How to grow the mulberry in a biological way
How to grow the mulberry in a biological way
Mulberry cultivation is essentially based on three species: Morus alba L., Morus nigra L. and Morus rubra L. The most cultivated species in Italy are Morus alba L. (White mulberry) and Morus nigra L. (Mulberry) black), to a lesser extent also the Morus rubra L. (Red mulberry) most common in America. The white Mulberry is more resistant to the cold than the black Mulberry, so that the two species are distributed differently according to the latitude.
Once a plant used for the silkworm breeding, an endangered tradition, even if in a small recovery in recent years.
For its cultivation it is necessary to know that it is a very rustic tree; even with the difference between the various species, the Mulberry is a plant very resistant to climatic variability; it is the black mulberry which then resists even better at temperatures of -15 ° C, so it can be grown from north to south, without particular difficulties.
Also with regard to the land it is a very rustic plant even if in deep and more organic soils from more productions. The most tolerated pH is however the neutral one. For this reason, however, at the time of implantation we recommend a good supply of organic substance to be placed in a hole of 60 x 60 x 60. The planting of this plant, given the size that these trees can reach can never fall below the 8 x 8 meters, preferring wider sixths. The trick, however, in the case of plantations in the gardens is to place it away from sidewalks or points of residence because of the dirt and stains (especially the mulberries with dark blacks) that remain.
For the plant we recommend the purchase of plants already in ground bread that in the space of three or four years start to produce; the recommended period is that at the end of winter so as to make it possible to take advantage of the residual humidity and the vegetative growth.
As for the fertilization this should be done exclusively with mature manure to be buried in the winter around the trunk and the possibility of integrating with the late spring work the ash coming from the burning of branches and plant residues. Irrigation is necessary in the first years of life, then for the characteristics of this plant and for the depth of the roots its necessity diminishes until it finishes around 10-15 years of life.
If you grow the mulberry for productive purposes, the pruning aims to ventilate the tree inside and remove the dry branches. For ornamental purposes, pruning has much less meaning than to grow the plant in a balanced (and therefore pleasing from an aesthetic point of view).
Particular attention must be paid to the harvesting of dark pulp varieties, because of the stains they leave on both garments and on the skin. The advice is to use clothes and garments worn only for this operation.
As far as the pests are concerned these can be represented only by mealybugs and aphids, in this case spraying with Marseille soap is the best remedy.