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Mulberry is a useful and beautiful tree, which every year is becoming more and more popular among gardeners and gardeners. Culture is often grown both for eating its fruits and for decorating your own plot. After all, all those who have ever tried mulberry berries become her fans and certainly want to grow it on their own. The advantage of the plant is a regular significant harvest.
Description
Weeping mulberry is a mulberry fruit. The plant is a representative of an ornamental species. There are several hundred mulberry hybrids, but there are only about 17 natural varieties.
The standard mulberry has a unique look and shape of its crown. The height of an individual of the variety does not exceed 3 meters, while other trees grow up to 10. The name “weeping” culture received because of its long and thin branches that hang down. Outwardly, the representative of the variety resembles a willow or willow.
Mulberry came to us from China and Asia. At home, the height of the trunk usually reaches 20 meters in height. In our territory, in a temperate climate, the height of individuals usually does not exceed 5 meters. At the same time, domestic gardeners are also trying to “lower” the plant by all available methods and methods. After all, it is more convenient and easier to collect fruits from a low tree. In the first years of life, culture is actively growing, and over time this process slows down.
The leaves of the tree have a dark green color, they are arranged alternately. The organs at the end of the branch are usually solid, but those located near the trunk have several lobes. In autumn, the foliage becomes straw-colored, which favorably distinguishes the plant against the background of evergreen firs, firs and thujas.
The culture blooms in late spring – early summer. In the middle of summer, the fruits on the trees are actively ripening. Outwardly, the “berries” resemble blackberries, but do not have a fruit in the middle.
The weeping variety looks very aesthetically pleasing: the fruits shining in the sun effectively set off the branches and green foliage. The leaves have an unusual shape: they are both solid and “perforated”. For trees, a characteristic straight trunk, which makes the “weeping” even more pronounced. Even in winter, without leaves, individuals of the variety catch the eye with a graceful bend of the branches.
Often the weeping form of mulberry is used in landscape design. Such a mulberry tree is actively planted in recreation parks, near gazebos, as well as in private areas. Both individually growing individuals and those planted in groups look spectacular. Sometimes a “hedge” is formed from representatives of the variety.
Video “Features of weeping mulberry”
From this video you will learn about the features of this variety of mulberry tree.
Growing conditions and care rules
Mulberry pendula (weeping) does not require special growing conditions and specific care. The culture grows well on soils of different composition: both acidic, and sandy, and clayey. Mulberries can be planted as trees or shrubs.
To enable the crown of a weeping tree to form correctly, it is worth observing a certain distance between the individuals of the plant. 4 meters should be left between rows, and individuals should be planted every 5. However, often gardeners grow only a couple of mulberry trees, so they do not need special formation of beds.
When planting mulberries in the form of shrubs, the distance between them, in contrast to individuals of a woody form, should be only half a meter. This is the only way to get thickets of shrubs.
Landing is best done in the spring, choosing the most sunlit area. Indeed, in cramped conditions, mulberry trees develop poorly, a fully formed individual cannot be at all: there will be no lush crown, as well as a significant harvest.
When planting, the roots of seedlings are straightened on a small elevation in the center of a pre-created pit. Plants have a very fragile root system, so you need to carry out the event with extreme caution. Next, the roots must be sprinkled with soil and complex top dressing added to the ground. After that, the soil is compacted and moistened. You can also do mulching.
All the above rules apply only to those seedlings whose root system is not protected when purchased. By purchasing a seedling in a container, you do not have to worry about the integrity of its root. Fertilizers have already been added to the tank soil. Therefore, for landing, it is enough to “transfer” the contents of the container into the pit.
As for care, it provides for a number of usual procedures. It is worth watering the mulberry tree only during a shortage of water. It is especially important to follow the recommendations for moisturizing in June. After all, having received enough liquid at the beginning of summer, the plant will perfectly tolerate a decrease in atmospheric temperature.
The “bonus” of culture is its undemanding nature. The mulberry is often referred to as the “lazy man’s plant”. Attentive care is necessary only in the first stages of an individual’s life. Watering is especially important for the mulberry tree. But after the formation of the root and moistening, you can not carry out.
The first few years, seedlings do not need to be fertilized. All useful substances the individual will draw from the soil. An adult formed tree will require fertilizer only in the most extreme case: if the growing soil is very poor. This is explained by the fact that during its development the plant forms a branched root system, through which it receives all the necessary chemical elements. For trees of middle “age” spring application of nitrogen is sufficient, and at the end of the growing season – potassium-phosphorus top dressing.
Reproduction
The mulberry is a dioecious plant. That is, a number of individuals are female, and others are male, which do not form fruits. However, by planting only female trees, the harvest cannot be obtained either. It is possible to determine the belonging of plants to one or another “sex” only after waiting for the fruits.
However, there are also plants that have both female and male inflorescences. Such instances are called monoecious. In this case, even from one tree you can get a crop.
The reproduction of the weeping mulberry variety is usually carried out by the seeds contained in the fruits. However, the process of obtaining seed is not simple, so this method is usually used by geneticists and breeders. Therefore, seed propagation is carried out to obtain buds or cuttings, as well as to get used to the climate of a certain area by young mulberry trees.
Seed material must be stratified before planting. Or at least plant them in early spring, after soaking them for 3 days.
When planting, amateurs often use grafted mulberries.
Weeping white mulberry is usually used as a culture for grafting a cutting or bud.
When planting mulberry trees, it is necessary to follow the accepted norms (which are also characteristic of fruit trees), because then you can harvest after five years. The first fruits can be harvested faster if all individuals are grafted. A decade later, the mulberry will bring about a hundred kilograms of berries.
Trimming
In order to get the desired height of the weeping mulberry and properly form its crown, it is worth trimming the “extra” branches. Mulberry on the trunk is formed about one and a half meters high. In this way, you can form a crown in the form of a broom or a ball.
Particular attention should be paid to young shoots, whose thin bark is most susceptible to temperature changes. In winter, the branches freeze, and in the summer they are exhausted from a lack of moisture. In this case, pruning is necessary. Moreover, it will not affect the quality and volume of the crop.
So, today weeping mulberry has not only aesthetic value. It is widely eaten. Unpretentiousness in cultivation and care, original appearance, the ability to propagate the plant in different ways and delicious fruits and berries – these are the main components of the culture’s popularity among gardeners.
Video “Planting and caring for weeping mulberries”
From this video you will learn how to plant and how to care for mulberries.
