Mulberry Tree Trimming

Mulberry trees can yield harvests of luscious fruit.

The mulberry is a deciduous fruit tree with glossy, lobed leaves and small flowers held on catkins that can develop into copious harvests of succulent mulberries. Botanically classified as fruits -- not berries -- mulberries have a flavor that is sweet yet tart. They are delicious in pies, cobblers, jellies and jams. There are three species of mulberry tree: the white mulberry, the red mulberry and the much smaller black mulberry, considered to have the most flavorful fruit. No matter what type of mulberry tree you have, you can increase its health, vigor and fruit yield by proper pruning.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears or pruning saw

Instructions

1. Prune the mulberry tree to develop a strong structure when it is young by establishing four to six uniformly spaced main limbs -- or scaffolds -- coming off from the main trunk in a whorl. Trim to maintain an approximate pyramidal or Christmas tree shape as the tree grows.

2. Lightly prune the new growth every July. Cut the lateral branches to six leaves to develop spurs near the main branches.

3. Remove any branches that are dead, dying, broken, diseased or rubbing against each other. Do this in the winter after the leaves have dropped and the mulberry tree is dormant.

4. Prune to open up the mulberry tree to increased air circulation and sunshine by cutting the oldest and tallest branches back to their points of origin. Take care not to remove more than 1/3 of the branches, and to cut back to a branch that is at least 1/3 the size of the branch you are removing.

5. Prune low branches any time of year to increase the clearance under the mulberry tree; this makes it more convenient to work around the tree and to harvest the fruit. Also snip off any suckers -- weak, new, twig-like growth that can rob the tree of needed nutrients.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the three-cut system to remove any branches that are larger in diameter than 1 inch. Use the pruning saw to make the first cut from underneath, 1/3 of the way through the branch a few feet out from the branch collar, the point where the branch meets the trunk. Make the second cut from above -- an inch farther away from the trunk than the first -- and make it all the way through the limb. Make the third and final cut from the bottom up, just beyond the branch collar, being careful not to cut flush with the tree.

• Don't use the technique known as pollarding, in which all branches on the tree are cut back to the same point each year. This type of excessive pruning severely reduces the number of food-producing leaves, which starves the trunk and roots, leading to the eventual decline of the mulberry tree. It also makes the tree susceptible to various fungal diseases.

References

• California Rare Fruit Growers Organization: Mulberry Fruit Facts