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  • From: Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Mulberry
  • Date: Fri, 08 Jun 2007 10:08:26 -0500

Bill,
The 'Easter Big Freeze Disaster' we experienced back in early April, severely damaged all of my mulberries. Most were well into shoot expansion and bloom, following several weeks of exceedingly warm weather(daytime temps into the 80s) in late March, followed by 4-5 nights of temps into the low 20s.
The Illinois Everbearing trees had all their leaves/shoots frozen off, but they have re-leafed, and are making some fruits - though it'll remain to be seen whether they'll crop as heavily as is normal.
I had two 10-12 yr old seedling M.alba tree(one purchased as M.rubra(it's NOT), and the other from the infamous TyTy Nursery as 'Black Giant' - it's neither black nor giant) which were both killed back to their 8" caliper main trunks.
Collier was hit hard - it's throwing some weak leaves/shoots here and there, but I don't know if it'll make it.
I had several varieties(Stearns, Contorta, Giant Black, Black, Greece, Kokuso) which were high-worked onto the limbs of an unnamed M.albaXrubra selection - and all are dead, including the hybrid framework tree.
Kokuso, Contorta, and US 280(M.rubra selection from AL), in the nursery, on their own M.alba rootstocks, were 5-6 ft tall, 2" caliper, and were killed back all the way to the ground.
Survivors, so far are: Illinois, Oscar's, Wellington(really poor production for me, and trashy growth habit), Lawson Dawson(local M.rubra selection), and (maybe) Collier.

Collier and Stearns, both M.albaXrubra hybrids, like Illinois, have been significantly less-vigorous growers for me than Illinois, but produce good quality fruits over an extended period of time.
I'd recommend either of those.

I have no experience with Geraldi, but do have a few 'dwarf'(I've forgotten the variety name - want to say they were sold as 'Downing', but I'm not aware that Downing is a dwarf variety) mulberries we ordered and planted 12 years ago - 3 of the 4 are fruiting plants with scraggly dwarf growth habit, but the fourth tree is a vigorous male. Fruits on the 3 females are small sour things that I don't even bother to eat - and the birds don't seem to care for them, either.



Lucky Pittman
USDA Cold Zone 6
AHS Heat Zone 7
Hopkinsville, KY




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