Mulberry Question- Pests vs. Late Season Recovery

[Cmd5235]

I've had a mulberry for several years, always outdoors, and I intend to keep it as an outdoor tree. However, I was away for a few weeks and came back to a very severe infestation of scale, resulting in very significant dieback. I removed all the scale with multiple full tree applications of rubbing alcohol on cotton pads. The tree has just put out a flush of some new growth, but it's getting very late in the season. I do have a successful indoor setup. My question- bring the tree indoors under my grow lights and high humidity and give the foliage the change to harden off/ build up energy in the tree, or leave it outside for the winter as usual and hope for the best?

If this was a month ago, I wouldn't have any question on leaving it outside.

Thanks

 

[Lorax7]

I’d leave it outside.

 

[Ininaatigoons]

Wish we had a picture to go off of, but my initial response is to bring it in. If the tree spent all it's energy on a bud break and all shoots are tender... Boom freeze dead. You might have a little bit better chance with bringing it in having been weakened by the infestation. Some mulberry are tropical or warmer zone species and can handle the short dormancy or lack of one for a year.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I would leave it outside.

But photos might help. Photos should have some item, or tape measure for scale too. Big trees are more resilient.

Mulberry as a species is considered weedy, because it is so resilient. So without photos, I'd say, leave it out.

 

[Cmd5235]

I had to wait to get home from work.

All the lower branches are gone (the one with a few leaves looks to be on the way out, so I’m not counting on it).

 

[Ininaatigoons]

Consensus is leave it out.