Bought a Mulberry... now what?

[Gustavo Martins]

As per title, I just bought a mulberry. I believe it is a Morus alba. It's 13 years old and for the price (30€), I could not resist. It has decent size trunk. I know it is a resistant plant and I like it so I decided to give a go.

There are a number of flaws that I have spotted already.
1) +1 branching coming from same place
2) too long with no movement segments
3) etc

I will deal with those in time but for the time being I want to ask your advice on two things which I find are more important right now.

The tree has, in my opinion, an ugly nebary and I personally think it would be much better if planted deeper in the soil. Do you agree? This leads to my question. I know that mulberries are aggressive root growers and that the plant has not been repotted the last year. It is currently in a mix with akadama, scoria and coco fibre, but it does not look great... Can I repot it now? It's already in leaf and fruits are starting to grow. I fear it may be a bit later now... What do you think? I also fear that I may need to cut a lot of the roots that are currently under the soil so I can push the tree down and that this may affect the ability of the tree to survive.

An alternative would be pouring soil in the pot to the level I want (close to where those ugly roots pop). This would hopefully promote the growth of new surface roots and I would then repot next year prior to budding out. What do you think?

Also, being a deciduous but also a spring fruiting tree, what is the best time of the year to make a hard prune of the branches? I do not mind loosing fruiting ability for one or two years, but I want to know when is the best time to correct the major branching flaws. Should this be done at the same time as repotting?

Also. Any idea if mulberries grow like maples (only bud from nodes) or elms (buds from everywhere)? That is, if I prune back, should I be careful as to making sure to maintain at least a node? Looking at the tree, there appears to be buddings only at nodes but I am not sure.

I'm sure I've got more questions but for now that is it. I leave you with some pictures (sorry for the quality)

Bonsai Morus alba by Gustavo Martins, no Flickr

Bonsai Morus alba by Gustavo Martins, no Flickr

Bonsai Morus alba by Gustavo Martins, no Flickr

 

[petegreg]

I would leave repotting for better time next spring.
You are right with that nodal thing, it backbuds from nodes.
The wood is pretty brittle, careful when bending. Bigger wounds heal very slowly if ever...cut from the back or bottom sides of branches if possible.
Looking at those roots I'm sure you will find better ones for nebari lower in the soil, task for next repotting.

 

[Gustavo Martins]

I would leave repotting for better time next spring.
You are right with that nodal thing, it backbuds from nodes.
The wood is pretty brittle, careful when bending. Bigger wounds heal very slowly if ever...cut from the back or bottom sides of branches if possible.
Looking at those roots I'm sure you will find better ones for nebari lower in the soil, task for next repotting.

Ok. What about hard pruning the branches? Should I also wait for the repot and do both at the same time? If this is so, then this is year I would just let the tree grow strong right?

 

[petegreg]

It depends how hard, but I don't see any problem to do it still now. We've got all season ahead.

 

[sorce]

For 30€ .....



I'd be offing the top at least, and if there are no better roots below there, cut that bottom off too!

I think this pot is too small for the development of the New roots.
Too shallow now, or rather, to much bottom on the tree.
And not wide enough to lift up the old ones to parallel with the "should be" soil line.

If it didn't get repotted last year it may be pretty well potbound, or at least full of roots.

I reckon you might be able to take advantage of it being willing to root up higher if it is full of roots below.

I wonder if you couldn't tease out or otherwise fully repot this, and throw a pillory device under that good plane of roots.

Something like this.

Top left is pillory. Top right is final side view, if left in this pot.

Then you can throw the whole thing in the ground or in a big pot, cover it deep, and hope for new roots up above your board.

Which, if your hole in the pillory is close to the trunk shape, and you fasten it back together, you may be able to effectively "cinch" it for the ground layer.

I think the problem with bonsai, the reason it takes so long, is because people are afraid Or unwilling to have
VERY UGLY.....
As a sole path to beautiful.

The fastest way to pretty is almost always sinfully ugly!

Sorce

 

[Gustavo Martins]

@sorce I see. So your suggestions is to chop both the top and bottom (or ground layer it)

I guess I will have to wait next year to see what's on the bottom right? So I have time to weight my choices.

Considering the top. If I follow your suggestion, it will take ages for the leader to catch up in girth with the trunk. What if, I chop only the right branch? This will automatically improve tapper and it will promote back budding throughout the remainder of the trunk no?

 

[sorce]

I'm not totally against that. It may start some lower buds for you to cut back to next year.

But I figure you could probly repot it and hack top and bottom of you want, id say you fair better than 60% chance it'll make it.

IMO...AKA...YFO...(your future opinion)

Get that taper now!

I got a Lot of stuff could be 6 years further along....
Don't wanna see you there!

