That’s really helpful, thank you!
Richard, I just went to the plantsthatproduce.com website looking for information on your irrigation system. I’m afraid I failed in finding it, I only saw advertisements and nothing mentioning irrigation. I used the link you gave but that only lead to advertisements. I tried many topics but nada. Is there a secret entrance somewhere?
Also, where do you get the 25 gal containers that you use?
John
John,
I began this thread in April 2015 but retired in April 2016, disposing of plantsthatproduce.com on the way.
I bought the 25-gallon pots by the pallet from wholesale locally from Agricultural Horticultural Supply but of course they are available from other wholesalers nationwide.
What details would you like to know about the irrigation system?
Richard, there wasn’t anything specific that I wanted to know about your irrigation system. I was just curious. I’m always looking for ideas. But I am wondering if it’s an automatic system connected to a soil moisture sensor(s) or just pipes connected to a faucet that you turn on when it’s needed.
Yeah, plantsthatproduce.com does not have a genuine smell to it. But because of the many marijuana growing ads I did wonder for a minute why you didn’t have more yard space devoted to that plant.
Checking the AHS catalog, it looks like their 25 gal containers are blow molded, which I’d think would be flimsier than injection molded. Did you find them robust enough for your fruit trees?
John
@jbclem, here’s an ongoing thread about my irrigation system … http://growingfruit.org/t/irrigation-combobulation
I don’t grow marijuana because (a) I don’t care for the drug, and (b) other vocations in agriculture are more profitable; e.g. fertilizer sales.
In my experience, the blow-molded 25 gallon pots work fine for shrubs and young trees. Being flexible it helps to have a dollie to move them.
Is Schisandra good, Richard? What do ya do with it?
I use it for flavoring sauces and desserts 
1 Like
Hello Richard, how are you? Congratulations for your trees, your great work and this beautifull thread! I know how it is… one by one! 
1 Like
Hi Luis, thank you and great to see you on this site.
1 Like
Thank’s a lot my friend! Yes i like it a lot! 
1 Like
It’s funny how in dry climates, you plant in a crater, but in a wetter climate we plant on a mound!
3 Likes
Yes, and over the years I’ve seen people in both places do the opposite and watch their trees die. 
3 Likes
Richard, how is your Black Beauty mulberry doing? Is it fruiting, what does it taste like, and how big is the fruit?
Do you have any experience with the Persian mulberry? If so, how does the Black Beauty mulberry compare?
I planted a Black Beauty mulberry 2 years ago and while the tree is growing well, the fruit is very small and doesn’t taste tart & wine sweet like the Persian mulberry. I am wondering if the size & taste will improve as I had chosen this variety as a Persian mulberry like variety that was smaller. If taste and size do not improve, I’d like to pull it out and plant a traditional Persian mulberry.
1 Like
The Black Beauty I planted was Morus nigra grafted on Morus alba rootstock. It grew like a monster and my wife Janet didn’t care for the fruit, so I removed it.
The “Persian Mulberry” offered by sellers is usually M. alba which is native to China. It came west on the silk road millennia ago. “Alba” refers to the color of the bark. The fruit has a long stem and varies in color.
Meanwhile, the mulberry native to Persia is M. nigra. It is found as a shrub along creeks although 50+ year-old specimens under cultivation can be tree size. The fruit has a short stem, is black when ripe, and often fat like a boysenberry.
Then there is M. rubra, native to North America. The name refers to its red bark. The fruit has a medium to long stem and is dark when ripe. It grow wild throughout the midwest and mid-south. It has also hybridized with trees brought from Europe. Unscrupulous sellers will label it as a cultivar of one of the other species.
Here’s the M. nigra shrub I recently planted:
3 Likes
I’m seeing a M. nigra shrub listed as a Persian mulberry on Dave wilson nursery’s website. So this is probably an accurately classified Persian mulberry yes? I’m persian and I grew up eating 2 types of mulberries - one was white and I wonder if that’s what nurseries are selling as m.alba. There is the “toot” mulberry which is a white persian mulberry and the “shahtoot” mulberry (or king of berries) and is black Persian mulberry. I’m looking for that black version.
Can you describe what the Black Beauty fruit tasted like?
1 Like
First of all, most professional pomologists will agree that a plant labeled “Persian Mulberry” could be M. alba or M. nigra. They’ll also agree on the traits of each of the cultivars of those species.
In my experience, if you want M. nigra you’ll need to go to a nursery and examine it – especially to make sure it’s not grafted on M. alba, which some suppliers call Russian Mulberry.
To my tastes, M. nigra tastes similar to some blackberry cultivars.
3 Likes
Get a Morus nigra ‘Noir of Spain’ tree from Whitman Farms. It’s one of very few sources of proven Morus nigra. Here is the fruit from my tree (planted Nov 2016):
Alternatively, get M. nigra scions from a CRFG scion exchange in January and graft them on any M. alba rootstock.
3 Likes
Yes, that’s the correct fruit!
1 Like
In R.S.Martin’s book he only covers pruning fig trees that will set one main crop. While he has a second section on trees that will set breba and main crop he doesn’t write anything on how to prune them.
1 Like