Mulberry
Mulberry will decorate any garden. It has tasty and healthy fruits, but besides this, it is actively used in decorative plantings. For example, it harmoniously looks in hedges.
Growing and caring for mulberries requires knowledge of the basic rules. They will not provide any special difficulties and troubles. After reviewing them, you can safely plant this plant in your garden or cottage.
Content:
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plant description
Mulberry has a second name - mulberry tree or mulberry. It belongs to the Tutov family.
Mulberry - garden decoration
The plant genus consists of approximately 16 species. These are deciduous trees. They are distributed mainly in Africa, Asia and North America, however, mulberry is found in Russia, Kazakhstan, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and some other countries. Scientists are inclined to believe that China is the original homeland.
plant height can reach 15 meters. Their rapid growth at a young age gradually slows down. Average life span trees 200 - 300 years old, there are specimens that have lived 500 years.
On the shoots, the leaves grow alternately. Juveniles may be lobed. They are of various shapes: from ovoid to round. The edge of the sheet plate is framed by teeth. The base can be heart-shaped or oblique. Grows on small petioles. When cut, milky juice is released.
Mulberry fruits
plant fruit complex shape, consists of drupes. It is formed from the overgrown perianth. It has a fleshy texture. The length varies from 2 to 3 centimeters. It tastes sweet with a pleasant aroma, edible.
On the territory of the countries of the former Soviet Union, mainly 2 types of mulberries are grown:
- White
- Black
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white mulberry
white mulberry
The homeland of this species is the mountain forests of China. Deciduous trees grow from 8 to 20 meters. In a young plant, the crown is dense and narrow. With age, it grows, takes a rounded shape.
- Bark grayish-brown, in some varieties with a brown tint. It is prone to cracking.
- shoots grey, straight and flexible. The young are covered with silky hairs, becoming bare with age. The kidneys on them are reddish, small in size.
- Foliage different size. Length from 7 to 20 centimeters. They are broad oval or ovoid in shape. On young shoots and fruiting branches, leaf plates have a smooth edge, but on the rest with denticles. Leaves grow on petioles. Their length is about 2 centimeters. Their surface is densely covered with fluff.
- Fetus 1.2 - 2.5 centimeters long. The color varies from white to purple. Depending on the cultivar. Each individual segment of the fetus is 1-2 mm in diameter. Their taste is sweet, the flesh is juicy with a subtle, barely perceptible aroma.
In the southern regions, flowering occurs in April-May, in colder climatic conditions in May-June. Frost withstands up to -29 degrees.
This variety of mulberry has become widespread.
The species contains a large number of ornamental varieties:
Mulberry black
Mulberry black
The origin of the species is twofold: some scientists believe that it is from Southwest Asia, others that it is a cultivar that has gone wild over time.
It is a deciduous tree from 6 to 15 meters tall. The diameter of the crown of an adult plant is about 15 meters.
- Crown rounded and strongly spreading. Formed from branches on a short curved trunk. His bark strongly cracked, with a rough surface.
- Leaves different sizes, so on fruiting branches they are smaller. Their length is about 12 centimeters. The rest reach 20 centimeters in length. Their base is heart-shaped.
- The leaf blade is asymmetrical. The lower part is covered with fluff.
- Berries 2-2.5 centimeters long. Their flesh is juicy with a sweet and sour taste. At first they are green, when fully ripe they become dark.
The flowering period takes place in April-May. Fruiting begins in July.
Winter frosts can withstand at least -25 degrees.
Among gardeners, the species is common. Grown more for fruit or when growing silkworms. Rarely used as an ornamental plant.
red mulberry
red mulberry
The species is widespread in Canada and the eastern part of the United States. Deciduous tree about 15 meters high. Some specimens grow up to 20 meters.
- Bark red-orange, prone to cracking. Shoots covered with gray skin, pubescent.
- Leaves different, the length varies from 7 to 20 centimeters. Their shape can be round and ovoid. The base is truncated or rounded. The apex is often pointed. They grow on petioles, 2.5 centimeters long. They can be red or green.
- Berry 2.5-4 centimeters long. The shape of the fruit is cylindrical. When ripe, they turn red. The pulp is sweet, with sourness.
Blooms flowers in May. In July, you can enjoy juicy berries.
This species has increased frost resistance up to -34 degrees.
Red mulberries have been cultivated in gardens since 1629. It is distributed on the North American continent.
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reproduction
Mulberry can be propagated in almost any way:
- seeds
- cuttings
- layering
- vaccination
seed method
Reproduction by seeds
On this bed, the mulberry is left for 2 years. During this time, she will get stronger and grow up. After that, you can transplant to a permanent place.
cuttings
Rooted mulberry cuttings
The mulberry tree can be grown from various cuttings:
- green
- semi-lignified
- lignified
Green cuttings:
- Cuttings are cut in June. A young shoot is chosen for them. Each should have at least 3 kidneys.
