Author Topic: Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?  (Read 3078 times)

Kevin Jones

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Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?
« on: December 12, 2018, 01:09:49 PM »


My Pakistani Mulberry tree is a monster... around 60 feet in height.
Now that cooler weather is here, it's dropped it's leaves and is dormant.
I would like to reduce the height to something more manageable... sub-10 feet would be nice.
Any anticipated problems before I start surgery?
Over the summer I rooted 3 replacement clones as insurance against a worse-case scenario.
Hopefully it will survive the onslaught and bush out at the lower height with easier to harvest fruit as the main benefit.
I'm not particularly concerned about aesthetics... practicality is my main ambition.

As a side note I should have plenty of additional material for rooting more trees.
Thanks for your input.

Kevin

achetadomestica

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Re: Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2018, 08:30:39 PM »
I have never pruned a 60 foot mulberry but I have pruned several mulberries and they respond
well and are easy to branch out when they are small. I do have the Indian jujube that ends up
growing to 15 feet each season. I use a chain saw and cut it back to a three foot trunk and it explodes.

Your 60 foot mulberry I would use a chainsaw and I would wait until it's done with it's fruit next spring.
If you cut it now you may not get much fruit if it is a cold Winter and it stays dormant. If you want to keep it
15 feet and manageable then you may end up pruning in June and September next year. I would think a
60 foot tree will explode after being pruned and you should get another crop.

arc310

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Re: Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?
« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2018, 02:47:53 AM »
my gardeners would hack it every month and it still grows back like crazy. however...it's the new growth that they're really cutting so not sure how older wood branches would do but i would think it would still grow back strong.

Oolie

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Re: Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?
« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2018, 04:46:26 AM »
Sounds like it will be fine. I would saw it back to a stump, take the easternmost and westernmost shoots that spurt back and train them horizontally. that way you can harvest from the vertical branches that grow each year.

Kevin Jones

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Re: Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?
« Reply #4 on: December 13, 2018, 11:13:33 AM »
I thought winter pruning would be safer... less bleeding.
It naturally branched at about 8 ft with a couple of horizontal branches.
I thought I might start there.
And it is definitely chainsaw work.

Any suggestions as to the trimmings/bonus material for propagation?

Kevin

roblack

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Re: Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?
« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2018, 10:45:59 PM »
Assuming Pakistani is like Fl overbearing, sticks from the size of twigs smaller than pencils all the way up to sticks fatter than your thumb should work fine. From 8 inches to 3 feet or more long has worked for me. Just stick em in the dirt and keep moist. Pull all the leaves off, or maybe leave half of one or 2. They root very easily.

Also, I would chop that tree all the way down to 8 feet or less. See if you can leave a collection of leaves still on the tree, but probably wouldn't matter. You could always cut more after the tree starts bouncing back.  It will most likely bush out like crazy and give you tons of berries. Even if it bites the dust, you will have plenty of new trees to take its place. Berries at 60 feet, or even 15, won't do you much good unless you've got a fantastic hi altitude berry harvesting technique.

Kevin Jones

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Re: Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?
« Reply #6 on: December 14, 2018, 09:25:07 AM »
Is there any advantage/disadvantage to cutting it back during the winter while dormant?

Kevin

achetadomestica

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Re: Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?
« Reply #7 on: December 14, 2018, 11:15:23 AM »
The first time I tried to root cuttings from a Pakistan I got 3 dormant cuttings and
2 of them rooted. I have tried a couple times with cuttings from non dormant cuttings and
I have not had any root?

You know you will get 2 tons of fruit next Spring if you don't prune. Doesn't your tree stay
dormant for the whole Winter in Alabama? Where I am the warmer temps the Mulberry trees start to flush
new leaves and are sort of semi dormant depending on the temps. I have had Mulberry trees flush flowers in
January and then we have a frost and I don't get much fruit. Each year different mulberries perform better
for me. I would get your fruit in the Spring and prune afterwards and get more fruit.   

Kevin Jones

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Re: Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?
« Reply #8 on: December 14, 2018, 12:32:49 PM »
This summer I attempted to root dozens of activly growing cuttings... only 3 rooted.
Don't know if that reflects the typical difficulty to root or my abilities.
The tree will stay dormant all winter and if we don't get a surprise late freeze it will set fruit.
The majority of the fruit is well out of reach... so I pick what I can reach and also find a lot on the ground.
Birds seem to enjoy them!

Kevin


ricshaw

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Re: Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?
« Reply #9 on: December 14, 2018, 12:54:20 PM »
Is there any advantage/disadvantage to cutting it back during the winter while dormant?
Kevin

I think the only disadvantage would be less fruit the first year after cutting back during the winter.

Ulfr

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Re: Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?
« Reply #10 on: December 14, 2018, 04:13:35 PM »
They grow back fine here regardless of time of year and amount removed. One warning though, here they don’t heal larger cuts well and eventually rot out.

arc310

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Re: Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?
« Reply #11 on: December 14, 2018, 05:15:16 PM »
They grow back fine here regardless of time of year and amount removed. One warning though, here they don’t heal larger cuts well and eventually rot out.
]

would painting over the larger cutting help heal?

scashaggy

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Re: Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?
« Reply #12 on: December 15, 2018, 10:24:37 PM »
Maybe sprinkle some cinnamon or honey or both on the larger cut?  It may attract animals though. 

Kevin Jones

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Re: Trimming My Pakistani Mulberry Tree - Ideas?
« Reply #13 on: December 16, 2018, 09:58:53 AM »
Pour on some milk and you'll have the start to a nutritious breakfast.

Kevin

« Last Edit: December 17, 2018, 09:39:05 AM by Kevin Jones »