When sap first starts going. Scratch the bottom all over and stab. I find that the bigger sticks work far better. Bigger the better. Those were IE. I stabbed a few Pakistans this year but they all failed.
1 Like
So, before they leaf out?
Yeah. They will all leaf out, but maybe 2-3 out of 10 will make it.
1 Like
Thanks for the advise. 
Yes some do, but some not at all. Depends on cultivar
2 Likes
I had great luck grafting my Pakistan mulberries and other mulberries than rooting. I just top the the wild mulberry rootstock and let it bleed out until the sap stop flowing then bark or cleft graft it. I try not to water it too much just enough to keep the soil moist trying to prevent flooding the graft with sap flow. The result usually above 90% take.
3 Likes
I have to agree grafting them is better. Grafted come straight out the box throwing fruit. On their own roots I have noticed they want to take a few years. Some more than others.
1 Like
I tried rooting gerardi mulberry dormant cuttings along with my fig cuttings… this spring.
Used tree pots… bottom heat 77 deg… one month in cool dark location… then moved to sunny window.
Figs did well. 5 of 6 took.
Gerardi mulberry tops woke up budded sent out shoots leaves fruit. Looked great for a few weeks… but eventually died. Had NO roots.
1 Like
I’ve nwver had any succesd rooting dormant-collected hardwood cuttings of any mulberry - but I have no pure M.alba selections…all hybrids or M.rubra.
But… i gotta clear out my fridge snd have s bunch of scions in there. nothing to lose by sticking them, but I’m not anticipating any success.
2 Likes
We are taking videos of dormant mulberry cutting growth after 12 weeks. They are grouped by cultivar to show the variation in the rooting process. Rooting methods and related links are in the video descriptions. There are 29 videos/cultivars so far and we will add 12 more in the coming weeks. Results will be added to our existing Rooting Mulberry Success Data later this spring.
Here’s the link to the videos…
Rooting Mulberry Cutting Videos
Spring is on the way!
5 Likes
What a great resource! I was inspired to order some mulberry scionwood (I’ve got a few seedlings in the ground ready to be grafted), but looks like you’re all sold out already?
1 Like
Great. I’m glad it’s useful. Yes, unfortunately we’re sold out until next year. Hopefully by then we’ll have more information on what roots well and best practices for successful rooting.
3 Likes
I’ve never had a problem with greenwood cuttings, but like you I have much less luck with dormant wood.
I have limited experience with mulberries prior, but I have a couple white or hybrid mulberries growing along a fence line. I took some cuttings 3 weeks, maybe 4 weeks, ago. I stuck them in a potting mix and went on vacation (lowered the heat). I didn’t cover or anything. After returning, I put one on a heat mat and another was left off. Nearly all of the cuttings have swollen buds and the heartwood is still white where cut. Surprising to me, the pot of cuttings off the heat mat have a bit more advanced bud swell. Both pots are doing well though. They’re in black 3-gallon pots, so I can’t see the roots yet. I did a gentle tug and there was resistance, so it looks promising. So far, the pencil sized cuttings budded first, followed by the thinner cuttings, and the thicker are behind the others.
I also had a bit of luck rooting a mulberry from cuttings the year before last I think (would’ve had better luck had I not left it in the sun by accident). Seems like a hybrid to me but not sure.
Propagated this from cuttings the year before last.
Picture taken last year of the tree I took cuttings from this year
4 Likes
I pruned a branch off my Kukoso last fall. I soaked the branch (1.75 inches in diameter about 3 feet long) in water for a week (I needed the time) and I dug a hole about 1.5 feet deep and dropped the branch in there.
Who knows, it might just throw some growth this spring. If it does, I’ll update.
Scott
1 Like
I’m currently trying to root some M. alba hardwood cuttings I got from western Minnesota. It’s a wild seedling my sister-in-law absolutely adores. It is from a Hutterite Colony, and is the favorite mulberry tree of the children there. Supposedly it continually fruits for a couple month period. I heard it has been cut down once so a drive-way could be put in, but it came back from the roots with such a vengeance that they moved the driveway and decided to save it instead. If the rooting attempts fail, I have saved scion wood that I will try to graft on some seedlings in the spring. That will allow me to find out for myself about it’s qualities.
5 Likes
We are wrapping up our rooting season here in a few weeks. A lesson learned for us this year was leaving cuttings in darkness longer. By leaving harder-to-root varieties such as Illinois Everbearing and Kip Parker in darkness for four weeks instead of two weeks we saw substantially better success rates. We’ll see if we can replicate this strategy next year with other challenging varieties!
Here’s our most recent data.
Here’s the Youtube Playlist showing our results.
Happy propagating everyone! (And happy springtime!) - Mark
5 Likes
I had a lot of luck in the dead of summer last year. I suspect the high heat is great for this. I had to go away for 3 weeks and nothing got watered, so I lost many and can’t tell you exactly which took and which didn’t other than my mom’s make that was bought a a black pak. I tried rooting that one several times with 0 luck.
Any updates?
I had some luck and some failure. I put one pot by a window and kept one in a heated room. The one by the window mostly fizzled out. There were some fruits that started to grow then they diminished. The other pot in a heated room had a bit better success. I’d choose bigger sticks next time, even if it was 2 year old wood. Theyve been in there for a bit over two months. Seems like slow growth to me so I’m sure I could’ve done something better.
