Aside from the Morus Niger I just ordered from @Richard and the World Best Mulberry I someday hope to obtain from @Botanical_Bryce. What are the must have cultivars I should consider for my second attempt at a multi graft mulberry on these volunteer root stocks.
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Illinois Everbearing and Kokuso…
If you are warm enough (I didn’t look yet) Pakistan is an interesting one. Long fruit and possibly edible before fully ripe (depending on which variety you find).
Scott
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I second chills choices. IE is pretty aggressive though. I would give it it’s own tree or it might take over. Zone pushing on a Morus Niger myself. So far not looking good.
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Is your Nigra in the ground? Is it grafted on alba?
I’ve got a 10 year old nigra in a pot that has only really started doing well for me in the past 3 years.
Scott
It’s in ground on its own roots. First year was munched by deer. Second year just looked alive. We will see this year. Was only 10 bucks so figured I would give it a try.
Silk Hope, Illinois Everbearing, Stearns; as well as local selections Lawson Dawson and Corral have all been well worth growing. I’ve had good reviews on David Smith Everbearing by other growers in my area, but have never tried it.
Performance will vary from place to place… Wellington is crappy here; Collier was not too impressive - but both are well liked in other localities.
Most of the M.rubraXalba hybrids are going to be quite vigorous.
In my experience, Pakistan gives up nothing, in the way of vigorous growth, to Illinois Everbearing… but it winter-killed back to the ground every winter here - was planted with graft union below grade so it could re-sprout, and re-sprout it would… growing 10-12 ft each new season - almost like a coppiced Paulownia - but never managing to fruit - or ripen fruit before Fall frosts/freezes arrived.
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Lucky,
How would you rank these as far as taste and productivity? On another thread you mentioned Silk Hope as tops, so curious how the list rounds out. Thanks
In my experience, the named rubraXalba selections are all quite productive. I have some, purchased as M.rubra, from the KY state forestry nursery - but not a pure M.rubra in the bunch - that are extremely productive… but none I’ve sampled thus far are tasty enough for me to propagate or promote them.
Silk Hope berries are a bit larger than IE; equally as productive, and I’ve not had issues with Popcorn Disease on it.
IE has great flavor and productivity - but I lose a lot to Popcorn Disease.
Lawson Dawson really benefits from livestock lounging (and doing other things they do!) beneath it… trees of it here, in the barnyard, produce larger, tastier fruits than the one out in the lawn… would fertilization of the yard tree make a difference? IDK… I don’t generally fertilize fruit trees.
I have a ‘volunteer’ seedling(‘Corral’) - probably of IE - that rivals IE for productivity, flavor… and has not (yet) displayed Popcorn Disease susceptibility.
Again… performance of specific cultivars may vary considerably from place to place.
Years ago a friend in Flint MI told me that IE was the crappiest mulberry he’d ever grown… and sent me his ‘best one’… it was just… meh, here; not worth keeping.
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