Every mulberry season I love riding around town where I live in my power wheelchair looking for feral bird planted fruiting mulberry trees trying to find something special. This year I found 30 new trees loaded with fruit. I’m not interested in finding human planted trees although I’ve never found a mulberry tree that was planted by people.
After taste testing the 30 trees some were good, but 4 of them were great and the very best 1 was absolutely mind blowingly delicious!!! it tastes like the best most intense black raspberry that you’ve ever had they literally melt in your mouth a perfect intense balance of sweet and tart. The fruit is long and skinny with small druplets. I think its a Alba x Rubra hybrid leaning more Rubra. while the other 3 winners have large fat berries with large druplets leaning more Alba. All 4 trees were absolutely loaded with fruit
I’m in zone 6b
1st winner
(This is by far the best tree it’s shocking how good it is. I have air layers set on it)
That sounds like a keeper! Big berries and awesome flavor, that checks 2 of the boxes, is it fairly productive too?
I might bump you back this winter for a few cuttings
I found an alba near my office that had berries similar to the Hiser Lane tree. They were delicious! I actually preferred their taste over the few Black Beauty berries I was able to beat the birds to.
@treefrog1 its super productive. It was absolutely loaded with ripe fruit. Its been putting out loads of ripe fruit for 3 weeks and is still loaded an ripening fruit. Im monitoring it to see how long it produces ripe fruit. I think it will be a 4 or 5 week harvesting window but we will see. I have air layers on it if they dont take ill graft it.
@jeremybyington Mulberries really are great. The birds do really love them
@TNHunter thank you. How well do you like Gerardi?
im thinking about trying it here but wasnt sure about cold hardiness. I also love hunting for persimmons there arent many trees in town but ive found a few old ones hidden around. Your grafts are looking great this year!
@Fishinjunky … Gerardi is one worth having… because it is so easy… with minimal late winter pruning… I can keep mine around 8 ft tall.
It makes a lot of nice berries for a small size tree.
Year 1… berries were not impressive… year 2 were better… nice fruity flavor and sweetness…
Now in year 3… the flavor has improved even more… a more complex fruity flavor and nice sweetness… they have been improving flavor wise and not sure they are finished yet.
Where they are at now… I am very happy with them… glad I have it.
I also have silk hope in year 2… and Oscar in year 1… and recently grafted lawson dawson and kip parker…
I have eaten a few year 2 silk hope… and they were very good… i am sure they will be even better next year.
I hear that Oscar taste more like a nice sweet tart blackberry… and cant wait to try that one.
In a few years should have an abundance of mulberries and persimmons around here.
Those are some big mulberries. The ones on the farm are much smaller. My wwife is a big fan of them and likes the idea of grafting over. I scouted and sampled the different ones there, but I haven found anything notable. Besides American cranberry viburnum and elderberries.
New England here - zone 5b to a (I think they just updated it). Do mulberries grow here? They look so good! I have a small orchard - a couple heirloom apple trees, two younger ones (indeterminate), a Macoun graft that is finally producing, three different peaches, a currant, a couple of blueberries, and two new apple trees (Honeycrisp [for my granddaughter, I’m not a fan ] and Jonathan) from Tractor Supply last fall. Couldn’t pass up the price. Hoping to find Empire, my favorite eating apple. I didn’t get to my scion-harvesting this past winter. I was going to prune when I got back from a February trip to FL only to get home to a warm snap. SNAP! The buds woke up! Sorry to anyone I promised Wolf River scions to. So disappointing. Next year…
Yes @pamiejune , mulberry trees will do fine in 5a-b. There are several varieties that will do good and have excellence tasting berries.
A few varieties to consider are, Illinois Everbearing, Silk Hope, Corral, Lawson Dawson. This is just naming a few off the top of my head, but there a many more varieties that would do fine for your area.
Im sure other members will join in shortly with some more recommendations.
Coming late to this thread… I have tried many roadside mulberries as we have many of them. Every single one had small bland berries, this is out of at least a hundred trees over the years. You had some pretty good luck there!
Congrats on an excellent and fun exercise! Those all look great! My IE is super loaded this year been watering it daily as summer drought has set in, best wishes
Dennis
Kent wa
@scottfsmith thanks i love hunting for them every season. Most are average and similar. But the #1 tree is something special its far better than all others ive tried. I think being in a power wheelchair gives me an advantage i can really get into places thats hard to see from a vehicle.
] and Jonathan) from Tractor Supply last fall. Couldn’t pass up the price. Hoping to find Empire, my favorite eating apple. I didn’t get to my scion-harvesting this past winter. I was going to prune when I got back from a February trip to FL only to get home to a warm snap. SNAP! The buds woke up! Sorry to anyone I promised Wolf River scions to. So disappointing. Next year…