- The lower leaves must be removed, and the upper ones cut in half.
- They are planted in a greenhouse or seedling box.
- You need to deepen into the ground by 3 centimeters.
- If landing is made in a box, its top must be closed with a film. Under it, you need to maintain moisture, for the speedy root formation.
- Watering needs moderate, otherwise you can destroy the plant.
- Every day, it is recommended to remove the film and air the planting, gradually increasing the time.
- A month later, fertilizing with a mineral complex of fertilizers is carried out.
- The signal that the root system is formed will be new shoots. They will appear in about a month.
Propagation by semi-lignified cuttings:
Propagation by semi-lignified cuttings
Cuttings are cut in the middle of summer. The method completely repeats the green cuttings. The difference is that brown branches are chosen. Which have already lost their softness. Rooting takes two weeks longer, that is, shoots with successful formation of the root system will appear in about 45 days.
Such cuttings, unlike green ones, are less susceptible to fungal diseases. The process of their rooting does not require strict adherence to the greenhouse effect.
Propagation by woody cuttings:
- The branches are selected completely lignified. The crowns grown from the outside and caressed by the sun's rays are best suited.
- Harvesting is done in late autumn, when the leaves fall.
- The length of the handle should be approximately 18 centimeters.
- The lower cut is treated with a root stimulator. You can use heteroauxin or root.
- Landed in garden bed. The ground part should be about 5 centimeters.
- Transplanting to a permanent place should be done after the plants get stronger. This should take 2 years.
Cuttings cut in autumn can be placed in moist soil and stored in a cellar or refrigerator in winter. Landing should be carried out in the spring, when sap flow begins. Such cuttings are suitable for grafting.
Inoculation
Graft breeding scheme
In horticulture, there are several methods of grafting. Mulberry lends itself to such reproduction. Let's dwell on the two most famous and simple.
Both of them are held before the start of sap flow. This will allow the cuttings to take root faster. Methods are suitable for reproduction at home.
Wrap the joint with polyethylene. Fix it on top with a bandage.
The incision is made on the rootstock down, on the scion up. Starts at a distance of 1/3 from the edge of the cut. Ends in half of the oblique cut.
This cut creates tabs that provide a tighter fit. To fix, as in the first method, you need to wrap with polyethylene, tie.
layering
Propagation by air layering
To root the layering, you need to choose a branch that grows as low as possible to the ground. At the point of contact, an incision is made on the bark, this will accelerate root formation.
The branch is fixed with a pin. Sprinkle soil on top.
Layering should be done in the spring. In autumn it will be a separate plant with its own root system. It can be separated from the mother tree and replanted.
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Growing any plant begins with its planting. fruit trees and bushes planted in early spring or autumn before frost. Many gardeners prefer fall time, as a plant that survives the winter will be stronger. He is predicted to have a long life.
Mulberry loves the light
The key to success is the choice of location. The mulberry loves the light, but at the same time it needs protection from the wind. Sandy soil and wetlands are not suitable for her. The groundwater level should be located at a distance of 1.5 meters.
Mulberry trees can be either male or female.. Therefore, a plant with male flowers will not bear fruit. You can recognize this accessory for 4-5 years of his life. When buying seedlings, experienced gardeners recommend giving preference to three-year-old specimens.
Fall planting tips:
If the tree is weak, then support is needed. It is necessary to drive a stake into the ground next to the seedling and tie it to it.
If it is decided to plant a tree in the spring, then the planting process exactly repeats the above rules and recommendations. The difference is that the landing hole needs to be prepared in the fall, and after the snow has melted, plant a tree in it.
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Care
Formative pruning
The complex of measures for the care of mulberries includes:
Watering mulberry is carried out in dry years from spring to mid-summer. In rainy times, it does not require watering.
By the way, the frost resistance of a tree increases if it lacks moisture in the autumn.
After moisture has been absorbed into the soil, it is necessary to loosen the top layer. This will prevent crusting on the ground and cracking.
A layer of mulch will eliminate the need for loosening. It will also prevent the growth of weeds under the tree.
top dressing carried out in a similar manner. Fertilizers applied in the spring should contain nitrogen, and mixtures with nitrogen are preferred in summer. phosphate and potassium.
pruning a necessary measure when caring for a mulberry tree. It should be carried out during the rest of the plant, that is, in early spring or late autumn.
In the spring, before buds appear and foliage blooms, 2 types of pruning are carried out:
The third type - sanitary pruning, is carried out in the autumn. The time is suitable for her when the leaves fall and the air temperature drops below 0. But it should not be below -10 degrees.
weeping mulberry
Each variety is cut in different ways:
- weeping - long branches and shoots are cut, the crown is thinned out
- standard - a crown is formed. Usually a bare trunk is left, and the crown is given a spherical shape or a cascade of branches is left.
