Advice needed re: Mulberry Tree

[Maggie3fan]

I don’t think I’ve got a great spot in the backyard for us unfortunately but I’ll look around over the weekend and see if I can find that would work

I had a hydrangea that was already here and too large for me...so I got my pruners and pictured all 3 of my ex-husbands and just went to town...it was fun and soon I had it to the ground...I was not strong enuf to pull it out...so I used Roundup and he was strong enuf to pull it out. My sister also enjoys whacking the heck outta some plant...lol

 

[SuzanneZ]

So at first I was kind of excited when this "stray weed" started getting bigger and bigger and I used PlantNet to determine its a Black Mulberry tree and I thought since its a good Tortoise food, I'd leave it. To be clear - I did not choose where it started growing, it just grew organically, and It has literally doubled in height in less than a year.

Its around 25' from my house, but its "trunk" (such as it is as a baby) is about 2ish feet from the edge of my neighbor's driveway (see photo with red line added).

At first I thought it would be a good shade tree, and good tortoise food, but now I'm wondering if its going to likely rip up my neighbor's driveway with roots and be a complete mess in terms of berries (no fruit yet, but its probably less than 2 years old). I don't know if it will produce berries, and I am not sure how many years I have to give it before I know.

Right now its small enough i could take it out myself, but probably not after another 1-2 years at most.

So is this going to be a mess that I should just take down now while its still small or is this kind of tree not likely to cause a problem? I read differing things online about how bad these trees are for yards... (PS: I like my neighbor and don't want something that will cause bad blood)

(also this is front yard, not a tortoise-occupied space)

I don't know what it is, but it seems to be growing too fast to be a "good" tree. I believe your instinct is right. I talked my mother into leaving a Tung Nut sapling near her flower bed and carport and it grew beautifully and pushed the concrete slab driveway more than a foot into the air at the carport. 😑

 

[SuzanneZ]

I don't know what it is, but it seems to be growing too fast to be a "good" tree. I believe your instinct is right. I talked my mother into leaving a Tung Nut sapling near her flower bed and carport and it grew beautifully and pushed the concrete slab driveway more than a foot into the air at the carport. 😑

The Tung Nut industry in MS was ended by Hurricane Camille, but strays still pop up. The nut is poisonous. They were pressed into a furniture finish.

 

[SinLA]

99% of my mulberry experience is with non-fruiting ones, so the fruit color never entered my mind. I just didn't know there was a third species commonly available.

We had fruiting ones at the animal college that I attended and those were a terrible mess. The fruit eating animals sure liked them though.

Hmm, I wonder how old they are when they begin to fruit, so I"ll know if its a fruiting kind or not.

@Len B @Yvonne G or @wellington any idea when they begin to show fruit?

 

[wellington]

I have no idea, mine are fruitless.

 

[Len B]

So are you suggesting removing it because it will dominate the area or because it will cause damage and mess? The area is OK to have a pretty good size tree assuming it doesn’t damage the driveway next to it. That’s pretty much my biggest concern. If it grows pretty big and tall that space can handle it and the shade on the house it would provide would be welcome.

That said I don’t know how I would trim the branches back to base each year once it becomes a full-fledged tree and not a baby

I don't think it's going to damage anything. Also it's not going to be fruitless, that volunteer seed that started growing in your yard didn't come from a fruitless mulberry tree. But the main reason I suggested moving it is because mulberry trees grow willy nilly with no certain shape and can become ugly and an eyesore.

 

[Tom]

Hmm, I wonder how old they are when they begin to fruit, so I"ll know if its a fruiting kind or not.

@Len B @Yvonne G or @wellington any idea when they begin to show fruit?

Len is right on. Fruitless mulberry trees are propagated from grafts or cuttings. Yours came from a seed, seed that was in a mulberry fruit.

You get fruit on second year wood. There won't be any fruit on branches that grew this year. Those branches have to over winter and then they will produce fruit next year. I don't know if I've ever had black mulberry, but the fruits are quite delicious if you can keep the birds and rodents from devouring it all before you can harvest it. I have a friend who keeps his small mulberry trees wrapped in giant zippered nylon netting/mesh bags so he can keep the critters off of his berries.

