How to Propagate Mulberry Trees by Cuttings and How to Prune Mulberry Branches and Leaves
Mulberry trees were first cultivated in central and northern China. Now they are also cultivated in all provinces and regions from northeast to southwest China, and in the northwest as far as Xinjiang. Later, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, the Central Asian countries, Russia, Europe and other places, as well as India and Vietnam, also began to cultivate and grow them. The mulberry leaves are the feed eaten by silkworms. The wood of the mulberry tree can also be made into utensils, the branches can be used to weave baskets, the bark can also be used as a raw material for papermaking, and the mulberries can be eaten or used to make wine.
How to Propagate Mulberry Trees by Cuttings
1. Cuttings are generally taken in autumn, and it is suitable to choose the part of a new mulberry shoot that is in the upper section, not yet lignified and about to become lignified. The mother branch should be from a young mulberry tree. Choose the middle and lower parts of vigorous growing branches, cut them into sections 15-20 cm long, the upper buds should be plump and full and free of disease, cut flat at the bud tip, and make an oblique cut at the lower end slightly below and on the opposite side of the bud. The cut surface needs to be smooth.
2. Soak new mulberry shoots in rooting agent for about 2-4 hours, while old mulberry shoots need to be soaked for 6-10 hours. After soaking, take them out and wash them with clean water, place them upright close together, and after they dry they can be inserted for planting. Then carry out sand storage to promote rooting: use clean river sand to form a certain seedbed surface, insert the treated cuttings into the sand, with a plant spacing of about 2-3 cm, keep the sand moist, and once roots have formed they can be transplanted.
How to Prune Mulberry Branches and Leaves
1. Usually, the first pruning is carried out in autumn after the leaves of potted mulberry trees have fallen, mainly cutting off thin and weak branches. Doing this helps them through the winter and prevents nutrients from being absorbed and wasted by small branches. Then, before germination in early spring of the second year, prune again, mainly trimming the tips of the branches, which helps inhibit the apical dominance of the mulberry tree, promotes the sprouting of more leaves and flower buds, and benefits fruiting.
2. This is usually carried out during the winter dormant period, cutting off dead knots, dead stubs, diseased and pest-infested branches, thin and weak branches, and so on from the mulberry tree. The cut should be close to the branch intersection, and the cut surface should be smooth. Shoot tip pruning is carried out during the dormant period of the mulberry tree. Cut away the part of the mulberry branch tip where the tissue is not fully developed. Generally, branches over 1.5 m can have 1/4-1/3 cut off, branches around 1.5 m can have 1/5-1/4 cut off, and branches around 1 m are suitable to have 10-15 cm cut off.
How to Plant Mulberry Trees
1. Choose soil with a deep, loose and fertile layer, in a place far from pollution, that can be irrigated and drained; it is best to choose paddy fields. In addition, scattered mountain land, sloping land, river beach land and so on can all be used to plant mulberry trees. Deeply plow the soil to promote the oxidation of the subsoil and enhance aeration and water permeability.
2. Apply sufficient base fertilizer. It is required to use 20-30 loads of fully decomposed pig and cattle manure and farmyard manure as base fertilizer, and bury the organic fertilizer deep in the soil in combination with deep plowing. Level the land and dig irrigation and drainage ditches. The land preparation should be fine, with no weeds and a level bed surface. The bed width is 1.3-1.6 m, and the ditch depth is 20-30 cm. Dig irrigation and drainage ditches around the field and cross ditches in the middle of the field, with a depth 10 cm deeper than the bed ditches.
3. Seedling selection and treatment. Strong and healthy seedlings of improved mulberry varieties should be selected, free of diseases and pests. When planting mulberry in summer and autumn, try not to damage the roots when lifting the seedlings, and preserve the root system of the mulberry seedlings; when planting mulberry in winter and spring, the overly long main roots should be lightly pruned to promote the development of more lateral roots. Before planting, dip the roots in mud mixed with phosphate fertilizer, which helps rooting and survival.
Common Diseases of Mulberry Trees
1. Brown spot disease. Symptom identification: this disease is prone to occur under conditions of high temperature and high humidity in summer and autumn. It mostly occurs on tender leaves. In the early stage of leaf disease, water-soaked small spots appear, which later expand into polygonal tea-brown lesions. The lesions swell after absorbing water and are prone to rot and perforation.
2. Bacterial black wilt disease (also called bacterial disease). Symptom identification: this disease harms the new tender branches and leaves at the tips of mulberry trees, and mostly occurs after heavy rain in summer and autumn. In the early stage of the disease, oily round or polygonal lesions appear on the leaf surface, and the lesions gradually expand and turn yellow-brown; the leaves shrink, and in severe cases wither and fall off. This disease is also called black wilt disease or rotten head disease. If there is strong wind, the diseased part breaks easily, and the broken opening oozes pus.
In the above text I have briefly explained the pruning methods for mulberry trees. Has everyone mastered them? Overall, mulberry trees are still relatively easy to grow. Their utilization value is so high that it is no wonder so many people have started planting them.