Black Mulberry
Black Mulberry
Latin name: Morus nigra Common name: Black Mulberry Originates from: West Asia
Ideal growing conditions:
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution. Try to find a specimen that is part-trained. This will create a well-formed tree more quickly. Improve the soil over the planting area before digging the planting pit and stake in the early years to prevent windrock, ensuring good root development. Ensure that the young tree does not dry out in the first few seasons to aid establishment.
Description & size:
Deciduous, broadleaf, and can grow up to 9 metres tall. It has a short trunk and low, spreading branches. The leaves are most often heart-shaped but can vary. They are dark green when mature and have a rough hairy feel to them. The mulberry tree has a spreading habit and becomes crooked and gnarled with time, so allow 5-10m (16-33ft) in diameter.
Fruiting time:
In flower from May to June and the picking season is over three weeks in August and September. Fruiting may not begin until eight or nine years after planting. Gather the fruit by shaking branches over a sheet spread on the ground and don't forget to wear gloves if you want to avoid the fruit staining your hands.
What to do with fruit:
The black mulberry has dark purple fruits, almost black when ripe. The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, in desserts and is used to make conserves and drinks such as mulberry wine.
Historical stories and uses:
Originally from Asia, Britain it was brought to Europe by the Romans and the Greeks who grew it for its bittersweet fruit. The black mulberry was introduced to Britain in the early part of the 16th century and cultivated as food for silkworms. Although James I insisted on many trees being planted, the silkworms preferred the fruit of the white mulberry (Morus alba) from China and unable to be grown in Britain.
The mulberry was at one time regularly planted in prison yards and it is believed that the nursery rhyme 'Here we go round the mulberry bush' comes from the daily exercise undertaken by the prisoners.
Medicinal uses:
Do we need a disclaimer? [The Buckingham Edible Woodland project can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.]
The mulberry has a long history of medicinal use in Chinese medicine, and the leaves are antibacterial, astringent, diaphoretic, hypoglycaemic, odontalgic and ophthalmic. They are taken internally in the treatment of colds, influenza, eye infections and nosebleeds. The leaves are collected after the first frosts of autumn and can be used fresh but are generally dried. The stems are antirheumatic, diuretic, hypotensive and pectoral. A tincture of the bark is used to relieve toothache. The branches are harvested in late spring or early summer and are dried for later use. The fruit has a tonic effect on kidney energy. It is used in the treatment of urinary incontinence, tinnitus, premature greying of the hair and constipation in the elderly. Its main use in herbal medicine is as a colouring and flavouring in other medicines. The root bark is antitussive, diuretic, expectorant and hypotensive. It is used internally in the treatment of asthma, coughs, bronchitis, oedema, hypertension and diabetes. The roots are harvested in the winter and dried for later use. The bark is anthelmintic and purgative, it is used to expel tape worms. Extracts of the plant have antibacterial and fungicidal activity. A homeopathic remedy is made from the leaves. It is used in the treatment of diabetes.
Maintenance (pruning, etc):
A slow growing but very ornamental tree, the mulberry takes many years to settle down and produce good crops of fruit, about 15 years being the norm. Trees fruit well in southern and south-western Britain but they require the protection of a wall further north if the fruit is to ripen. This is a good tree for growing grapes into. It means that the grapes are difficult to pick, but they always seem to be healthier and free from fungal diseases. Plants are late coming into leaf and also lose their leaves at the first autumn frosts though the tree in leaf casts quite a dense shade.
Mulberries have brittle roots and so need to be handled with care when planting them out. Any pruning should only be carried out in the winter when the plant is fully dormant because mulberries bleed badly when cut. remove badly placed shoots that interfere with the shape of the tree. Remove any that appear on the trunk below the framework and those that are dead, broken, crossing or over-crowded. It is always best to support low-hanging branches by driving a forked stake into the ground and resting the branch on this, cushioned with sacking.
In late winter, apply a general purpose fertiliser such as Growmore or fish, blood and bone at a rate of 70g per sq m. In spring, apply a mulch of organic matter such as well-rotted manure. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.
