Black mulberry - mulberry, a close relative of white mulberry.
Trees differ not only in the color and taste of berries (black is fragrant and sweeter), but also in the fact that the silkworm prefers softer leaves of white mulberry.
Black mulberry: description
Mulberry trees are grown for breeding silkworm caterpillars that wrap their pupae in silk threads. Natural silk is obtained from these threads - a fabric, the secret of production of which has long been known only in China.
Black Mulberry - deciduous tree comes from Afghanistan and Iran, growing to fifteen meters. The tree is characterized by rapid growth at a young age, but over time the growth slows down. Mulberry has a magnificent sprawling crown, dusky bark and thin shoots. Foliage large up to 20 cm in length and 15 cm in width. The shape of the leaves resembles a blade, the upper surface of the leaf plate is rough to the touch, the bottom is soft, felt. 3-5 years is the age when the mulberry first starts to bear fruit after planting. It is literally covered with inky black, glossy berries up to 3 cm long, the berries are juicy and sweet-sour to the taste. Typically, the mulberry comes into active fruiting in the fifth year after planting. Black mulberry is thermophilic, tolerates dry periods well.
Did you know? Under Ivan the Terrible, a silk-weaving manufactory was created in Russia, producing the finest silks for the royal family and court. Peter the First banned mulberry cutting in Russia due to the extraordinary value of wood for weaving. And in Central Asia, musical instruments were made of valuable wood.
Features of planting black mulberry
The best time for planting mulberries - April, before the movement of juices began, the beginning of autumn, the period before the rainy season. Autumn planting is even more preferable: a sapling who has endured winter will grow a healthy tree with good yield.
Choosing a landing site
The black mulberry is planted for successful cultivation in an area open to the sun, but closed to the wind. Groundwater deposition should be no less than one and a half meters below the ground surface. Dry, swampy soil is not suitable for mulberry; mulberry does not like sandstones and salty soils.
Black Mulberry Planting Pattern
The pit for the mulberry tree seedling is prepared two weeks before planting. The depth and width of the pit is calculated according to the size of the root system, on average it is 50 x 50 x 50 cm. The pit in poor soils is deepened, taking fertilizer into account. About 5 kg of rotted manure with the addition of 100 g of superphosphate are put on the bottom and covered with a layer of soil. The roots of the seedlings should not be in contact with the fertilizer during planting. On poorly drained clay soils, drainage (fragments of bricks, large pebbles) must be put in a hole.
When planting, the seedling is placed on the bottom, spreading the roots, as the earth goes to sleep it is slightly tamped down so that there is no air left. If the seedling is too thin and gives you fear, drive a support peg into the hole. After planting, water well and mulch the trunk circle; you need to pour at least two buckets of water. As mulch, you can use sawdust or peat.
Black mulberry: growing features
Mulberry mulberry and in planting and care does not require a special approach: all, as with the usual fruit tree - watering, fertilizing, cleansing the soil, pruning and other procedures customary for each gardener.
Care for black mulberry soil
Black mulberry needs careful care of the soil. The tree trunk must be weeded and cleaned from weeds that deprive the mulberry of moisture and nutrition. The soil around the tree should be loosened regularly, saturating it with air and moisture. In spring, watering mulberries is necessary only when there is no precipitation; in summer, watering is carried out in June and July. In August, it stops: the plant enters a phase of rest.
Features trimming wood
Pruning black mulberries is carried out in a dormant period, best in the spring before the juices begin to move, in April. Before the buds bloom, spend rejuvenating and shaping pruning. Sanitary pruning - all damaged branches, competing shoots growing inside the crown - are carried out in late autumn after the foliage falls, but the air temperature should not be below -10 degrees.
Top dressing of a mulberry tree
Black mulberry needs additional dressing only on poor soils with a lack of nutrition. In this case, the tree is fertilized, starting in the spring and ending in July. In early spring, the mulberry is needed nitrogen for growth, then phosphate and potash compounds for lush flowering and fruiting.
