Can any one of you fabulous mulberry growers recommend a dwarf variety that is sweet and container friendly?

Excellent question. I would like to grow a dwarf tree.

not sure "container friendly". you just keep it in the container and keep pruning top and the roots. sort of like bonsai. i'm trying out Noir de Spain right now. will be looking for Black Beauty this yr, and possibly Illinois Everbearing soon. NdS is slow going. still trying to break bud.  

Is the NdS sweet or have you tasted it yet?

There's a dwarf mulberry on ebay.  I wont know how it tastes for a year or so.

I'm looking at those too Bob, wondering if someone has any info or suggestions.

I wonder if there is dwarf root stock that you could graft any variety onto?   With Citrus there is something called Flying Dragon.  That is true dwarf stock.  There must be something for mulberry. 

Good luck!

Suzi

I haven't tasted it. of three different mulberries,  M. alba, M. rubra, and M. nigra, M. nigra is said to be superior in taste by far. NdS and Black Beauty are both M. nigra. M. rubra, are the native red mulberries. M. alba are white mulberries, but the fruit doesn't necessarily be white.

I love mulberries, but do not have space for large  trees.

UCDavis has Dwarf Mulberry scions; I got some a while back, but did not root.

Wellsprings has some cheap, maybe tissue culture?
I bought 2  small ones last year.
http://www.wellspringgardens.org/servlet/Categories

Also, there used to be Weeping Mulberry in my neighbor front yard.
The tree was rather small and I used eat a few berries with the birds!
Sadly the new owner cut it down.

Thanks guys and Suzi :)

I believe that I will be able to keep most small in pot culture because I'm finding tons of these done as Bonsai.

I will look for the tasty ones Pete, I have no idea because I've never grown them but I would like to start.

A few months ago I bought one called Mulberry, Dwarf Morus nigra Dwarf Everbearing for $5.45. I kept it outside all winter in a Whiskey half barrel . No fruit yet. Not sure if I ever will due to birds and rabbits.

I had a bunch of cuttings last year from UCD and only one cutting out of 12 varieties rooted.

You can find the one I bought here: http://www.wellspringgardens.org/servlet/the-124/Mulberry%2C-Dwarf-Morus-nigra/Detail

How funny, that's the one I was looking at after Pete said Nigra LOL

There's this lady from Australia she posts clips on youTube... I see her showing Pakistan Dworfs... black and red and white... amazing stuff. wish we could get from Ausiland but...

Girardi  is a true dwarf mulberry. The nodes are very close, thus lots of fruit in a small package The tree is only supposed to get about 6 foot.  I tasted some fruit on mine last year and found it very nice. Probably not in Nigra league. From what I know of Nigra I wonder if that one on ebay is even Nigra. Not saying it is not but they has been much mis-classification  on Mulberry. I don't grow mine in pot, but I think dwarf would easier than most the standard size. It is proving Hardy, no winter damage seeing 1F this winter. Both my Pakistan appear to be toast. My Black Beauty Nigra took more damage that I initially thought, but does scratch green low on the base.  I.E. handled winter no issues. Thats all I had in ground for this winter but have about 5-6 other cultivars in ground already this spring.

There is a place called Whitmans Farms - http://www.whitmanfarms.com/

you can call and ask to speak to Lucile she may be helpful in your quest.

Thank you Strudeldog, it is available here http://ediblelandscaping.com/products/trees/Mulberries/GeraldiMulberryDwarf.php

How about that "invert the bark trick" from the  http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/increasing-hardiness-6837043?pid=1282234512#post1282234512  thread for dwarfing?

I've got some cuttings from a native red mulberry that I'm planting as a sacrifice plant to lure the birds and critters away from my other fruit and berrys. Good for that but I don't like them myself. I want to get a better variety, Persian probably, or something like it, for me. One more thing for the list. They're suppose to be pretty cold hardy.

Thank you so much Martin! She has everything including the male hardy kiwi I need!

If you order from Lucile you need to order some Ribes.  She is the Gooseberry Queen. In a couple years when I get some of my slower to bear things established, I will be ordering from her.

Everything I've read says it's too hot here to grow gooseberries. Am I wrong? I would love to grow them but only if I'm sure they can survive here.

I did not even look at your location, maybe too hot. They do tolerate shade, probably need it in TX. Ask Lucile if they would grow there for you, and which cultivars. Like I said she is the Gooseberry Queen.  I only have Pixwell in ground present, which normally doesn't get high marks. I plan to try Poorman and a couple others within a year or 2.

Good that it worked out.

The sweetest is probably Illinois Everbearing. The large ones are Pakistan, which are getting ripe as we speak here in paradise.

 

not sure how soon mulberries start putting on the fruit.. but the cuttings i tried to root winter of 12-13 all started putting on the leaves and fruits before the roots and all croaked. hence getting a tree. easier that way.