fruit tree mulberry, also has another name - Mulberry tree or mulberry, unfortunately, not the most frequent inhabitant of gardens or cottages, since not all gardeners are familiar with this plant, which produces very tasty and healthy fruits. In this article, we will study in more detail the white mulberry, its description and features of cultivation and reproduction.
Important! Eating mulberries growing near roads and industrial plants is not recommended, as they absorb toxins and heavy metal compounds.
White mulberry: description
White mulberry (Morus alba) came to us from China and already loved by some gardeners. The height of this sprawling tree reaches 16-20 meters, while the thickness of the trunk can be up to 0.8 m. The root system is powerful, the dense crown has a spherical shape. The color of young branches varies from grayish-green to brownish, the fissured bark of the trunk is often brown. Herbaceous leaves of an oval shape with a pointed end, one tree has both dissected and whole, soft to the touch. The color of the leaves in summer is a rich green, which turns light yellow in autumn. The flowers are white, inconspicuous in appearance, prone to self-pollination.
Dioecious trees are dioecious, at the beginning of summer they produce a crop of sweet and juicy fruit-berries, outwardly resembling raspberries. White mulberry produces fruits up to 4-5 cm long in white, pink or black colors, suitable for fresh and dried consumption, as well as for conservation. In some countries, mulberry trees are grown to feed the silkworm and produce natural silk threads.
Did you know? Mulberry is a real long-lived tree, under favorable conditions it lives up to 300 years.
Features of planting white mulberry
Abundant fruiting of white mulberry berries begins from the 5th year of life, at the same time, the male tree will not give fruit, but will only please with its appearance. For this reason, it is recommended to use a 3-4-year-old seedling that has already produced the first berries for planting a fruit tree in your area. So you are guaranteed to get a fruit-bearing mulberry tree.
Selecting a landing site
Mulberry planting is carried out at the end of autumn, before the seasonal rains, or in the middle of spring, before the sap flow period. The light-loving mulberry tree needs protection from cold wind currents, so the mulberry requires careful selection of a planting site, on which the development of the tree and its care will depend. Landing on the southern slope is most favorable for the plant. Mulberry will grow well and bear fruit in loose loamy or sandy loamy soil. The plant does not accept saline, waterlogged or dry sandy soils. Where mulberry grows, the groundwater level should be no more than 150 cm.
White mulberry planting scheme
A planting hole for white mulberry should be dug at least 2-3 weeks before planting to allow the soil to stand. The scheme of planting a mulberry standard tree is 5 * 4 meters. If it is planned to plant a bush mulberry seedling, a scheme of approximately 2 * 3 meters is used. The landing pit is dug 0.6 m deep, and its size is approximately 0.7 * 0.7 m. The earth from the pit is mixed with humus, part of it is covered in the center in the form of a mound, on which the seedling is placed and sprinkled with the rest of the nutrient mixture.
Important! The root system of mulberry is fragile, the roots break off easily, so planting a seedling should be carried out very carefully.
White mulberry: cultivation features
The mulberry tree is considered one of the most unpretentious plants, not requiring excessive efforts for its cultivation, however, it needs care and timely care. Let us consider in more detail how to care for white mulberry so that the tree grows well and bears fruit abundantly for many years.
Soil care white mulberry
White mulberry, when grown on a personal plot, needs moderate watering from April to July during dry periods, if the spring months were rainy, summer watering is carried out only occasionally. Watering is carried out at the rate of 10 liters of warm water per adult tree. From the middle of summer and all autumn, the mulberry tree is not watered to avoid damage during frosts and with sharp fluctuations in temperature during the winter dormancy. The soil in the trunk circle should be loosened regularly, preventing the formation of a dry crust, and all weeds that can deplete the soil should be removed in a timely manner. It is recommended to mulch the soil around the mulberry tree with sawdust or crushed bark, this will help retain moisture in the soil in summer, and in winter the roots will be protected from freezing.
Tree pruning features
White mulberry, in addition to soil care, needs pruning and crown shaping, which, as a rule, it tolerates very well. Formative and rejuvenating pruning of white mulberry is carried out in the spring, before bud break. Sanitary pruning is carried out after the leaves fall in the fall, at an air temperature of at least -5 degrees. The crown of a stamped mulberry tree is formed in the form of a ball or in a falling cascade, no more than 3-4 meters high and up to 1.5-2 m wide. Annual branches are pinched until the end of July, limiting the active growth of shoots. In autumn, dried branches of a mulberry tree are cut, as well as those affected by pests or diseases, followed by burning of plant residues. Young non-lignified branches freeze slightly in the autumn-winter period, they are removed in the spring, after which the tree releases new shoots. Mulberry fruiting occurs on old shoots, which are covered with cork bark.