Hopefully the bees and other pollinators will find your flowering mulberry tree in the spring and do their work.

Any beekeepers here?

 

[SinLA]

Len is right on. Fruitless mulberry trees are propagated from grafts or cuttings. Yours came from a seed, seed that was in a mulberry fruit.

You get fruit on second year wood. There won't be any fruit on branches that grew this year. Those branches have to over winter and then they will produce fruit next year. I don't know if I've ever had black mulberry, but the fruits are quite delicious if you can keep the birds and rodents from devouring it all before you can harvest it. I have a friend who keeps his small mulberry trees wrapped in giant zippered nylon netting/mesh bags so he can keep the critters off of his berries.

Hopefully the bees and other pollinators will find your flowering mulberry tree in the spring and do their work.

Any beekeepers here?

Ugh, none of that sounds appealing at all. As I mentioned, i have a Ficus in my backyard and the berries are the bane of my existence. Don't mind the birds, but the rodent situation is untenable...

 

[Cathie G]

Yes you have to think about roots, the berries and all of that and that's why I said what I said. The con. My experience with mulberry trees happened when I was 5 or 6. We had two giant ones really close to the road and one was purple and one was white. I'm wondering if the purple ones are considered black. They were growing along a rural road around the year 1959 or 1960. There wasn't any root damage that I can remember but I have to admit I was prejudiced. We had a blast climbing in the lower limbs like monkeys. The berries were good too. The pro. Pros and cons 😁

 

[Tom]

Ugh, none of that sounds appealing at all. As I mentioned, i have a Ficus in my backyard and the berries are the bane of my existence. Don't mind the birds, but the rodent situation is untenable...

I've also never heard of a ficus tree making berries. I have several Ficus benjamina, and no berries ever. I know about a handful of plants, but I'm ignorant about so many more.

 

[SinLA]

I've also never heard of a ficus tree making berries. I have several Ficus benjamina, and no berries ever. I know about a handful of plants, but I'm ignorant about so many more.

I believe Ficus is in the fig family, so they are like blueberry sized figs. Burbank is tearing down all the ficus planted alongside most of the major roads 30 to 50 years ago because in addition to tearing up the sidewalks they also coat them in a layer of sticky berry goop that gets on everyone’s shoes and goes into the stores and it’s just a general nightmare.

My dogs are very very happy during ficus berry season, as are the rats, birds, and squirrels.

if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s an otherwise healthy, 40+ foot tree that shades most of my house from the afternoon sun and cuts my air conditioning bill right down I would be sorely tempted to take it out.

 

[Markw84]

Mulberry trees are notorious for their damaging roots. One of the worst trees in that regard. I would be very concerned with it that close to anything you don't want damaged. They easily lift and crack concrete and their roots seek out water and will damage any plumbing/sewer lines withing 25 feet or so. I planted several around my property and was careful to not put one within 50 feet of anything it could damage. They can grow very quickly and do damage withing 4-5 years if close to concrete.

 

[SinLA]

Mulberry trees are notorious for their damaging roots. One of the worst trees in that regard. I would be very concerned with it that close to anything you don't want damaged. They easily lift and crack concrete and their roots seek out water and will damage any plumbing/sewer lines withing 25 feet or so. I planted several around my property and was careful to not put one within 50 feet of anything it could damage. They can grow very quickly and do damage withing 4-5 years if close to concrete.

Thanks!

My decision is im going to leave it until is starts to bear fruit which will probably be one more year and then if I can't take it out myself, when I have my tree trimmers come they'll be able to take it down easily enough.

Thanks for the advise everyone!

 

[jeff kushner]

OK guys, bear with me.....is a Mulberry and Boysenberry the same tree? It actually may technically even be a bush but we're talking about the same thing? The Berries are generally an inch or so?

I built a chicken-wire nailed to the dirt w/coathanger corners & concrete parged over it pool amongst the roots of a Boysenberry tree at the other house then fenced it in for the little guys. it was 2' deep and 6 or 7ft & bean shaped, It was there for 18 years without a leak or root issue.

