Mulberry tree fruitless is a great pick as a landscape tree for your home garden. This ornamental plant would make a great cool shade in the summer.
It is such a beautiful tree that is very easy to grow.
If you plan to have this mulberry tree in your garden, this article would be useful for you. It will provide all the needed knowledge to start planting.
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Fruitless Mulberry Tree Identification
The Latin name of this mulberry tree fruitless is Morus alba, a species of deciduous tree. It is also called the male version of the white mulberry tree.
Chinese people use them to feed the silkworm larvae.
According to history, the silkworm is the main reason for the successful ancient textile industry in China.
Such production is still happening today in many other countries too. Enough about the history lesson, let’s get more detail on the characteristics.
This mulberry tree will produce a very dense crown with a rounded top. The tree can reach 20 to 60 feet high.
The width of the trunk can go up to 45 feet wide. Its foliage will be deep and shady. As said before, it makes a nice addition to any garden.
When the tree is still young, you may see an orange-colored tinge. It would not be there anymore when it gets mature.
This mulberry tree is an evergreen one when you grow in a tropical climate. However, it is deciduous in temperate zones.
Even though this plant is going to be a tall tree, you can shape it to have a short, stout trunk and a central leader with a crown.
You can create it with the lateral branches. Uniquely, this tree does not bear any fruit. You can easily identify them because of this.
Hence, you will not see any mulberry fruit coming out of this tree.
Growing Fruitless Mulberry Tree
One of the main reasons gardeners choose this tree for their garden is the fact that there will be no berry mess on the ground.
It would be a disaster since it would stain everything that touches it. The mulberry tree fruitless is a great option to avoid the issue.
When you decide to grow a mulberry tree fruitless, make sure to plant it under full sun or partial shade.
The tree will grow strong roots. So, do not plant it nearby driveways or sidewalks.
The ideal distance should be about six feet away. Otherwise, the roots would crack and lift the pavement or cement.
You can grow this fruitless tree on any kind of soil. Make sure it is well-drained and loamy to have the best result.
During the first year, staking is very essential. Then, the stake should be removed after a year to avoid a bad impact.
Taking Care of Mulberry Tree Fruitless
This is an easy tree to grow. Indeed, you will only need to do some little things. Once the tree is established, it can handle both drought and flooding.
Then, the tree can grow much faster when you water it during dry spells. The first year of the growth does not need any kind of fertilizer.
The second year is the right time to add it. You just need to give a 2-inch layer of compost. Add it during the spring season.
Add the compost by spreading it under the canopy and about a meter further.
Granular fertilizer is also an option to go with. The ratio should be about 3:1:1. Some fruitless mulberry tree diseases can also be a problem.
The yellowing of leaves becomes one of the diseases. Sometimes, you may find the lushness turns yellow.
It is because of infections from fungus. They infect the underside of the foliage.
Further, they take the water quantity inside the tree. Besides, the cause of the yellow leaves can also come from leaf spots and cotton root rot which come from the roots.
As a gardener, you can handle this mulberry tree fruitless disease easily. Just water the plant regularly and deeply.
If you do not supply enough water while growing the mulberry tree, this problem would attack again.
Pruning Mulberry Tree
Another step in caring for mulberry tree fruitless is pruning. When the tree is mature, it does not really need pruning often.
For young trees, you need to shape them and remove or shorten the branches.
When is the proper time to prune the trees? It is during winter. In this season, all the leaves have dropped.
If you want to remove the dead and damaged branches, just cut them off anytime you want.
One of the major problems of growing mulberry trees is their fast growth. It can grow extremely quickly.
Moreover, the lateral roots are shallow and it needs a lot of water to grow. For those who can handle those things, the trees will give them the beauty to grace the landscape.
Fruitless Mulberry Tree Pros and Cons
There will be ups and downs in planting a mulberry tree fruitless. Before you decide to plant them in your garden, these pros and cons are here as part of your consideration.
Pros
This tree is a good option for a garden landscaping plant. You can have it in almost all regions in North America.
It can handle any condition, even extreme ones. In fact, the tree can grow very fast. Its height reaches up to 20 feet.
The width can go up to 20 feet.
Meanwhile, the full size will go within three years of planting. There is a health benefit that a mulberry tree has to offer.
Its leaves have a long history of being used as traditional medicine. It became a remedy for many kinds of ailments.
In fact, the leaves are filled with good nutrients for the body.
Cons
Besides, it can grow very fast, the large leaves will give heavy shade and big branches you can climb. However, it can be a problem.
When the tree got diseases or shallow roots, managing the problems would be much harder.
The mulberry leaf spot is another problem to handle. This is a fungal disease that you should manage as soon as possible.
If you do not handle it, many leaves will start to fall off. The most dangerous one is Armillaria root rot.
This disease is also known as oak root fungus.
It will destroy the tree slowly. You will not get a healthy canopy for your garden. Eventually, it will affect the entire thing in the landscape.
Mulberry Tree Facts
According to history, Mulberry trees were used during the Roman empire era. They took the leaves and processed them to treat several kinds of diseases of the lungs, trachea, and mouth.
As time goes by, many other medicinal uses were found.
However, this tree became popular because of its use in the industry of silk. As said before, mulberry leaves are the food for silkworms.
It will enhance the production for making silk.
In Germany, the mulberry tree was associated with evil because of its ancient folklore. The story told that the devil used the roots of the mulberry tree to polish their boots.
There are many kinds of mulberry varieties. They are White, Red, Black, Texas, Chinese, And African. The two famous kinds of mulberry are white and red.
FAQ about Mulberry Tree
Are mulberry tree fruitless good?
This is an excellent choice for a shade tree for your landscape. It is the right one if you opt for medium or large size tree.
Its growth can reach up to 60 feet high with a perfect canopy. So, is it good? It will be a great choice.
What is the Life Expectancy of a mulberry tree fruitless?
If you take good care of your tree, this type of plant can survive for up to 150 years. So, it would be in your garden like forever.
The key is to give proper care according to its needs. You already know that from this article.
How fast does it grow?
As said before, mulberry trees can grow quickly. Well, that is not completely true when it comes to maturity.
Naturally, you can have a big and mature tree within 10 years or more. Specifically, fruitless mulberries can grow about 3 feet per year.
Do fruitless mulberry trees have invasive roots?
Yes, they do. They have shallow and invasive roots that have the ability to come out to the surface. It is important to plant it a distance from the house.
The roots can get under the house which can cause dire consequences.
How far from a building the tree should be planted?
The ideal distance is about 6 feet away from the house. Make sure the spot will provide full sun for its growth.
Conclusion
For gardeners who are looking for a tree that offers a dense canopy and a beautiful landscape, a mulberry tree fruitless is a winning pick.
Do not bother to clean the mess from the dropping fruits cause there will be none.