Sorce

 

[petegreg]

I think you can still pull the tree out of pot gently if the root ball is compacted, look at the roots and slip-pot it to the bigger pot without messing with roots.
Positives:
- get familiar with what's in the soil
- more room for growth

 

[Gustavo Martins]

I think you can still pull the tree out of pot gently if the root ball is compacted, look at the roots and slip-pot it to the bigger pot without messing with roots.
Positives:
- get familiar with what's in the soil
- more room for growth

sorry but slip-pot means? Changing the pot without disturbing the roots and/or removing the soil? If so, it should be easy.

 

[Gustavo Martins]

I'm not totally against that. It may start some lower buds for you to cut back to next year.

But I figure you could probly repot it and hack top and bottom of you want, id say you fair better than 60% chance it'll make it.

IMO...AKA...YFO...(your future opinion)

Get that taper now!

I got a Lot of stuff could be 6 years further along....
Don't wanna see you there!

Sorce

Just one question. Are you implying that I should do, whatever I decide, now? I was thinking about letting the tree grow out the rest of the season so it becomes strong enough to endure all the work ahead...

I was playing with PS and did my first virt. No laughing please

What do you make of my idea?

Mulberry.virt.1 by Gustavo Martins, no Flickr

 

[Gustavo Martins]

I didn't remove that canker-like root in the virt, but I would in the real world

 

[petegreg]

sorry but slip-pot means? Changing the pot without disturbing the roots and/or removing the soil? If so, it should be easy.

Yes, literally.

 

[sorce]

What do you make of my idea?

I like it!

I got to looking at that first right branch on the left trunk...the light color one...

It seems odd so small there...
Not as bad in 3d of it is moving to the back...

Continuing to look....and crosschecking the actual tree...

It seems any branch inside that left trunk bend is going to look funny...

Maybe continue that trunk line left to the apex, rather than ?ing it back to the right.

I think right side branching will look better that way!
And I have a pet peave about trunks that arch and have branches only on one side...
So you do need right branches....
But that curve of the trunk back to the right makes it hard to pleasingly place them..

Love it though!

As far as doing anything Now....
If you were itching to, you could....

But I think you are on a safe path.

Whacking the top to get rid of those long internodes would be ONE great move for this year.....

If it gives you good buds low, and you can stretch a new lower leader...
You can always cut it farther down.

Make this a test year....

But keep your options open, you're hearing the tree pretty well, just keep listening!

Sorce

 

[Gustavo Martins]

Continuing to look....and crosschecking the actual tree...

It seems any branch inside that left trunk bend is going to look funny...

Maybe continue that trunk line left to the apex, rather than ?ing it back to the right.

I think right side branching will look better that way!
And I have a pet peave about trunks that arch and have branches only on one side...
So you do need right branches....
But that curve of the trunk back to the right makes it hard to pleasingly place them..

Love it though!

I'm going to try another virt continuing the trunk line to the left to see what it looks like.

As far as doing anything Now....
If you were itching to, you could....

But I think you are on a safe path.

Whacking the top to get rid of those long internodes would be ONE great move for this year.....

If it gives you good buds low, and you can stretch a new lower leader...
You can always cut it farther down.

Make this a test year....

Just slip-potted the tree. The roots looked great. Only fine white roots under on the bottom. It was pot bound though. So I just put it in a larger pot with some akadama.

I've been reading about hormones and plant physiology and it interacts with pruning. My idea, for now, is to let it grow and next spring, just when buds start opening I will do all the pruning (top and bottom). Buy pruning both top and bottom, I am hoping to create a balance so that the tree does not get into shock (if only root-pruned) or grows like mad (if only top-pruned). Why spring? because I want it together all the energy it can this growing season, store it in the roots next fall and winter and when it starts to come to 'life', bang... I hope the tree will recover faster and the cuts heal faster as well as it will have all the following growing season to regain strength. What do you reckon?

But keep your options open, you're hearing the tree pretty well, just keep listening!

I do hope so

 

[Gustavo Martins]

Yes, literally.

Just did.

Mulberry.repotted by Gustavo Martins, no Flickr

Bottom roots looked good. All white and fine roots there. No biggies...

 

[sorce]

It looks better already!

Good pic!

Nice!

I just unearthed one for groundlayering...

Sorce

 

[Gustavo Martins]

It looks better already!

Good pic!

Nice!

I just unearthed one for groundlayering...

Sorce

Cool. Are you making a post with it? I want to see it

 

[sorce]

Just for you...

No thread till it's out the ground!

Gotta be soon!





Got a couple weeks to kick around how to go about it.
Concrete cinch? Wire? Cut girdle?

Hmmmm....

Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

the leader to catch up in girth with the trunk

That's the name of the game. If you only cut one side of the slingshot off it doesn't give you much taper.
By chopping it low you also put movement into straight trunk.
It's a mulberry. You could have done all of this when you got it.

 

[GroveKeeper]

Once a mulberry is establish, theyre basically impossible to kill. They can die easily if anything bad happens while theyre establishing. I lost a great one last year because rats came and ate the first set of branches. It put out another but then died.

if its rooted well though, it can take a beating.