Mulberry tree nutrition
Until the period when the mulberry tree begins to bear fruit after planting, its top dressing is not an obligatory component of caring for the tree, which, for its full development, has enough nutrients introduced into the soil during planting. As the tree becomes fruitful, they begin to feed it. Mandatory fertilization at the fruiting stage of the mulberry tree.
Top dressing of the mulberry tree begins in early spring during bud break, for this, 50 g of nitroammophoska is dissolved in 10 liters of warm water, this composition is applied to each square. m near the trunk circle. Re-feeding is carried out at the beginning of summer, for this, chicken manure is mixed with water in a ratio of 1 to 12, or complex fertilizers of industrial production are used in accordance with the instructions. After that, top dressing is stopped until the end of fruiting, this will allow the tree to complete shoot growth and prepare for winter dormancy. In deep autumn, on the eve of wintering, phosphorus and potash fertilizers can be applied, which nourish the roots with nutrients, and in the spring the tree will have a reserve of strength for growth and fruiting.
How to care for mulberries in winter
After the sanitary pruning of the mulberry tree was made in the fall, its near-stem circle is covered with fresh mulch or dry foliage and prepared for the winter season. To do this, it is desirable in the middle of autumn to bend the flexible branches of a young mulberry tree to the ground and cover for wintering with non-woven covering material, which is pressed to the ground with stones or other weights to avoid damage and opening the mulberry tree. The same covering material should be wrapped around the lower part of the trunk to protect it from rodents that feed on young bark. At the end of night frosts in early May, the shelter is removed. Such preparatory chores for winter are needed only in the first years of the life of the mulberry to strengthen it and to avoid freezing, an adult tree does not need shelter.
Important! If it is necessary to fix the sandy slope, it is recommended to plant mulberry trees, which, with their root system, growing in breadth, will braid the crumbling soil.
Features of reproduction of white mulberry
Reproduction of white mulberry occurs by seed and vegetative methods. The seed method is used to grow a seedling adapted to new conditions, as well as to grow a rootstock for grafting a mulberry tree. Since the mulberry reproduces very slowly by seed, the seeds need stratification.
To do this, in the fall, after collecting fresh mulberry seeds, they are placed for 4-5 days on a damp cloth away from sunlight in a warm room, then the seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth, placed in a plastic bag and put in the refrigerator for 30-40 days. During this time, the seeds will swell a little and increase, they need to be sown in a shallow container, lightly watered, place the seed container in a plastic bag and leave for about 60 days in the refrigerator. After that, the container is placed on the windowsill and watered regularly. In the spring, after the soil warms up, prepared seeds should be planted in open ground at a permanent place of growth.
The vegetative method of propagation of the mulberry tree involves the use root growth, cuttings, scion- any method that is preferred by the gardener. The most commonly used method is green cuttings. To do this, you need to cut fresh cuttings with 3-4 leaves, and the lower cut should pass obliquely under the kidney, and the upper one - above the kidney, and remove the lower leaves. The prepared stalk should be stuck in partial shade into moist, loosened soil at an angle of about 50 degrees and covered with covering material or a glass jar for high humidity. Several times a day, the stalk must be aired, removing the shelter, and also sprayed, thereby moisturizing it. After rooting, the shelter is finally removed, and the plant is transplanted to a permanent place.
White mulberry: useful properties
contains many vitamins, micro and macro elements, which are responsible for its many beneficial properties. Green berries are used for indigestion and heartburn, and ripe ones for constipation. Berry juice is diluted with warm water and the resulting liquid is gargled with sore throat. A decoction of the bark and roots of the mulberry helps to heal hypertension, infusions of the leaves relieve feverish heat. An infusion of mulberries and bark will help fight colds and bronchitis, as well as ease asthma. Stress and insomnia will recede with regular intake of decoctions of dried mulberry berries, as well as improve the functioning of the nervous system and speed up the metabolism in the body.
People suffering from myocardial dystrophy or heart disease are advised to consume 200-300 g of ripe berries several times a day for 30 days. The use of mulberry berries is recommended for people whose work is associated with physical labor, athletes, as well as patients recovering from operations. Mulberry fruits have a beneficial effect on blood-forming processes. Traditional healers treat ringworm with fresh mulberry juice, and the crushed bark is mixed with oil and applied to bruises, cuts and wounds for speedy healing.
Did you know? One mature mulberry tree can produce up to 100 kg of berries per season.
For easy harvesting of white mulberry, you can use a simple method - spread polyethylene or thick fabric under the branches, ripe berries will fall off by themselves, the gardener will only have to pick and enjoy their sweetness.
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