Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - Re: [nafex] Kokuso mulberry (thread was Morus nigra)

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Maria Schumann <mariaschu@vtlink.net>
  • To: nafex mailing list at ibiblio <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [nafex] Kokuso mulberry (thread was Morus nigra)
  • Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2013 21:05:08 -0400

The kokuso I got from Burnt Ridge didn't make it through its first winter here in Northern Vt.

On Apr 8, 2013, at 5:28 PM, Brungardt, Sam (MPCA) wrote:

Yes, Oikos does describe 'Kokuso' as being M. nigra. However, Forest Farm, which also propagates many desirable species and cultivars, describes 'Kokuso' as being M. alba.

Apparently, there are a number of Kokuso selections. The Sericulture Experiment Station-Vratsa (Bulgaria) lists four: 20, 21, 27, and 70. It describes 'Kokuso 20', 'Kokuso 21' and 'Kokuso 70' as M. latifolia and 'Kokuso 27' as M. alba. (Some taxonomic experts say that M. latifolia is the same as M. alba.)

To shed more light on the development of the Kokuso cultivars, see the paper, "Mulberry breeding, cultivation and utilization in Japan" at http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/X9895E/x9895e05.htm.

And the description of whatever Kokuso cultivar that's being propagated and sold in the USA varies quite a bit, with some nurseries claiming it is more hardy than some well-known hardy cultivars. For example, Burnt Ridge Nursery says: "Dark fruited Korean variety. Earlier ripening than Illinois [Everbearing] with very high quality firm fruit. Reportedly even hardier than Illinois Everbearing and grown even farther North, up into Minnesota."

I would guess that the Kokuso cultivar being propagated in the USA is Kokuso 20, since that is the only Kokuso cultivar in the inventory of the USDA's National Clonal Germplasm Respository for Fruit and Nut Crops at Davis, Calif. See http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=12835 .

Sam Brungardt, St. Paul, Minn. (USDA Hardiness Zone 4a)

-----Original Message-----
From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org ] On Behalf Of Matt Demmon
Sent: Saturday, April 06, 2013 7:17 AM
To: nafex mailing list at ibiblio
Subject: Re: [nafex] Morus nigra

We'll see! I think I trust Oikos to get species right, they grow a pretty extensive list and seem pretty on top of things. I did have a 'Kokuso'
mulberry for a while, that was supposed to be M. nigra, although I've heard various things about it. It did fruit, and the fruit was the tastiest mulberry I've ever had, and the leaves and buds didn't look like any other mulberry I've seen, but I don't know if it was M. nigra. It suffered winter damage every year and finally kicked it after 4 seasons.

-matt
z5 se MI


On Fri, Apr 5, 2013 at 8:11 AM, Lee Reich <leeareich@gmail.com<mailto:leeareich@gmail.com >> wrote:

My guess is that they are not truly M. nigra. I've looked into this
extensively and never heard of the plant being this hardy. If it is,
and if you get fruit, you're in for a taste treat, one of the
best-tasting of all fruits. Her in my zone 5, I grow it in a pot,
brought indoors for winter, and in a greenhouse.

Lee Reich, PhD
Come visit my farmden at http://leereich.blogspot.com/
http://leereich.com/

Books by Lee Reich:
A Northeast Gardener's Year
The Pruning Book
Weedless Gardening
Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden
Landscaping with Fruit
Grow Fruit Naturally

On Apr 5, 2013, at 6:59 AM, Matt Demmon wrote:

I've just gotten some black mulberries (M. nigra) from Oikos they
claim
are
hardy in zone 5. My fingers are crossed. However, I'm trying to
figure
out
where to put them. My two questions are: Do they get as big as M. alba?
I'm
guessing not. And can you harvest them by shaking the tree like with M.
alba, or do they not detach as easily when ripe? If I can shake them
onto a
sheet, I'll put them in a mown area, if not, I probably won't.

Thanks for the help! Spring is finally coming to the north. Ground
is thawed enough to dig holes just this week.

-matt
z5 se MI
__________________
nafex mailing list
nafex@lists.ibiblio.org<mailto:nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
aubscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info|make a donation toward
list
maintenance:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
message archives
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/nafex
Google message archive search:
site: lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex [searchstring] nafex list
mirror sites:
http://nafexlist.blogspot.com/
http://groups.google.com/group/nafexlist
https://sites.google.com/site/nafexmailinglist
Avant Geared http://www.avantgeared.com

__________________
nafex mailing list
nafex@lists.ibiblio.org<mailto:nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
aubscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info|make a donation toward
list
maintenance:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
message archives
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/nafex
Google message archive search:
site: lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex [searchstring] nafex list
mirror sites:
http://nafexlist.blogspot.com/
http://groups.google.com/group/nafexlist
https://sites.google.com/site/nafexmailinglist
Avant Geared http://www.avantgeared.com

__________________
nafex mailing list
nafex@lists.ibiblio.org<mailto:nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
aubscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info|make a donation toward list maintenance:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
message archives
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/nafex
Google message archive search:
site: lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex [searchstring] nafex list mirror sites:
http://nafexlist.blogspot.com/
http://groups.google.com/group/nafexlist
https://sites.google.com/site/nafexmailinglist
Avant Geared http://www.avantgeared.com


__________________
nafex mailing list
nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
aubscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info|make a donation toward list maintenance:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
message archives
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/nafex
Google message archive search:
site: lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex [searchstring]
nafex list mirror sites:
http://nafexlist.blogspot.com/
http://groups.google.com/group/nafexlist
https://sites.google.com/site/nafexmailinglist
Avant Geared http://www.avantgeared.com





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page