Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - [NAFEX] Mulberry

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>
  • To: NAFEX List <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Mulberry
  • Date: Fri, 08 Jun 2007 08:37:27 -0500

My Illinois Everbearing Mulberry - that I planted a year ago and which grew extremely quickly last summer - never broke dormancy this spring. It might have been the late cold snap that killed it, or just the colder winter than usual. I might note that it didn't seem to harden off before the winter, either - the first fall frost froze the green leaves on the tree. It's weird, because that was the only tree that didn't worry me when the freeze hit, because it hadn't leafed out. But everything else, as bad as they all looked, recovered from the freeze surprisingly well.

Anyway, I need to plant a replacement next spring. As it turns out, I planted another Illinois Everbearing Mulberry in a different location this year. So I could plant something else here. I love mulberries - and they might keep the birds and squirrels busy and away from the rest of my plantings. Could anyone recommend a different type of mulberry that would grow here on the plains (zone 5)? I want one that tastes really good, but a dwarf or semi-dwarf tree would be nice, too. I really don't have much room in this particular spot. I figured I'd have to prune like crazy to keep the Illinois Everbearing Mulberry small enough, and I don't know how well that would have worked, so a smaller tree - or even bush - would be an advantage.

Most of the mulberries don't seem to be real cold-hardy. But I have seen, in a catalog, a Geraldi Dwarf Mulberry that's supposed to be hardy to zone 5. Anyone familiar with this? The description reads, "Excellent fruits similar to Collier and IL Everbearing on a 6' tall tree." That would certainly be small enough! :-) But it doesn't say how abundantly it produces. And I've learned not to put too much faith in these promotional descriptions, anyway.

Any suggestions? Thanks much!

Bill
Lincoln, NE (zone 5)

--
In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms. - Stephen Jay Gould





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page