Possible to determine if true Morus rubra vs M. alba hybrid?
Comments (7)
9 years ago- 9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
Neither of them has leafed out yet, so I'll get some better pictures when they do - will probably have to get a ladder to get a shot of the foliage, they're huuuuge trees. I haven't a clue how old they are, though I'm sure the little-old-ladies who grew up here will talk my ear off if asked - should be able to narrow down which pair was here first. ;)
Their proximity to the barn foundation (which is give or take 300yrs old) makes me think they weren't intentionally planted. I'll have to keep an eye out for other specimens... I don't recall seeing any others on the property (10 acres) and can't think of any others in town.
Long term bottom line question is, if these are true morus rubra, and thus endangered, what sort of limitations will that entail? I'm obviously not planning on clearcutting and building a Quick-E-Mart or anything, but it would be nice to prune some of the really scary limbs so I'm not constantly flinching every time he wind blows.
Plant Identification - I've inherited a 5b/6a jungle... · More Info
Plant Identification - I've inherited a 5b/6a jungle... · More Info Related Discussions
Looking to try some new mulberries
Comments (12)Chiming in from the west coast, IE seems to be my best so far. It is healthy and produces well, tastes great. I can't say that for my lavender, which took a long time to bear, tastes OK, small berries, but is having a disease problem on the trunk that is threatening to girdle it. Oscar that has been in the ground about 3 years also has a disease problem and had a large portion of the top die as well as having dieback on the trunk. So far it starts to make fruit then they don't develope so have never tasted it. Noir de Spain and its replacement both died over winter. Black Beauty is grafted very high, at 6 feet, which is very inconvenient, it was all Burnt Ridge had at the farmer's market. It has trouble getting the sap up to the branches in spring so has a lot of dieback. The "flavor" that I've seen raved about is mostly due to its being highly acidic. I ate a berry once with my head tilted back and the acid was burning my throat. So... I'll vote for IE, though I have the weeping mulberry and while the berries are small, it has a nice flavor, is very early, and the weeping habit hides the berries from the birds.:-P It is really cute, too. I got the variegated Paper Dolls, which has partly reverted to green and is still very small, like under 12" tall, it's 3rd year. If it ever amounts to anything I will report. A poor "second" of Wellington I bought didn't make it, so I didn't get to try it. When I was a kid in Houston, there was a great white mulberry that was very large, sweet, and juicy, but I don't know what variety it was. I would go for it if I could. Silk Hope and Pakistan sound great, but I would like to hear of their growing well locally....See MoreSeed vs clonal propagation of species (and rootstock)
Comments (57)mad_gallica -- 'Rose de Rescht' is available clean, but not due to our heat therapy. We got it from Heirloom, who apparently imported a clean one from Europe. We indexed it here and found it clean. true-blue -- I've heard people make claims for resistance to fungal diseases and other "miracle cures," but I have no reason to believe any of them. Removing the viruses that cause mosaic will alleviate any symptoms those viruses may cause, which may include fewer, smaller flowers, shorter stems, less longevity, less cold-hardiness, etc. And in at least some varieties that are said to have "declined," it seems to help reverse that. But no, I'm not aware of (nor would I expect) other major benefits. I'm sure by "indexing," you mean the heat therapy process. Actually, indexing follows therapy -- it is the series of tests done to demonstrate freedom from the viruses, after we've removed them....See MoreMaple - October Glory vs. Autumn Blaze (bare with me! :))
Comments (45)Yes, we are Sunset 3B here.... The sunshine on most days and temps in summer is the reason so much agriculture grows successfully here. Of course, they irrigate. I am surprised Wenatchee is the same zone as us, but I guess it doesn't take into account the amount of snowfall they get (They are probably the -15f extreme.. we are more like -5f.) RE: the suitability of the trees I listed, The Thornless Honeylocust seems to thrive here, it does well in alkaline soil and is drought tolerant. As a prairie tree, it thrives in full sun. I have noticed many honeylocusts in yards that do not irrigate, growing just fine... The list of negatives of the tree is pretty short, and it seems very adaptable to our conditions. Linden -- RE: irrigating, I don't know. We will have some lawn on the property, so a tree/trees in that area would get more water. Linden tolerates alkaline soil and has small leaves... Thus, it seemed to be an *option.* ash -- I still have to go to our local extension office.. I will ask them about borers here. Ash also tolerates alkaline soil and was another option for my lawn area. If the borers are that bad here, I won't consider it....See MoreWill inter-specific natural hybridization occur?
Comments (2)You are 100% correct on the hawthorn hybridization, they seem ready to jump in the sack with any other hawthorn that is in bloom at the same time. A good example of natural/semi-natural inter-specific hybridization could be those blight resistant selections of american chestnut. Seeing that the Chinese chestnut is resistant, and there have been some intentional hybridizations to introduce blight resistance, I would be very surprised if there wasn't some natural inter-specific hybridization between the two; as well as with the various chinquapin species....See More- 9 years ago
- 9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
And we've got leaves!
okay so they're a bit young still...
not the best photos, lowest leaves I could get to without falling out of the tree.
speaking of bad pruning... My minimal knowledge of the art remembers something about straight vertical sprouts are a no-no. Meet tree #2, definitely the uglier of the two:
8 years ago
wisconsitom