I think they have a good thing going. They aren’t very tech-savvy, and since (my view) they have (a lot, mostly, entirely?) container grown items they don’t get the notice across the country like a mail-order place. Two locations though, so around Portland OR or in the Willamette Valley they are a good resource.
you’re welcome, and if it so happens it is not a nigra, you’ll get your money back what you paid for–from me 
incidentally, how much did you get it for, if you don’t mind me asking? That is a decent-sized persian mulb, though a bit peeved they pruned it.
of all mulbs-- nigra’s(apart from gerardi’s) should never be pruned, unless you are already drowning in 20$/lb berries that you wouldn’t know what to do with…
Hmmm…yah, that’s a bit odd, to cut off the top of a slow-growing plant in a great big pot. I could have put that in my truck with another two feet of growth. Well, in this photo is a $10, 2 gallon pot, with a clove currant, and a 7 gallon pot (that’s what the tag says) $50…gulp…Mulberry, Black “Persian” that’s been unnecessarily pruned. For all I know, there was an unpruned next to it. There were some that were grafted a lot higher…they stood six feet, but actually had less ‘graft part’ than mine. I spose the end goal was to have bush form and tree form. Steep learning curve for me right now. Thanks again!
PS: Nice article…I think the price has gone up since then, too.
smart move. From what have noticed with young grafted paks and persians, the laterals need at least one year of ‘seasoning’ before fruits are nursed to maturity. They may bear fruit the first couple of years, but usually drop all their fruits before they reach purple stage(often when they are already at the red stage- you’d think that reaching full-ripeness is altogether guaranteed, but no!).
the six footers are mostly tall alba rootstocks grafted at the top with a ‘pinch’ of nigra, since those grow faster than nigras and readily available, to make them look mature and ‘fruit-ready’ nigras… Those present with a tree-rose growth habit, or a coppiced appearance, instead of the usual branching-near-the-base habit of true nigras. Occasionally though, there will be low-grafted persian mulbs at the deepest corners of certain nurseries(and thus remain unsold for many years), and it is those which are the most recommended since with nigras–we’re all ‘buying time’
in las vegas, nigras will grow a painstaking one foot taller and wider each year, despite our relatively long growing seasons. They grow a little faster in areas with relatively mild and more moist summers.
Perhaps in your environment. I prune mine twice per year.
i guess people here now know who to ask for cuttings.
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Seedy, I have the same tree from the same nursery. It has grown painfully slowly, but perhaps is going a little faster this year, I think this is the 3rd season.
I also got Black Beauty from them. I looked again this season and made the same conclusion about the high grafted trees.
Harvest has good prices and often larger stock than some other places. I also like that you can browse and pick your own tree. They get much of their stock from Northwoods, the wholesale nursery that largely provides stock for One Green World.
jujubemulberry, is nigra growth habit such that it will bush out without pruning? I’d like my trees to be full, not spindly, with significant canopy volume down low.
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Mr. Murcky, I have family in the Brush Prairie area and I live near Philomath, OR, which is near Corvallis, OR, which is the home of Orygun St. Uni. which is a serious ag/science hub, speaking of germplasm centers (Richard…good reminder, they’re local to me) and so my growing conditions are very similar to yours. I’m in the Willamette Valley but just heading into the foot hills of the coast range. I forget that many plant ‘nurseries’ are really daycare centers for the offspring of others. These folks and OGW have quality plants. This purchase was my first contact with Harvest and I went to their farm location. The owner, Gabriel Kahn, said they were planning to put some greenhouses up there, meaning eliminate the middleman, grow their own.
So, this unit is going to grow somewhat low and slow, even here. I had thought of having a large tree that would feed the birds, too. I may end up with another tree to put out in the wild area of my little property and put this one in the general orchard area…and net it when the harvest time comes. Thanks for all the input !
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My Black Beauty is an M. nigra cultivar (DMOR 48) grafted at the base onto M. alba, and distributed by L.E. Cooke. Here it is today after 1.5 years in the ground and a bit of pruning.
I do not ship or sell cuttings. Instead, they are available from my home or given to local horticultural clubs.
Lookin’ good. I might plant something similar, something faster growing than the Persian, maybe even grafted up a little higher to allow a deer fence, out away from the main orchard area, to let the birds in on the feast.
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which is why am averse to pruning. Old wood and old nodes are where berries develop, so increasing the yield is put on hold when limiting/pruning new growth… there have been people requesting budwood from me, but strongly advised against it, and instead recommended to buy the biggest and oldest nigra they could find(human lives are too short—to be waiting on berries!). i would rather buy a 4 foot tall nigra specimen(that has been grafted low) worth 100$ than buy 4 grafted specimens at 1 ft tall and at 25$ each. We [quote=“murky, post:48, topic:4928”]
is nigra growth habit such that it will bush out without pruning? I’d like my trees to be full, not spindly, with significant canopy volume down low.
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if grafted low, true nigras assume a bushy/sprawling stance, and the trunk/s get gnarly with relatively short internodes(especially if grown under full sun), unlike many mulbs which shoot up and generally form straight trunks like regular trees. Nigras tend to grow too low for many people, so nurseries use faster- growing alba saplings and graft on top with nigra.
here are pics of a rather old nigra grafted high onto albas. The last photo shows some scale, with the mushroom-like nigra canopies conveniently formed over the lucky model feasting on the 20$/lb berries, and with an alba trunk visible
i say ‘convenient’ because nigras are easier to access from below than from above, and the harvester could gather while walking under the canopy. Only caveat is that nigra berries often have tight peduncles, so berries end up being squished and the harvester gets showered with purple rain.
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I have a Geraldi, how should I prune? Are you pruning to control height or help create more branches?
@jujubemulberry, please post a current picture of your M. nigra plant(s) so we can visualize what you’re talking about.
we don’t prune our geraldi’s! it is another sloooooow-grower. Having shorter internodes than nigras, it equates to far less berries per unit length pruned…
Huh?
meant nigras and gerardi’s are mulbs we don’t prune.
as requested, attached some pix of our mulbs below. Will post more pics later.
Is this a Black Beauty? I bought it from a nursery that had three of them. Two had LE Cooke “Black Beauty” tags, the one I bought only had a handwritten tag that said “Black Beauty”. The leaves look much smaller than Richard’s, but it has only been in the ground a few months, after being in a root bound pot. Also, one set of leaves on it does look like it is growing larger… Maybe more mature wood? The leaves are also smaller than the tiny Black Beauty I bought from Whitman Farms… Transplant shock maybe?
Full shot
Fruit close up
The few larger leaves above the smaller leaves found on the rest of the bush
i can’t say if it is black beauty(i see vague differences between nigras), but the berries are definitely nigra. Has any of these berries turned black/purple?
looking at the specimen in its entirety, it looks like it is a two in one, as the branches seem not all nigra… makes me think some grew from rootstock. Either that or the pic is blurring my eyes a bit… Even the foliage shown up close seem to have differences, and appears not totally those of nigra.
@Tylt33 , is the graft union visible on your specimen? If so, would you be able to isolate the fruiting stems from the non-fruiting ones, and see if there are stems branching out from below the graft?