I placed a couple of air layers in late June and took them off tonight. I had let them get a bit dry. One looks pretty good and the other one’s buds look viable.
Number 1
Number 2
Buds on Number 2
Do I need to trim them down more?
These were placed on sapling that had borne fruit this spring. Number 1 has new growth with catkins…are all these the same gender or is the tree confused?
were you actually gathering berries(earlier) from that same tree you obtained the airlayer from?
mulbs will sometimes have ambiguous inflorescences, especially when young, and in this case, a little stressed.
if the leaves of your airlayer start getting droopy even when rootball is kept constantly moist, you may snip some of the larger leaves and just let the smaller ones develop.
you may also place the specimens in a shaded area or on the north side of your property to shelter from noon-heat.
I agree with @jujubemulberry, but to totally ease your mind, check the mother tree branches this spring that your air layers were taken from, as individual branches of a monecious mulberry tree can have some male catkins while other branches may have only female catkins.
Very important!!!
Good job on the air layer success!
Thanks. Yes, I’ve eaten mulberries from this mother sapling and chose branches from it to airlayer. However it really is a mess out in those woods and everything is in a crush. So what you’re saying is that all the catkins look male? Are they all just in stages of the male catkin? I did find this statement on the internet and I had heard that before.
“Mulberry trees (Morus spp.) are typically dioecious, meaning male or female flowers grow on separate trees. Sometimes, however, they are monoecious, in which case male or female flowers grow on the same tree. Also, the flowers can change sex.”
Oh well…if all three turn out male (2 air layers and a graft) then I can say that I got some good propagation experience!!!
like dealing with a deliberately belligerent jackass, and speaking of which, the ultimate enforcement of Murphy’s law…
still confident though that they will be female, or at least most of them will be, when they get more established over a year or two.
they seem to assume a male configuration, but female catkins may appear male(with widely spaced or gaps-in-between the flowers, instead of the bunchy and close-knit berry formation) when the specimen is immature or under stress
recent grafts of nigras often exhibit this,
The second catkin photo is definitely female…I withhold judgement on the others.
And that can be a daily experience…various sources actually! 
i know what you’re saying-- human versions of Murphy at I-15 and I-95
And thanks for letting me know that they might drop their leaves…I prob would have assumed one was quite dead but the branches are definitely still green even though no leaves. They are resting in well moistened potting soil in the shade.
nice products you have there @k8tpayaso !
you are zero to pro in just what? 1 year?
vividly remember your profound pessimism and reluctance over the possibility of trying airlayers and grafting. Just a few months back i think…
Perhaps beginners luck…but I am hooked!
As others have said I’ve grafted mulberries before to do a sex change and so far they didn’t change back thankfully. One of my mulberries changed sex on me after two years of fruit and has been a male for 5 years!
Seems like transgender issues running rampant!!
am admittedly biased— as have this innate preference to mingle with full-blooded females. Be it mulberries, papayas, or humans. 
We need a “ha ha” button.