During sanitary pruning, you need to remove dry and broken branches. It can be carried out not every year, but as needed.
Another measure of care is preventive treatment.aimed at minimizing tree damage by pests and diseases. The tree itself and the near-stem circle are treated with fungicides and insecticides.
Suitable for processing beginning of April and end of October. That is, in the spring, while the buds have not yet blossomed, in the fall, when the plant has passed into a dormant state.
Urea can be used in spring. The solution is needed 7%. This tool will not only kill pests, but also serve as a top dressing for mulberry awakening from winter.
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In mid-October, you need to start preparing the mulberry tree for winter.. Young, flexible shoots are tilted to the ground, and old branches are tilted to a horizontal position. Top covered with a canopy. This will protect the tree from snow and wind.
Young and low trees completely wrap. To do this, it is wrapped several times with covering material.
In regions with warm winters, mulberries do not need shelter.
Roots also need to be taken care of.. Poison for rodents is necessarily placed near the trunk. Otherwise, they can cause serious harm to the mulberry tree. Lay insulation on top. To prevent it from shifting, you need to press it down, for example, with bricks.
In regions with severe winters, shelter is necessary to protect the plant. Residents of the southern regions, with mild, warm winters, do not need to carry out this procedure.
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The climatic conditions of central Russia are not well suited for plants that love heat. Despite this, mulberry is able to survive frosts down to -30 degrees under snow.
At the same time, a temperature of -10 degrees in snowless years can be fatal for a tree. To save the plant during planting, you need to deepen the root neck into the soil.
Mulberry has adapted to the daylight near Moscow
A lover of light, mulberry has adapted to the light day near Moscow. This culture has the ability to form a cork layer between the mature and green parts of the shoot.
This feature allows you to drop some of the shoots in the fall, which provides a more comfortable wintering. Thus, do not be surprised if some of the shoots on your mulberry tree fall along with the leaves.
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The mulberry is in good health. She rarely gets sick and is affected by insects. But she is not immune from adversity.
Diseases
Trutovik
From bacteriosis use Phytoflavin or Gamair. These remedies do not always rid the plant of infection. Therefore, preventive treatment is recommended. It aims to prevent disease.
In a diseased tree or bush, the leaf plate between the veins wrinkles. They appear knotty granularity. Shoots become brittle. The bark acquires an unusual roughness.
The disease is incurable. Therefore, it is necessary to control insect vectors in order to protect garden plants. Damaged specimens will have to be removed: dug up and burned.
Having found such a mushroom, it must be removed. It is carved along with the wood, then burned. The wound is washed with a 5% solution of copper sulfate. Coat with a mixture of mullein, clay and lime. The proportion is 2:1:1.
The tree needs to be inspected in its entirety. If it has mechanical damage. Then they also need to be washed and processed. You can use a mixture of nigrol with wood ash, a ratio of 7: 3.
Pests
white american butterfly
They eat leaves. Can cause irreparable damage to the tree. Their nests must be cut and burned.
For prevention, the crown is treated with chlorophos. Special belts for catching caterpillars can be placed on the trunk.
These pests are not affected by insecticides. To combat them, you need to use acaricidal drugs. These include kleshchevit or actellikom.
The danger of ticks is doubled by the fact that they can carry incurable viral diseases.
The result will be a weakened plant with deformed branches. Wounds and tumors appear on the mulberry tree. Foliage loses color, falls off. You need to fight the worm with pesticides.
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Mulberry contains a lot of useful substances
Mulberry contains many useful substances:
- vitamins A, K, E, C
- selenium
- iron
- manganese
- zinc
- copper
- phosphorus
- magnesium
- calcium
- potassium
- sodium
- riboflavin
- folic acid
- pantothenic acid
- tocopherol
- pyridoxine
- choline
Adherents of traditional medicine actively use mulberries to treat various diseases:
In addition to healing in traditional medicine, mulberries are added to preparations. For example, Fomidol is made on its basis. It is used to treat rheumatism and skin diseases.
There are no contraindications for the use of mulberry fruits. Side effects may occur in case of individual intolerance and the presence of an allergy to the components of this berry.
Mulberries do not mix well with other fruits and berries. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to use them together with other fruits. They cause fermentation in the intestines. It is recommended to eat a berry 2 hours before a meal, or 2 hours later.
Mulberry planted on the site will provide tasty fruits for more than one generation. This fruitful tree is a long-liver. She will fit into site landscape, decorate it. After reviewing its care requirements, any novice amateur gardener will cope with growing.
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