I have a Black Beauty mulberry in ground that I’ve had for 2 years. The tree is from Dave Wilson Nursery. This year I saw very few very small mulberries that don’t seem ripen fully. I’m reconsidering the tree entirely as I had hoped it would be a smaller Persian Mulberry. Does anyone have any experience with this variety? If so, has your fruit gotten bigger over time like a Persian mulberry? The leaves and tree are quite pretty but I’m in it for the fruit.
Should I pull it and get a female Persian Mulberry? I see them in my area.
I dont know about black beauty but my IE mulberry just grew the first year, had/aborted a half dozen or so berries the second and now on the third has put out 100+berries so i would wait at least 1 more year before condeming it
I have this one too and if the tree will grow in your area it is definitely one to keep. It is reported to be one of the most delicious varieties if you are lucky enough to be in its growing zone. It is reported that in my zone they do not do good but this is my 3rd year and it is waking up and looking good. The berries are more like a small blackberries in looks and they are super delicious and they taste different than any others that I have tasted.
I had one from Trees of Antiquity. It got terribly abused last year and I thought it might die, but it came back and every scion I cut from it this year has taken on seedling mulberry rootstock. I am excited
I have this tree also planted only ~1 year ago so no fruit yet. I don’t believe to have seen a rootstock tag on it when I bought it from a nursery (DWN stock). Does anyone know what rootstock they use for these? Alba seedling? I rooted a sucker from the rootstock and wanted to make sure I tracked what it is…
I have been growing it for about 20 years. It grew slowly at first. It has absolutely delicious berries. They stain badly. If it’s near white concrete or a patio, I would move it if I were you. I like IE also. Some of the “white” mulberries I’ve tasted are so bland that it wouldn’t be worth growing them, IMHO. It has now grown into a pretty large tree, that I have to aggressively prune every 3 years or so. I love it especially in the absolute heat of the summer. I stand in the shade underneath it and leisurely use a stick to knock off the berries. Very long fruiting season. 2 complete months at least.
Does anyone have a sense of how far Black Beauty can be pushed zone wise? I’m 6a/6b which might be a little too cold for a nigra but I have found conflicting information regarding Black Beauties hardieness. I thought burnt ridge had listed it as zone 6 but I check their website again and there is no longer any plant zone information.
Not sure if you’re still looking for information on this. Most sites list the imposter alba plant by the same name. Someone near me has the true nigra Black Beauty. It is in a high desert climate, zone 7a and seems to do ok. It does have a couple smaller dead limbs, but we’re not sure if that is from winter cold vs sunscald vs lack of irrigation. It gets no winter protection whatsoever and has been in ground for >5 years. I’m going to try grafting from it next spring. Hope that helps.
Thank you for the response. My tree currently lives in a pot and gets shepherd in and out of the garage depending on the season. Maybe I’ll plant it outside some day. I think in my area, my biggest concern would be it coming out of dormancy too early and then getting hit by a cold snap.
Glad your plant is doing well. Does it fruit in this pot?
I definitely don’t want to give a false sense of security here, but we always have snowstorms into April, well after most days pants have leafed out and this tree seems to keep chugging along. It seems like the nigra mulberries really do leaf out pretty late.
I bought it as a whip last year so it hasn’t fruited yet. Don’t worry about giving a false sense of security. Generally, I’ve finally reached the frame of mind when it comes to planting that, if it lives that’s great, if it dies, it’s not the right environment. I have a Nikita’s Gift persimmon that I know I’m pushing zone wise but it seems happy right now, and it’s up against the house which should help if it gets really cold. Time will tell. I figure if I have enough irons in the fire, some things will take off, which is the case.
I’ve got a Black Beauty that is in a pot (and likely due to be repotted this fall).
I’ve had it for 10+ years and I get a handful of fruit off it each year. It is still only about 4.5 feet tall.
It gets moved in and out yearly and I put it away into a cold basement canning room I store my dormant figs and other plants in. It drops down to close to freezing each winter in that room. It’s also dark in there all winter.