How to care for mulberry in winter
It is important to know how to care for black mulberry in winter because this species is worse than the others tolerates cold. Black mulberry is more accustomed to a warm climate, so the plant must prepare for winter. First of all, the mulberry does not need to be fertilized heavily, only in case of external signs of nutritional deficiency, stop watering in August and conduct sanitary pruning in the autumn.
When planting in regions with a cold climate, the root neck of the seedling is deepened into the ground in order to protect the plant in winter. You should not worry about the inability to cold: In the description of biological features, black mulberry has one interesting property. The mulberry tree has the ability to build up cork tissue between a mature stem and a young one; in the case of frosts, the tree drops tissues that are not adapted for survival, but if winter comes out without snow, the tree will die. To prevent this from happening, the tree trunk is mulched for the winter and tightly covered, for example, with fir branches.
Interesting! If it were not for the observant Chinese princess Xi Ling Shi, the world would not have known what silk is. During the tea party in the shade of the mulberry, Si Ling noticed the caterpillar cocoon that fell into the cup, the threads of the cocoon from the water were tangled and beautifully shimmered in the sun. Resourceful Chinese used observation to their advantage, monopolizing silk production for many years.
Breeding features of black mulberry
Reproduction of black mulberry is possible. seed and vegetative method.
During seed reproduction, the seeds undergo the procedure of stratification either naturally, that is, sowing before winter, or before sowing in the spring for about two months in the refrigerator, with carrying out into the heat once a week for three to four hours. Before sowing, it is necessary to soak the seeds for a couple of hours in a growth stimulator. Cultivation of seeds should not be deep, after sowing the soil is covered with mulch. For seedlings care in the usual way.
The black mulberry cuttings give practically no results, oddly enough, but it is this species that does not want to take root and reproduce in a similar way.
Consider how the mulberry still multiplies. Reproduction root shoots: the sapling is separated from the bush of the donor and transplanted to a separate place. Care, as a young tree.
Attention! With The seed method of reproduction and root shoots may not preserve the varietal characteristics of the mother tree, in addition, there is a chance to get a tree only with male flowers (mulberry is a monoecious plant), therefore the most fruitful method of reproduction is grafting.
To get varietal seedlings, apply methods budding and grafting cuttings under the bark. In summer, budding is carried out with a sleeping kidney, and in spring - with a sprouting bud. Vaccination is carried out on a growing tree cuttings with two buds under the bark. The cut on the stock is done at an angle of 35 degrees, while the cut on the handle above the kidney is straight, the lower cut is oblique.Important! The grafted on mulberry is inserted cut to the bark, and not to wood, unlike other plants!In the future, vaccination is carried out according to the general rules.
Mulberry black: useful properties
Black mulberry has many useful properties. Plant based preparations are recommended and official, and traditional medicine. The remedies are effective in treating gastrointestinal diseases and in cardiovascular diseases, especially recommended for patients undergoing heart valve surgery. Regular consumption reduces shortness of breath, normalizes heartbeat, strengthens the heart muscle.
The high content of iron in the composition of the berries helps with anemia, with violations of the organs of the circulatory system. Vitamin C in the composition of the mulberry is useful for the prevention of colds.
Mulberry has a diuretic effect, which is useful in many diseases, including those caused by obesity. In some situations, diabetics are recommended to use mulberry, taking into account the glycemic index.
Attention! Diabetics and hypertensive patients should moderately eat mulberries, because a large amount of them will increase blood sugar levels and blood pressure.Mulberry is actively used in home and industrial cosmetology. On the basis of the plant they produce shampoos, hair masks and facial skin, scrubs, bath foams, soaps, creams, tonics and make-up remover milk, hand and nail care products.
Until now, from ancient times used mulberry wood in carpentry and cooperage, in the production of some musical instruments. Black mulberries are used as a dye in the textile and food industry, and the plant is also used in the production of citric acid and vinegar.
On top of that, mulberries are just incredibly tasty. In addition to fresh consumption, one can prepare a lot of delicious desserts and drinks, preparations for the winter.
