I just bought this Issai mulberry from a nursery and they said it was a dwarf. I really don’t see a dominant stem (think it might have died) but there are a lot of new growth coming up from the soil so do you think there was a dwarf root stock? where these new stems might be from the root stock or might each of these actually be a new Issai mulberry?
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Ross and I both have Issai mulberries. There are a couple different threads here regarding it. Type issai in the search box and you will find them.
I still haven’t found out if the Issai Mulberry is grafted on a root stock or if the suckers are actually the plant, any advice I would appreciate.
To my knowledge, there are no special mulberry rootstocks; they just get grafted onto seedlings.
That said, it should be grafted, otherwise you didn’t get a true Issai. So I’m afraid that whatever you have sprouting there, it isn’t going to be Issai.
Why is that? Most mulberries (alba) are quite easily propagated by cuttings. Is Issai difficult to root?
You’re right, I completely forgot about the possibility of rooting cuttings. My guess is that grafting is still more common and reliable, but I’ll let someone familiar with industry practice comment on that. There is still hope!
I have Issai and it is on it’s own roots. From what I’ve read it is not grafted. It is more of a bush with multiple trunks than a tree.
Thanks, I’m going to let it grow some and thin out the weak canes. It almost looks like someone planted a cutting maybe sideways since they are growing in a line?
And a forum member here told me it roots easily. I haven’t tried it…not sure I even like the thing. I got it when I ordered something else, it has not fruited and now has died beck. So I will give it another year and see what it does.
Katy
Mine died as well in March after late frost and when I went to the nursery to buy a fig tree they asked how my mulberry was doing, I told them it died and they gave me the one in the picture for free, so I guess i’ll try it again, my Illinois everbearing is doing great it was dormant doing the frost.
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Just potted a bunch of mulberries up today. Native stock = good cash when grafted 
Dax
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Mine looks similar. After leafing out early and then getting rocked by the cold it is now leafing out again.
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I tasted Issai mulberry again today and it tastes better so far in second leaf than it did last year in first leaf. It wasn’t a top tier fruit but at least it didnt have that overly grassy taste that all of mine had last year. The closest flavor I can compare it to was elderberry and maybe a hint of wine. The berries are very small. Unfortunately not long like an Illinois or Pakistan. Maybe they will get larger as the bush matures.
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elder bugs are getting my mulberries.
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