How does yours handle the winter? Mine seems to be very low chill. It leafed out in mid December and again in February, getting heavy frost damage both times.
Shuffled it around during winter. It woke up early here as well. Not one I’d recommend to put in the ground anywhere near zone 8a. It’ll spend its life in a pot.
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Where did you get the “Black Prince”? Those fruits look huge! It’s on my wanted list now.
Incidentally, which low-chill mulberry has the best balance for size, production and taste/quality? I know macrouras are well regarded, but are they everbearing in mild climates, or seasonal?
I can’t say for sure as I’m in a high chill area. I do know the two most mentioned low chill alba or alba-rubra types most mentioned are two that come out of Florida. I had plants but lost both to an unexpected freeze. I lost peach tree seedlings too. Here is what I know about the Florida mulberries.
Shangri La
A heavy producer of delicious large black fruit that ripens earlier than most varieties. Relatively compact tree grows up to 20 feet and has extra large heart shaped leaves. Originated in Naples, Florida and known to be a good choice for the south, but is also successfully grown in other areas. Hardy zones 7-9.
I can attest to the huge leaves, just beautiful!
Wacissa mulberry was found in the sleepy little town of Wacissa Florida. The original tree must be close to 70 years old and continues to bear heavy crops of 1 1/2 inch deep purple fruit. Rich sweet blackberry flavor, very soft and juicy. Fruit ripens in May. Zones 7-9.
Another I heard that is low Chill is Miss Kim. I have nothing about it. I would like to hear more. The problem with these low chills is they flower early and are subject to late freezes. It will grow in my zone, just never have fruit. Miss Kim is said to be later flowering for a low chill, and may work!
I got Black Prince in an auction on the new site BidNGrow. Seller is out of California, so it may also be a low chill? The seller has offered no other cuttings. Those photos though are hers for sure. I heard it was from Spain. All I know.
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I looked up Oscar Mulberry and the tree is huge getting 25 ft.
I like dwarf sizes for our yard.
We have a dwarf moris nigra and a geraldi which has yet to come out this year. It should fruit.
Are there anymore good dwarf mulberries.
Maybe World’s Best which is more like a bush.
I myself plan to prune Oscar to 7 feet. It will never get bigger. I have done this with sweet and tart cherries. Peaches and plums for over 7 years and it has worked extremely well.
It seems to me fairly easy to keep them small. No ladders EVER in my future.
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I’m pretty jealous of your pruning skills, Drew…
I’ve got to be better at just topping a tree at the height I want and stopping it there.
Maybe this year. I should start with my plum. It is getting hacked for grafting anyway.
Scott
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I did try to find an Oscar last nite, but it seems the nurseries are all out.
Do you know a source for Oscar.
thanks, Drew
I’ve got Illinois Everbearing, Kokuso, Beautiful Day, nigra Black Beauty and World’s Best
I had and lost Sweet Lavender. I was trying to keep it in a 25 gal pot.
Scott
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I grafted a cutting, but let me look…nope my sources are sold out.
In my Z4A - I have a few Russian Mulberries producing as well as a large Northrup Mulberry that produces annual crops of decent quality fruit.
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I’m in zone 9b central Florida. I have about 30 varieties and I think black beauty is super delicious but I only get a few berries a year. My Illinois EB is also very delicious but it goes dormant very early and wakes in May. I get a hand full of berries. I got a boysenberry mulberry and also Valdosta from just fruits and exotics they are doing great and are delicious. Worlds best grows fast 2” long and very good.
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I have a small Oscar that I grafted year before last. It had trouble with its graft site last year and didn’t grow much but that seems to have righted itself and is growing well this year. I think the fruits are very good even on the small tree. I still have to fight birds for them so I haven’t eaten but about 6-7.
My grands in San Antonio have been visiting and have fallen in love with mulberries (my IE and Wellington were the only ones bearing). SA is in zone 9a. The soil is heavy and hard to dig. Would a Pakistan grow there? Anyone with experience in dry and hot climate/heavy soil? @jujubemulberry??? If they grow in the ground in Vegas it should be okay?
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Mulberries do well in Colorado and we have clay and dry hot heat. We have centennial morus albas near the botanical gardens in downtown denver. I’m not sure which varieties are best for your area but i think they take lots of different conditions and any that thrive for you would thrive for him if they can give them similar amounts of water?
i would say yes. My pak is growing on rock hard caliche earth and not getting much moisture either, on top of having zero humidity here.
possible though that lack of humidity might actually be beneficial
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Is the Pakistan taste similar to other mulberries?
In Houston, All my soil is now quite good after bringing in good dirt to put on top of the clay.
I did come across some very heavy clay soil the other day in an area I had put pebbles.
Since I grow succulents that require good drainage, I just dug into the clay about 12 in - add good soil mixed with expanded shale then planted a succulent.
I try not to pay attention to the soil - just continually top with leaves to change the soil structure. Always picking up neighbors leaves for mulch since it is so hot here.
I do have a dwarf mulberry (morus nigra). So many mulberries on this tree that the birds and my husband and I get all we want (small berries). The trees makes so many and I don’t feed at all.
We purchased a Dwarf Geraldi Mulberry. The fruit is long, but fewer and the birds do get them. I think I like the morus nigra.
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yes, to some degree. It does not have the eyebrow-raising intensity of nigra’s but is just as vinous(wine-like) when at its prime. Must be the deep red-purple brew of anthocyanins.
a fully ripe/ prime bing cherry doesnt really have an intense flavor, but still tastes quite complex and delicious. Paks are similar in that sense.
The kids (picky eaters) all loved the IE berries I had. The youngest, almost 7, liked the red ones best. 
I figure they would like the Paks from the way you guys talk about them!! Main thing is I don’t think my D-I-L would be able to tolerate the staining of some of the other berries… especially if the stain got tracked Into the house!!!
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Mulberries are one fruit that I got multiple trees of (for my tiny yard), without even tasting one. The enthusiastic posts here and other places were too compelling. I now have Pakistan, Noir de Spain and King James II. I plan to make Pakistan a multi-grafted tree. So far I have Oscar, Illinois Everbearing, 4 seasons, Kudsi Black (local unknown Nigra) and White Pakistan on it. I plan to add more next season.
The first couple of fruits from Pakistan were disappointing to me - just pure sugar, nothing else. The few later ones (thinned out rest of the fruitlets due to transplanting) had better flavor.
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