Although immortalized as bushes in a 19th-century children’s song, mulberry trees (Morus spp.) typically stand from 30 to 80 feet high, with similar spreads. They produce cascades of white, black or red berries resembling elongated raspberries or blackberries. The fruit is edible straight off the tree or as an ingredient in preserves, pies and sauces. Unharvested mulberries, however, are notorious pavement stainers. Mulberries thrive across U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8 or 9. In mild-winter areas, transplant nursery-grown trees from pots to ground in the fall, in time for cooler temperatures and winter rains to speed their establishment.
Designate a planting site with loamy, well-drained soil and full sun. Plant the mulberry where its fruit won't create a mess on sidewalks or fall onto neighboring property. Allow room for its full height and spread. Space multiple trees at least 15 feet apart.
Water the mulberry well. While it drains, dig a planting hole with inward-angling sides. Make it three times the width of the mulberry's root ball at the soil line, tapering to 1 1/2-times its width at the bottom. Dig it deeply enough that the top 1/4- to 1/2-inch of the planted root ball remains above the edge of the hole. Place the soil in a wheelbarrow.
Amend the wheelbarrow soil with an equal amount of organic compost. Mix well with a cultivating fork. Lighter than the original soil, this backfill medium encourages the mulberry's roots to spread away from its rapidly draining pot medium into the planting hole.
Lift the container and tap sharply on the sides and bottom of the mulberry's pot with a stick to loosen the soil. Grasp the tree by its base and slide it free. Carefully untangle the root ball with your hands; use a knife to cut encircling roots. Loosen a densely matted root ball with four evenly spaced, 2-inch deep top-to-bottom cuts around its surface. Gently spread the severed roots.
Center the tree, roots spread, on the base of the hole. Make sure its root ball rises ¼- to ½-inch above the soil line. Refill the hole with the backfill medium, stopping several times to tamp the amended soil lightly around the root ball with your fingers. Water the mulberry to remove air pockets when you reach the three-quarter mark.
Fill the rest of the hole. Use the remaining backfill medium to build a 2- to 3-inch mound around the edge of the hole. The resulting basin funnels water directly to the tree's roots.
Water the mulberry again. Spread a 3- to 4-inch layer of organic mulch, such as wood chips, over the basin to preserve soil moisture and discourage weeds.
Things You Will Need
- Organic compost
- Cultivating fork
- Wooden stick
- Utility knife
- Organic mulch
- 10-10-10 fertilizer
- Water the transplanted mulberry deeply every three or four days during its first month. Reduce watering to twice weekly until the rainy season arrives, then check the soil for moisture to a depth of 12 to 18 inches at the drip line; if moist, no water but the rain is needed.
- Feed the mulberry with 10-10-10 balanced fertilizer, applied at the manufacturer's recommended rate every spring.
- As bleeding trees, mulberries lose significant amounts of sap when pruned. Prune them only during winter dormancy, and never remove branches larger than 2 inches in diameter.
- Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, Fifth Edition; Michael Dirr
- California Rare Fruit Growers: Mulberry Fruit Facts
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Morus Rubra
- UC Davis Arboretum: All-Stars Care Instructions
- 1979 Sunset New Western Garden Book; Editors of Sunset Magazine