I got a “Girardi” from them last spring. It is definitely not Girardi. Extremely vigorous with long internodes. It was a little twig when I got it, and even then I could tell it didn’t look right. I will have to get real Girardi cuttings this winter and graft it.
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Well… It’s already purchased so…I guess I can graft to it like you…
Wondering if you folks have them feedback on the gerardi?
I mean it doesn’t do them any good to be selling a mislabelled product
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I’m calling them tomorrow too. They missed one plant.
Uh-oh, I got a couple self-rooted purported Gerardis / Girardis from EL this spring. This is what they looked like:
Any opinion on whether they are genuine? I’ve ordered plenty of stuff from EL in the past and have not had a prior mislabeling issue.
Girardi internodes should be about 1 inch in length. Your tree looks similar to my not-Girardi.
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I’ve also questioned the gerardi mulberries that I received from EL in the spring of 2021. Here’s my last post about it with some photos: Why Gerardi is a dwarf mulberry - #83 by alliumnate
I will say that the ‘gerardi’ fruit this year were larger in size, and the trees were very productive. I didn’t get any photos of the ripe fruit. But this photo gives an idea of the internode spacing and fruit density.
I haven’t seen a verified gerardi in-person. But the internode spacing on the previous season’s growth was typically 1 inch or less. Nodes are spaced much further on older growth though. And the overall growth rate seems much faster than what I’ve heard about gerardi.
Like kiwinut suggested, I made two grafts this spring using gerardi scionwood from fruitwood nursery. Hopefully, kiwinut is a better grafter than I am… neither of my grafts took! Lol.
Overall though, I’m happy with the orders I’ve made with Edible Landscaping over the years. I like the fact that they offer small 2 and 4 inch plants. That allows me to buy more! And a lot of the berries, figs, nankings, etc. grow fast enough that I don’t mind starting small. I also like that in addition to their bareroot offerings, they will also ship container plants throughout the growing season.
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I called and they said they are not supposed to send blueberries to California, I got my refund. They think it’s confiscated. Then why did I get a Pink Lemonade.
I should also mention that I’ve been able to root stem cuttings from the EL ‘gerardi’ with a high rate of success (>80%). My understanding is that the true gerardi is very difficult to propagate from stem cuttings.
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I worked there previously to gain sweat equity for purchasing plants and I enjoyed that a lot. I bought a Korean giant at the time. I thought it seemed really expensive for what I got, but I had no idea what one cost from anywhere. It’s still going strong about 8 years later.
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In the interest of science, I just ordered a new Gerardi from Whitman Farms. I’ll take pictures side-by-side and perhaps that will shed some light on the EL ‘Girardi’ question.
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If yours ends up being true and all of ours are not, you may be getting a lot of hit-ups for scionwood some next spring!
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I emailed Edible Landscaping to inquire about the status of my order. I also gave them feedback on the question about Gerardi mulberry.
Let’s see if they respond. I’ll post here if they do.
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I’ve been buying from Michael at Edible for at least 25 years. A true mom and pop operation that I love to support. They’re not in it for the money.
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I hope my message to them gets them to figure out if there is any issue with whomever supplies/supplied them with the gerardi mulberry.
I liked the looks of what they sell because I am quite OK with spending less and letting the tree/plant mature in it’s final location. To me there is a bit less risk this way.
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So to follow up, here is their response to my question about the Gerardi Mulberry
"It’s the right one. 4 years ago when the propagation company took cuttings from the small grafted plant we sent. Took also a root sprout from the tree we sent. The following year we culled out the rootstock, although some were sold and replaced as we became aware. That’s all in the past now.
Michael"
So if I’m reading this right, they sent some cuttings to be tested and it came back as the right cultivar. I think the second part indicates some rootstock was sold mistakenly as Gerardi but they fixed that.
Is that how you would interpret this?
Makes a bit of sense if the tree is a grafted tree.
For those who have commented on the speed of growth and the intern node spacing… I wonder if that changes as the tree grows…i.e. The spacing becomes closer after the initial trunk growth.
Just guessing…says the man who not only has never seen a mulberry tree but hasn’t even eaten a mulberry… 
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Do they offer replacement if the mulberry is not the right variety later on.
So far my pear tree is looking great after dropping a few yellow leaves. The rest of the tiny pots also recover. Must be stress in transit.
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I can’t even get a local nursery to honor that.
The best you can hope for is store credit, but I doubt anyone’s warranty lasts long enough for a mixup of a variety you can’t realize until a year or two later…or even more depending on the fruit.
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Since you did voice your concern this early so I think it’s worth to mention it. Store credit is fine, you can buy other trees there, better than zero.
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I won’t loose sleep over it regardless of what mulberry I get. Most of what I’ve read doesn’t mention a variety being sold that tastes bad. I just wanted a smaller tree. I can prune a larger form variety if needed.
And the tree was not expensive. #32.
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So my Edible Landscape order managed to get shipped a whole 121 miles within VA and now is in timeout, uh, unknown delay.
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