Mulberry (Morus Rubra)

Botanical name: Morus Rubra

Also known as:

• Red Mulberry 
• Common Mulberry
• American Mulberry 
• Morus Alba
• Tooth Mulberry Plant
• Silkworm Mulberry
• توت

Mulberry is a perennial tree.

Red Mulberry is a deciduous tree that may grow to 30 feet with a short trunk about 2 feet in diameter and a dense, spreading crown. The tree grows throughout North Carolina, usually in the rich, red soils of lower and middle parts of the state, but it is found in all regions. There are no other native species of mulberry in the state.

The leaves are alternate, thin, somewhat heart-shaped, and rough with a toothed margin and up to 3 lobes. The bark is gray-brown with long, scaly ridges.

In spring, small, pale green male and female slim, cylindrical flowers mature. The small tree produces a 1 to 1.25 inch long cluster of drupes that mature in summer.

The fruit resembles a blackberry and if eaten when unripe, is poisonous as is the milky white sap, which is a part of the tree produce. Fruits that are eaten when ripe are harmless.

The Red mulberry is best grown in rich, moist, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. It will be at its best in full sun. Prune in late fall or winter to avoid bleeding. It is easily grown from seed or cuttings and may also self-seed somewhat prolifically. It does not do well in poor soil.

Mulberry trees should be planted in full sun with no less than 15 feet between trees, ideally in warm, well-draining soil such as deep loam. Don’t plant them near a sidewalk unless you don’t mind the staining or the potential tracking in of squashed berries

Once the tree has established, there is very little additional mulberry tree care required.

The trees are fairly drought tolerant but will benefit from some irrigation during the dry season. Mulberries do well without additional fertilization, but a 10-10-10 application, once per year will keep them healthy. Mulberries are even primarily free from most pests and diseases.

Do not prune heavily since mulberries are prone to bleeding at the cuts. Avoid cuts of more than 2 inches, which will not heal. If you prune when the tree is in its dormancy, bleeding is less severe. Thereafter, only judicious pruning of mulberry trees is necessary, only to remove dead or overcrowded branches.

(Flowering Plants only blossom in their respective seasons. All plants are sold in generic nursery pots, and may naturally vary in colors/sizes from the exact images illustrated above.)