How to Grow Mulberries: Planting Methods and Precautions

Mulberries are deeply loved by consumers because of their high edible value and good taste. There are also many people who want to grow mulberries now. However, many people cause a series of problems during planting because their personal skills are not up to par, so how exactly should mulberries be grown to make them grow well and bear more fruit?

How to Grow Mulberries

1. Site conditions: Fruit mulberries have strong adaptability, and no matter whether they are planted in yellow loess soil, sandy loam or loam, they can grow healthily. The better the water, fertilizer and light, the higher the yield. Ordinary farmland, field edges and roadsides can all be used.

2. Variety selection: For fresh eating of mulberries as the main purpose, it is advisable to plant Wu Zi Da Shi and Hong Guo No. 2. The former has good fruit flavor and early maturity; the latter has high yield and is relatively cold-tolerant. For the purpose of processing mulberry juice, etc., it is advisable to choose Hong Guo No. 1, Hong Guo No. 2, and 8632. Hong Guo No. 1 is cold-tolerant and extremely high-yielding. Note that no matter which variety is planted, 5-10% male plants must be configured as pollinator trees.

3. Planting density: The Wu Zi Da Shi variety has relatively soft branches and a loose tree shape, so use a row spacing of 150 cm and a plant spacing of 120 cm (370 plants per mu); other varieties have upright branches and a compact tree shape, so use the 130 cm×100 cm or 130 cm×130 cm form.

4. Field planting: The cultivation period is from after leaf fall in late autumn to before germination in the spring of the second year. Level the land, dig trenches 50 cm deep according to the plant and row spacing, and apply farmyard manure and phosphate fertilizer. Separate the purchased mulberry seedlings by size, arrange the fruiting trees and pollinator trees in a reasonable combination, and water thoroughly after planting to settle the roots.

Mulberry Planting Methods and Precautions

1. Planting methods:

Sowing in February-March is most suitable. First, fully break up the soil along the mulberry sowing row line to a width of 3 cun and water it thoroughly, then sow mulberry seeds in spots along the mulberry row line, with a sowing rate of 2-3 liang per mu (sow 3-6 seeds every 3 cun), cover the seeds thinly with fine mud powder, and finally cover with grass and water again. Intercrop economic crops such as soybeans, peanuts, and vegetables between the rows (not too close to the mulberry seedlings). Intercropping crops can be carried out at the same time as sowing, or appropriately earlier, and strive to finish harvesting in May so as not to affect mulberry tree growth.

2. Precautions:

After sowing, pay attention to watering during the seedling stage, weed, fertilize and remove insects in time. After the intercropped crops are harvested, fertilize in time, and silkworms can be raised before long. In order to build up the trees, do not carry out summer pruning that year; in winter, prune about 1.5 chi above the ground, keep enough strong plants at 6000-7000 plants per mu (row spacing 2.1-2.4 chi, plant spacing 4-5 cun), dig out excess seedlings to sell or plant yourself, and apply heavy winter fertilizer.

How to Prune Mulberries

1. Branch training. This is usually carried out during the winter dormant period, cutting off dead stubs, dead stakes, diseased and insect-damaged branches, thin and weak branches, etc. on the mulberry tree. The cut should be close to the branch intersection, and the cut should be smooth.

2. Pinching. During the spring silkworm period, the tender tips at the top of new shoots need to be removed. For late-growing mulberry trees, pinching is generally carried out on a sunny day about 10-15 days before leaf use, while for early and mid-growing mulberry trees it is carried out about one week before leaf use. For those using leaves early, the tender tips with two open leaves should be removed, while for those using leaves late, the tender tips with one open leaf can be removed.

Common Mulberry Pests and Control

1. Mulberry longhorn beetle: use hook killing, egg capture, protection of natural enemies, and manual killing;

2. Scarab beetle: Manual control: take advantage of the adult insect's death-feigning behavior, shake the branches in the evening, and kill the adult insects that fall to the ground. Physical control: take advantage of the adult insect's phototaxis, and from 7-10 pm in the evening, hang black light lamps to trap and kill adult insects. Horticultural control: combine with winter plowing and land preparation, and pick up and remove larvae, pupae and adults. Chemical control: during the period when adults cause damage, spray 50% methamidophos 800-1000 times dilution, or 50% phoxim 800-100 times dilution, 40% omethoate emulsion 1000 times dilution, and spray once every 2-3 days during the peak occurrence period of adults, continuously spraying for 2-3 days. In this way, the damage of scarab beetles and other pests can basically be prevented and controlled.

When planting mulberries, you must do a good job in site selection, and then plant at the right time. After planting, management needs to be strengthened, and timely pruning and pest control are both very important. Only by doing these tasks well can mulberries grow healthily.