Morus nigra. The Black, or Garden Mulberry.

Soil And Site

The soil most suitable for the mulberry is a rich, deep, and rather light loam, not cold nor wet, but well drained. It succeeds best as a standard, in a well-sheltered situation, open to the south. It may be trained also against a south wall with advantage in a cold climate, but requires much space. - Card. Chron.

Propagation - by Seed - is rarely practised, the seedlings varying in quality, and being long before they bear fruit. Sow in a warm border, during March, in drills half an inch deep. Give moderate waterings in dry weather to the seedlings, and shelter by mats during cold nights. They require remaining two years in the seed bed, and then four in the nursery, before they are fit for final planting.

By Layers

To obtain these in large quantities, some mulberry trees should be headed down near to the ground, to induce lateral shoots for layering. - Where only a few are wanted, pots of earth may be raised to the branches. See Layering and Circumposition.

Grafting and Budding - may be practised, taking any species of the genus Morus for the stock. Grafting is more difficult of success than budding, and Mr. Knight recommends grafting by approach as the only certain mode.

By Cuttings

Mr. Knight recommends cuttings five inches in length, having two-thirds of their length two-year old wood, and one-third yearling wood, to be planted in November, beneath a south wall. In March, move them into pots, leaving only one bud uncovered, and plunge in a moderate hot-bed. Shade during bright weather, and success is almost unfailing. A more simple and expeditious mode is the following, but whether it is generally successful I am unable to state: -

"Lop off" a straight branch, at least eight feet long, from a large tree, in March, the nearer the trunk the better; clear away every little branch, and leave it quite bare; dig a hole four feet deep, plant the naked branch and make it firm in the ground; leave around it a little basin of earth to hold water, and if the season be dry, give it every morning a bucketfull of water throughout the summer. In two years it will have made a good head, and will bear fruit." - Gard. Chron.

Pruning

Standards do not require pruning, further than to remove the dead wood and irregular growths. On walls and as espaliers train in all the lateral annual shoots, for near the ends of these next year is the fruit mostly produced, and pinch off all foreright unfruitful buds as they are produced. In training, always make the branches descend below the horizontal.

Forcing

The mulberry bears forcing excellently, and will ripen its fruit early in June. It will bear a very high temperature. It may also be grown of a dwarf size in pots, and be thus forced.