Content
Mulberry or mulberry is a beautiful tree that performs decorative functions and also bears fruit with tasty and aromatic berries. Mulberry Black Baroness is distinguished by its juicy black fruits, which are suitable not only for everyday consumption, but also for making jam, wine, and syrups.
Description of mulberry Black Baroness
Despite its name, Black Baroness is a white variety because it has a light-colored bark. This variety is related to the early varieties of mulberries. The fruits ripen in June-July. From one tree you can collect up to 100 kg of berries.
The aroma of the Black Baroness berries is not strong, but the taste is sweet. The plant can withstand frost down to -30 °C, but only if it is short-lived. Therefore, the tree can be grown in central Russia. Inflorescences with a light green tint, fluffy.
Pros and cons of Black Baroness mulberry
The advantages of this variety are obvious:
- high productivity;
- frost resistance;
- large fruits;
- adapts well to different climatic conditions;
- does not require additional pollination, since the tree is monoecious.
But there are also some disadvantages to this variety:
- poor preservation and impossibility of transportation;
- requires a lot of light.
The plant is not capricious in terms of care and maintenance, and when pruned, it can be shaped into any decorative shape. The “weeping” look of the mulberry is perfect when the long branches with a beautiful bend are able to reach the ground.
Planting and caring for mulberries Black Baroness
To obtain a beautiful weeping tree and to harvest a large harvest, it is important to follow strict rules of agricultural technology. In this case, a long-lived tree will delight not only its owner, but also his children and grandchildren. The first harvest is obtained three years after planting.
Preparation of planting material and site
It is necessary to plant the tree in an unshaded area. Black Baroness loves a lot of sunlight, so in the shade of buildings it will produce a small harvest and develop poorly. It is important that in winter the tree is protected from cold, piercing winds.
The plant has no special requirements for soil. The main thing is that the soil is not too saline.
Mulberry perfectly strengthens sandy soils, thanks to its strong and branched root system.
It is recommended to prepare the site for planting in the fall. The depth, width and height of the hole are 50 cm each. Immediately before planting in the spring, you need to expand the size of the hole. When planting, the distance between seedlings and other plants should be at least 3 m.
Landing rules
According to the rules, it is necessary to plant a mulberry seedling in the spring. A drainage made of broken bricks, pebbles or crushed stone is placed at the bottom of the dug hole. The drainage layer is especially important when there is close groundwater.
The nutrient mixture is poured on top. It consists of soil mixed with humus, with the addition of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
Therefore, the seedling must be carefully placed and the roots straightened so that they do not break.
After installing the seedling, the root system is carefully sprinkled and the soil is compacted. A bucket of water should be poured into the root zone. Then a layer of mulch made from sawdust, peat or leaves is laid around. It will help maintain adequate moisture and nutrients.
Watering and fertilizing
The Black Baroness mulberry tolerates drought conditions well, but with regular watering its frost resistance increases. Active watering is carried out from early spring to mid-August. If there is heavy rainfall during the summer, you may not need to water the tree.
The first couple of years after planting, the Black Baroness mulberry does not need additional feeding. It has enough nutrients that are added during planting.
Then it is necessary to feed the tree twice a year:
- In early spring, even in the presence of snow, urea is scattered. When the top layer thaws, the urea will be perfectly absorbed and saturate the roots. Fertilizer is applied at the rate of 50 g per square meter. m.
- Potassium and phosphorus should be added in mid-August.
With such regular feeding, the harvest will be good and the plant will survive the winter without problems.
Trimming
Mulberry Black Baroness is shaped by tree height and width by pruning. The tree can be given different shapes, making it more spreading or spherical. This allows you to use the mulberry tree as a decoration on your site.
To form a crown, it is necessary to cut off all side shoots at a height of up to 1 m. It is recommended to do this in the spring, before sap flow begins. But at the same time, the air temperature should not fall below - 10 ° C.
Sanitary pruning of the Black Baroness mulberry tree involves removing all diseased and frozen branches. It can be carried out in parallel with the formative one or separately every few years in late autumn.
In order to rejuvenate the tree, the Black Baroness is periodically pruned, removing the oldest shoots.
Preparing for winter
Despite its frost resistance, the Black Baroness mulberry in some regions, for example, in the Moscow region, should be prepared for winter.
The winter preparation procedure includes several mandatory steps:
- mulching the tree trunk circle with sawdust and spruce branches;
- pruning all green shoots that have not become woody by November;
- In the spring, smoky fires can be built to protect against return frosts.
But it is not necessary to wrap the trunk specially in the fall, since it does not suffer from frost. Frost poses a danger to young shoots and unprotected root systems.
Harvesting
The yield of the Black Baroness mulberry is high. But these berries cannot be stored, nor can they be transported for long periods of time. Therefore, it is recommended to harvest carefully. There is no need to climb a tree to pick berries.You just have to wait for it to ripen. The finished crop falls to the ground on its own. Simply lay down waterproof material or polyethylene and lightly shake the tree. All berries that are ripe by this time will fall. Those that will not be eaten within the first 24 hours are recommended to be processed.
Diseases and pests
Mulberry Black Baroness is resistant to most diseases. When planting in a too damp place, the following ailments may occur:
- powdery mildew;
- small leaf curl;
- brown spot;
- bacteriosis
For prevention, it is recommended to treat the tree with special preparations, which are diluted strictly according to the instructions, and the tree is sprayed before the period of flowering and fruiting.
It is important to systematically inspect the tree and cut off the affected leaves, shoots and burn them. Mulberries also need comprehensive protection from many pests, including:
- Khrushchev;
- mole cricket;
- spider mite;
- mulberry moth.
As a preventative measure, it is recommended to dig up the soil around the trunk annually to destroy the eggs and larvae of many pests that have overwintered in the ground.
Reproduction
Mulberry Black Baroness can reproduce in several ways, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages:
- rooting green cuttings - the simplest and most commonly used method;
- seeds — a labor-intensive process that requires subsequent grafting;
- layering;
- root shoots.
Most often, cuttings are used, which are cut in June. A green cutting should have 2-3 buds. Lignified cuttings are cut 18 cm long.
Reviews of mulberry Black Baroness
Many lovers of mulberries and simply sweet garden fruits give the Black Baroness exclusively positive reviews.
Conclusion
Mulberry Black Baroness is a frost-resistant variety with high yield. It is popular not only as a fruit tree, but also for decorating a site. The main thing is to feed the tree and form the crown correctly.
