hey folks. considering adding a illinois hardy mulberry to the yard. I’ve read from over a doz. sites that it is hardiest to zone 3 ,4 and 5. so which one is it? I’m in z 3b/4a. anyone in zone 3 have one? and is it truly hardy to that zone? thanks in advance. i have a Morus alba/ russian mulberry, that has grown well with no die offs but was slow to establish.
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I had an Illinois Everbearing from Stark Bros. I’m in 4a on the new zone map, 3b on the old one. The IE struggled through two winters with major tip dieback each spring. The 3rd winter finally killed it, roots and all.
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thanks for the reply. wish these nurseries would be more accurate in the information on what zones their plants grow in! was yours in a exposed spot or somewhat protected?
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Somewhat protected from west and north winds, but it was in full sun. I’ve come to believe that winter hardiness is based on more than temperature alone. Soil texture, annual precip, snow cover, and timing of onset of cold weather all play a role IMO.
I do have two Trader mulberries (sourced from Fargo, ND) that have made it through two winters with only very minimal tip dieback. I also have a wild white mulberry that I brought here from my old place in southcentral WI. It has survived through 5 winters, but did suffer pretty bad dieback the first two winters.
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yeah you guys usually have less snow and more wind than us which can make a big difference to hardiness. i would be putting mine in a similarly protected spot protected by the house. my Morus alba is a white unnamed cultivar i got from northwoods nursery and has been pretty hardy. on its third leaf. our snow protects most small trees but then you get that odd cold, low snow winter and lose the less hardy ones. where did you get the Trader mulberries? have you tried fruit off of them yet?
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Northrup Mulberry is one of the hardiest varieties, it is a morus alba tatarica selection that St Lawrence nursery used to sell. I have one, the fruit are okay, nowhere near as good as IE, but for folks who don’t have a choice due to climate zone it’s the best bet.
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I got the Traders from the guy who’s propagating them. His name is Jim Walla. If you’re on facebook, you can look him up there. Jim Walla, Northern Tree Specialties or something along those lines. No fruit yet, I had hoped for some this year but it didn’t happen. I planted them September 2015, I expect at least some fruit next year. If you Google “Trader mulberries” you’ll be able to read up on the variety if you want.
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I contacted Connor Hardiman, the guy who is now running St. Lawrence Nursery. He says there won’t be any Northrup mulberry in '18, but hopefully in '19.
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just left him a message. maybe he has a few left.
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I can supply scions or budwood if anyone wants to try grafting…
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thanks for the offer. ill take you up on it next spring!
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Just an update on my Trader mulberries. Both suffered pretty significant tip dieback last winter. Both are currently alive, but apparently -38F is well beyond the temp they can take without damage.
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at least it survived. hopefully as they get older they will get hardier. my northrop mulberry i put in a few weeks ago got hit with a 25f frost that froze the leaf buds as they were coming out. luckily some further down hadn’t open yet and are now leafing out. i probably should have kept it in my greenhouse until this week. lucky its rebounding. both this and my adirondack gold apricot i got from cricket hill in CT were very nice 4ft trees with big roots. the apricot was nearly fully leafed out but the frost didn’t affect it.
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That’s true, it is good that they at least survived (at least so far anyway). What is interesting to me is that I have a wild white mulberry here that I dug up and transplanted from my old place in southcentral WI. It suffered a bit of tip dieback, but much less than the Traders. Too bad it’s a male. I need to graft it over to something else at some point.
i too have a russian i got from cold stream 4 yrs ago. its been damaged by snow every year so it hasn’t got more than 4ft tall and wide. i grafted 3 I.E scions on it but no life showing yet. not sure what sex it is? it also showed tip dieback the 1st few years. people say alba is vigorous but mine hasn’t shown this at all. of course being snow pruned every year hasn’t helped it. 
Wild whites were indeed vigorous at my old place, but they certainly are not here.
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