I’m in the same boat as you Chriso. I thought my nigra seedlings were doing well, as a couple were about two feet tall…But looked at them this morning to see if any were getting ready to break bud (because our weather has been so warm) and noticed that all the ones growing in pots are all dead. I still have two nigra seedlings in the ground that are alive, but I don’t give them much hope.
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What needs to be tried, preferably by someone with good grafting skills (certainly not me!!!), is to graft the top part of a Morus nigra seedling around year two before it starts declining onto an alba rootstock. I feel this is the only way to create new nigra varieties. I repeat what Lucille Whitman told me a few years ago when I asked why all nigras are grafted (not just in this country but also around the world): She said “nigras are good at making fruit, but not good at making roots”…I guess no one is perfect!!!
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My nigras are not grafted… no doubt.
I plan to graft mine on alba. But I’m keeping the plant too. It’s mother is huge and on it’s own roots.
About whether the supposed Morus nigra “hybrid” was analyzed: It has been pushed aside because of other projects at the university, so the Belgium nurseryman was referred to another researcher, so possibly soon he will have a determination. Here is his response:
“Regarding the chromosome count: I’m in contact with another research institute that can perform the analysis for me. Apparently the best way to confirm the hybrid nature is by determining the genome size. Ploidity level and chromosome count are secondary…but I think I will have them analyzed anyway if not too expensive.”
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I posted in another thread pictures of my seedlings, 9 trees from 10 seeds,
https://growingfruit.org/t/morus-alba-and-morus-nigra-from-turkey/24020/21
I plan to plant is 4-in-a-hole in a hope it will create at least root-graft and be stronger, for at least 5-7 years, later on if needed I can “prune out” spare parts. I also want to experiment 1-white-3-nigras in a single hole (I’ll put seeds in styrofoam cup and I won’t separate them) so it may make “natural graft” over time.
Here is what I have right now, ready to be planted outside in few weeks, I ordered also “Plantra Tree Shelters” otherwise sunlight will kill them, seeds started sprouting in October 2019, and now they look very adult and they look very different; two huge strikes happened after 1-2 months of no-growth, and now others have no-growth:
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BTW: I recently received letter from F. W. SCHUMACHER CO., INC., saying that Morus Nigra seeds which I purchased in September 2019 are not true to type; “We believe the seed is Morus alba var nigra or black Fruited Mulberry and not Morus Nigra”. Nice. I didn’t ask them; I hope they visited this forum 
for comparison, few UK companies fought with me trying to prove they sent me Morus Nigra seeds.
Do they have true Morus Nigra now? If they do, they would send me replacement seeds instead of refund (I bought 1oz); they have it listed here: https://www.treeshrubseeds.com/specieslist?id=905&ID2=10
Looking good! Yes I had luck. I got two to grow. I have them in containers. One hardly has grown at all but is still alive. The other is growing well.
Last year in the middle of June.
Today buds are swelling. In zone 5b/6a So it’s still cold here. I have it in the garage. I give it light during the day. Todays about the last freeze warning. I plan to put it outside Thursday.
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Yes seems to be common. My seeds were from a user here, and your seedlings look like nigra to me.
Yours on 2nd picture (in fabrics pot) even looks so close to his relative, fig tree I had bad experience leaving even Morus Albas in pots in a Winter. But this Winter was so warm, I have few Japanese maple trees in pots, all are healthy growing. Fabrics pots are best, and the more soil in it the better (more moisture, more warmth). I am in Canada (Toronto, Ontario) zone 6b; I kept pots as close to each other and to the house as possible, in a shade, to avoid Winter burn, and put recyclables (plastics, paper) between pots for more warmth.
My seeds were from Turkey, 3mm-4mm in size and black, I have picture in this thread (in plastic bag); I also have dried fruits from Samarkand but didn’t try yet.
We still have freezes overnight, and snow today (Toronto, Canada); even Morus Alba didn’t wake up yet; but roses and raspberries are growing
I keep mine in the garage which is attached. I don’t let it get below 25F in there. Those other plants are figs. I have a ton of them. Nigra does well but in the spring I have to open the big door during the day else it becomes too warm in there in late winter/early spring. To keep them fairly dormant. It’s working great with nigra. It is now 3rd leaf. I will graft a piece and plant out eventually. See how it does.
Question! Are you planning to planting them in the ground ( eventually ) or you going to keep them in pots ? Is it even possible to keep them in pots for years?
I would like to know for my personal interests for future plants.
Thanks
I would love to put mine in the ground, but it is probably not hardy enough to survive here that way.
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I was thinking about your mulberry last night. What if it was chip budded to an alba rootstock in the summer, overwintered indoors and then deeply planted?
In that case you wouldn’t be risking your plant…
Scott
That was pretty much my plan, except it’s staying outside, will be grafted not budded. I probably will not do it till next year. As grafting time is any second and I don’t have rootstock. Plus I decided not to harvest scion this winter. It has such a nice structure. My 2nd plant which is only one inch high is still alive and forming buds… A 3rd leaf one incher! (what most guys would call 3 inches
I could drop off your mulberry rootstocks.
Summer budding seems like an easy way to try it and I usually find 1-2 mulberries growing around during the summer.
Scott
I never have done it before. Maybe I’ll try it? I will read up on budding again. No keep the rootstocks a couple more weeks.
I will need one of them in 2 weeks. Oh Rolling River canceled my Jujube tree order and refunded my money. Well said they would! So I ordered So and Black Sea from OGW I wanted Honey Jar, sold out everywhere. I will add it next year. I think I’m done with RR. They marked it as shipped, and it was not. If I would not have emailed I may have been out 130 bucks.
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Sorry to hear it. One of the rootstocks is pencil thickness, the other is thinner. The thinner one has buds swelling, but no worries…
I could give you scions for Honey Jar if you’re interested. I’d have to go out and cut right away though.
Thanks but I will pass on the scion. I’ll get a tree next year. No worries on the rootstock, i have other rootstock i could use. The Chilean guavas were quite yellow when they arrived. So many plants like this, these small tropical fruits have died on me. They never seemed to adjust. Well I’m glad to say these are becoming greener and greener. They look to be growing, are assimilated to outside already. I have been shuffling them in and out. I up potted yours to 1.5 quart pots from the micro containers. Mostly i was worried about them dying in those micro pots. They will be left outside soon. I think we are done with freezes, but still may get some frosts. They still look a little yellow, but appear to be growing at least! I put mine in a huge pot already. I will baby all of them still. I’ll wait till night temps are above 40 before I leave out.
Here they are a minute ago
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