a couple of white mulberries and a whole mess of red.
the leaves on the mother tree are huge.
they should shrink with pot life and ramification. I hope.

Bill Valavanis has had some dwarf varieties for sale. I was interested, but don't have more space

 

[Darth Masiah]

Bill Valavanis has had some dwarf varieties for sale.

he has a really nice variety of younglings for sale.
the download catalog looks good, too.
heres the link:

Available young seedlings, specifically chosen to become specimen or forest style bonsai.

 

[JonW]

he has a really nice variety of younglings for sale.
the download catalog looks good, too.
heres the link:

Available young seedlings, specifically chosen to become specimen or forest style bonsai.

Yeah! Thanks - I've ordered a few trees from him over the years

 

[Forsoothe!]

This is your lucky day! You do not need a dwarf to have nice foliage. The native White Mulberry has crossed with the imported weeping from China so that almost all that you find growing as foundlings are hybrids. They in the same family as Figs and are tough as nails, surprise, surprise. The leaves reduce easily and those big leaves get more deeply cut and frilly as they get smaller. Here are a couple foundlings...


These are really hardier than Elms and more disease resistant, and work well for bonsai, so they should be the hardy starter trees of choice for greenhorns and connoisseurs, alike.

 

[Darth Masiah]

The native White Mulberry has crossed with the imported weeping from China so that almost all that you find growing as foundlings are hybrids. They in the same family as Figs and are tough as nails, surprise, surprise. The leaves reduce easily and those big leaves get more deeply cut and frilly as they get smaller.

interesting. there were three trees where i collected these cuttings from. two of them were bearing fruit and had the rounded leaves. the other one that didn't have fruit had the fig like leaves like yours. i was wondering if the leaves on my cuttings will turn more fig like as it matures or not.

 

[JonW]

This is your lucky day! You do not need a dwarf to have nice foliage. The native White Mulberry has crossed with the imported weeping from China so that almost all that you find growing as foundlings are hybrids. They in the same family as Figs and are tough as nails, surprise, surprise. The leaves reduce easily and those big leaves get more deeply cut and frilly as they get smaller. Here are a couple foundlings...
View attachment 358053
View attachment 358054
These are really hardier than Elms and more disease resistant, and work well for bonsai, so they should be the hardy starter trees of choice for greenhorns and connoisseurs, alike.

Very nice! I did realize they were in the Moraceae family. Since I have a smaller space for trees, I sold all my trees with larger leaves such as a dogwood, several crepe myrtle (I may pick up a chickasaw some day) and ficus carica. Probably even the mullberry with the smaller leaves are still larger than the plants I've been focusing on, but I like the lobed leaves that some have. And the fruit! They can develop interesting bark after a while as well.

 

[Darth Masiah]

today
these guys don't waste much time, do they?



looks like the one to the far left didn't make it after opening buds too early and catching frost bite

 

[Darth Masiah]

4/23/2021


i cracked the youngest cutting during wiring and it just abandoned what was above the crack.

 

[Grovic]

Its amazing how prolific these trees are, have you had any issues with squirrels or birds?

 

[Forsoothe!]

4/23/2021
View attachment 370085
View attachment 370086
i cracked the youngest cutting during wiring and it just abandoned what was above the crack.
View attachment 370087

I don't see the particular characteristic in the leaves that would indicate that they are the variety that will get frilly as they reduce. I expect to see a more pointy leaf that has a faint incise (wrong word?) on one side that makes the leaf resemble the outline of the lower peninsula of Michigan, -a sort of Saginaw Bay. Also, yours is fruitful pretty young!

 

[Darth Masiah]

Its amazing how prolific these trees are, have you had any issues with squirrels or birds?

when i moved in in october i brought my cat army to clear any squatters birds don't fly over, they go around my yard. 🐿☠