In the
By Alfredo Chiri
WEEPING MULBERRY
Morus alba var. Pendula Moraceae
Donated by:
Common names: Weeping mulberry, common mulberry
This cultivar is a female dwarf, deciduous tree, which features a weeping foliage.
The Weeping mulberry, a white mulberry variety, is a small to
medium-sized shrub or tree up to 15 feet tall, round topped with a spread of
equal size.
It has drooping foliage, with a trunk attaining 12 inches in
diameter. The leaves are alternate,
variable in shape, lobed or un-lobed, dentate, 8 inches apart on fruiting
branches. Leaves are smooth above and dark green. It is glabrous along veins
beneath the leaves and light green.
Flowers are small and greenish, in dense spikes to 1/2 inch long with 4
sepals and 4 stamens. The flower pistils have two styles, maturing onto an
aggregate fruit of drupelets 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, white or reddish yellow,
before ripe. Fruit is sweet but insipid. Seeds are brown, 1 to 1.2 mm long.
The Pendula cultivar is a female tree, which
produces fruit, while its male version, the Chaparral cultivar, does not
produce fruit. Both cultivars can be used as ornamentals because of their
weeping foliage.
Weeping white mulberry can be propagated from seeds, but primarily it is
by grafting and, as an alternate method, by cutting. Propagation by cuttings is
done during spring while propagation by grafting is done during late winter,
using a Morus alba
rootstock.
Seeds should be treated with camphor water before sowing to prevent disease.
Seeds are placed in a thin layer of soil after sowing, and the beds
should be kept moist. Seeds germinate in 10-15 days, depending on the season.
When the seedlings are about 6 inches tall, they should be thinned and weeded.
Trans-planted seedlings that are 6 inches tall are used as bushes, while
seedlings that have been allowed to grow up to 3 feet and trained are used as
trees.
Weeping mulberry will tolerate drought and occasional wetness but
prefers soil that is well drained, loamy or clay with a pH thatıs slightly
acidic to slightly alkaline.
Weeping mulberry will grow well in full sun, partial sun, and partial
shade.
Avoid fertilization with high amounts of quick-release Nitrogen. Prune
to shorten branches since plant has weak wood. Trees are susceptible to wind
and storm damage.
The white mulberry is so named for the color of its buds rather than the
color of its fruit. Fruitless cultivars can be used in more extreme
environments where few other trees will grow.