I currently have one @ rear corner of my yard, it blocks the view of my neighbors home. It was 12' tall in 2006 and its 35' tall now. On part of the tree, the fruit ripens white, on the part that gets more sun, they ripen black. I think the white ones are sweeter though.

I would be only be concerned with surface concrete such as a sidewalk or patio where their shallow roots can push up and cause damage. They don't seem to crack & exploit like a weeping willow would.

 

[SinLA]

I'll defer to @Len B and others on this

 

[Yvonne G]

OK guys, bear with me.....is a Mulberry and Boysenberry the same tree? It actually may technically even be a bush but we're talking about the same thing? The Berries are generally an inch or so?

I built a chicken-wire nailed to the dirt w/coathanger corners & concrete parged over it pool amongst the roots of a Boysenberry tree at the other house then fenced it in for the little guys. it was 2' deep and 6 or 7ft & bean shaped, It was there for 18 years without a leak or root issue.

I currently have one @ rear corner of my yard, it blocks the view of my neighbors home. It was 12' tall in 2006 and its 35' tall now. On part of the tree, the fruit ripens white, on the part that gets more sun, they ripen black. I think the white ones are sweeter though.

I would be only be concerned with surface concrete such as a sidewalk or patio where their shallow roots can push up and cause damage. They don't seem to crack & exploit like a weeping willow would.

No. boysenberry is a vine. Mulberry is an actual tree.

 

[Jacqui]

Lol I have spent the last two weeks cutting down some of my mulberries. My recommendation is to NOT cut it out. Just trim off branches to keep it trim to the size you want and keep allowing food for your tortoises.

 

[Len B]

Lol I have spent the last two weeks cutting down some of my mulberries. My recommendation is to NOT cut it out. Just trim off branches to keep it trim to the size you want and keep allowing food for your tortoises.

I've been doing the same thing to mine. Mainly to get the out of reach leaves for winter feeding. These new growth branches top out about 20 feet high.this one was cut 5 feet from the ground and it measures 15 feet.this is where it was cut from this winter I'll cut it off below the branches.

 

[Jacqui]

I've been doing the same thing to mine. Mainly to get the out of reach leaves for winter feeding. These new growth branches top out about 20 feet high.View attachment 362702this one was cut 5 feet from the ground and it measures 15 feet.View attachment 362703View attachment 362703this is where it was cut from View attachment 362704this winter I'll cut it off below the branches.

Can always tell a well trimmed one, by all those branches (the last picture). Lol

 

[ryan57]

So at first I was kind of excited when this "stray weed" started getting bigger and bigger and I used PlantNet to determine its a Black Mulberry tree and I thought since its a good Tortoise food, I'd leave it. To be clear - I did not choose where it started growing, it just grew organically, and It has literally doubled in height in less than a year.

Its around 25' from my house, but its "trunk" (such as it is as a baby) is about 2ish feet from the edge of my neighbor's driveway (see photo with red line added).

At first I thought it would be a good shade tree, and good tortoise food, but now I'm wondering if its going to likely rip up my neighbor's driveway with roots and be a complete mess in terms of berries (no fruit yet, but its probably less than 2 years old). I don't know if it will produce berries, and I am not sure how many years I have to give it before I know.

Right now its small enough i could take it out myself, but probably not after another 1-2 years at most.

So is this going to be a mess that I should just take down now while its still small or is this kind of tree not likely to cause a problem? I read differing things online about how bad these trees are for yards... (PS: I like my neighbor and don't want something that will cause bad blood)

(also this is front yard, not a tortoise-occupied space)

My next door neighbor has one that's about 40' and has been there for 50 years according to the 93yo neighbor. Wellington is right about the berries staining. It leaves stains in the asphalt road and it's black! Stump goes over there, eats the berries from the road and has eaten the leaves both while fresh AND in the fall when they are dry. Used them all summer to chop up into a salad. He goes to that tree often for the berries and a neighbors apple tree occasionally. Waaaaay to big to be in the location shown for too long.