A guide to mulberry growing

Having seen a beautiful black mulberry tree at the New Forest Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park yesterday I'm determined to grow one. I've bought some mulberry seeds in the past, but they failed to germinate. This time I've picked up a large number of fallen mulberries and am reading up on the matter before I plant the seeds.



This is the key information that I've gleaned so far...

• Black mulberry seeds are best planted as soon as they've been removed from the berry.


• All of the fruit should be cleaned from the seeds to prevent moulds forming.


• Seeds should be planted below 1mm of compost in a warm propogator and kept moist.


• Seedlings have very fragile roots so shouldn't be handled too much.


• Whilst the tree can survive outside, small seedlings should be brought inside or under glass during winter.


• Mulberry trees drop their leaves at the first sign of frost, spending much of their time in a dormant state. Sometimes the dormant seedlings don't 'wake up', andt if a tree is still dormant by summer then it's unlikely to come out of dormancy. There is a solution... chopping off the top of the seedling and any existing leaves sends it into shock which encourages it to put out new leaves.


• After a year or two the mulberry can be transplanted to their proposed location.