Mulberries can suffer from a bacterial leaf spot which can cause dieback. Cut out any affected branches in autumn and burn them. Protection from birds may be necessary by using netting on smaller trees. As trees mature, mulberries have a tendency to lean or suffer from split limbs. To avoid splits or having to make large pruning cuts, prop low-lying branches before their weight causes them to break
Latin name: Morus nigra Common name: Black Mulberry Originates from: West Asia
Ideal growing conditions:
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution. Try to find a specimen that is part-trained. This will create a well-formed tree more quickly. Improve the soil over the planting area before digging the planting pit and stake in the early years to prevent windrock, ensuring good root development. Ensure that the young tree does not dry out in the first few seasons to aid establishment.
Description & size:
Deciduous, broadleaf, and can grow up to 9 metres tall. It has a short trunk and low, spreading branches. The leaves are most often heart-shaped but can vary. They are dark green when mature and have a rough hairy feel to them. The mulberry tree has a spreading habit and becomes crooked and gnarled with time, so allow 5-10m (16-33ft) in diameter.
Fruiting time:
In flower from May to June and the picking season is over three weeks in August and September. Fruiting may not begin until eight or nine years after planting. Gather the fruit by shaking branches over a sheet spread on the ground and don't forget to wear gloves if you want to avoid the fruit staining your hands.
What to do with fruit:
The black mulberry has dark purple fruits, almost black when ripe. The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, in desserts and is used to make conserves and drinks such as mulberry wine.
Historical stories and uses:
Originally from Asia, Britain it was brought to Europe by the Romans and the Greeks who grew it for its bittersweet fruit. The black mulberry was introduced to Britain in the early part of the 16th century and cultivated as food for silkworms. Although James I insisted on many trees being planted, the silkworms preferred the fruit of the white mulberry (Morus alba) from China and unable to be grown in Britain.
The mulberry was at one time regularly planted in prison yards and it is believed that the nursery rhyme 'Here we go round the mulberry bush' comes from the daily exercise undertaken by the prisoners.
Medicinal uses:
Do we need a disclaimer? [The Buckingham Edible Woodland project can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.]
The mulberry has a long history of medicinal use in Chinese medicine, and the leaves are antibacterial, astringent, diaphoretic, hypoglycaemic, odontalgic and ophthalmic. They are taken internally in the treatment of colds, influenza, eye infections and nosebleeds. The leaves are collected after the first frosts of autumn and can be used fresh but are generally dried. The stems are antirheumatic, diuretic, hypotensive and pectoral. A tincture of the bark is used to relieve toothache. The branches are harvested in late spring or early summer and are dried for later use. The fruit has a tonic effect on kidney energy. It is used in the treatment of urinary incontinence, tinnitus, premature greying of the hair and constipation in the elderly. Its main use in herbal medicine is as a colouring and flavouring in other medicines. The root bark is antitussive, diuretic, expectorant and hypotensive. It is used internally in the treatment of asthma, coughs, bronchitis, oedema, hypertension and diabetes. The roots are harvested in the winter and dried for later use. The bark is anthelmintic and purgative, it is used to expel tape worms. Extracts of the plant have antibacterial and fungicidal activity. A homeopathic remedy is made from the leaves. It is used in the treatment of diabetes.
Maintenance (pruning, etc):
A slow growing but very ornamental tree, the mulberry takes many years to settle down and produce good crops of fruit, about 15 years being the norm. Trees fruit well in southern and south-western Britain but they require the protection of a wall further north if the fruit is to ripen. This is a good tree for growing grapes into. It means that the grapes are difficult to pick, but they always seem to be healthier and free from fungal diseases. Plants are late coming into leaf and also lose their leaves at the first autumn frosts though the tree in leaf casts quite a dense shade.
Mulberries have brittle roots and so need to be handled with care when planting them out. Any pruning should only be carried out in the winter when the plant is fully dormant because mulberries bleed badly when cut. remove badly placed shoots that interfere with the shape of the tree. Remove any that appear on the trunk below the framework and those that are dead, broken, crossing or over-crowded. It is always best to support low-hanging branches by driving a forked stake into the ground and resting the branch on this, cushioned with sacking.
In late winter, apply a general purpose fertiliser such as Growmore or fish, blood and bone at a rate of 70g per sq m. In spring, apply a mulch of organic matter such as well-rotted manure. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.
Mulberries can suffer from a bacterial leaf spot which can cause dieback. Cut out any affected branches in autumn and burn them. Protection from birds may be necessary by using netting on smaller trees. As trees mature, mulberries have a tendency to lean or suffer from split limbs. To avoid splits or having to make large pruning cuts, prop low-lying branches before their weight causes them to break