White mulberry: benefits and harms, description, planting and care, reviews

White mulberry or mulberry is a fruit plant native to China. Increasingly, mulberries can be found in Russian gardens, as gardeners have seen not only beauty in it, but have also identified a large number of useful properties. Mulberry gained popularity for its famous fiber from which Chinese silk is produced, for its taste and medicinal qualities, and for its wide use in cooking.

Botanical description of white mulberry

Mulberry belongs to the Mulberry family. The deciduous tree reaches a height of up to 15 m, forming a wide, spreading crown. Gray large branches are covered with ovoid leaves of irregular shape, which are attached using petioles up to 15 cm long. White mulberry forms two types of shoots - elongated vegetative and short fruiting.

White mulberry can be monoecious or dioecious. Monoecious varieties form male and female inflorescences, so summer residents have no problems with the harvest. Dioecious mulberries produce either male or female flowers. It is clear that to obtain a rich harvest, it is necessary to have both male and female specimens on the site.

It is impossible to find out the gender of a purchased white mulberry before flowering. If after flowering it turns out that two male or female seedlings have been planted, the situation can be saved by re-grafting. To do this, 4 cuttings are cut from a fruit-bearing mulberry tree and grafted in mid-April, before flowering begins. For high-quality grafting, long vegetative shoots are selected, since fruit-bearing shoots are not suitable for grafting.

If the cuttings were successful, it is necessary to begin forming the white mulberry crown from young shoots, gradually getting rid of old branches. An overgrafted mulberry tree begins to bear fruit in the 4th year.

Description of white mulberry varieties

To provide yourself with a harvest, you need to choose the right variety. When choosing a white mulberry, it is necessary to take into account cold resistance, ripening time, immunity to disease and the taste of the berries. To choose the right variety, you need to read the description and look at photos of white mulberry varieties.

Mulberry White Honey

White Honey mulberry, according to descriptions, photos and reviews from gardeners, is the most popular early ripening variety. Flowering occurs at the end of May, 4 years after planting. Fruiting occurs in mid-June. Mulberry is easy to care for, grows in any soil and produces a consistently large harvest. Features of the variety:

good annual growth;
long-lived, grows in one place for about 200 years;
drought resistance;
sweet taste of the fruit.

Rare mulberry White Tenderness

The most cold-resistant variety, can withstand frosts down to -40 °C. Mulberry White Tenderness is ideal for Russian regions with an unstable climate. It belongs to the early ripening varieties; fruiting occurs in mid-June and lasts 8 weeks. The quality and quantity of the harvest depends on weather conditions. If the summer is sunny and warm, the fruits ripen large and sweet; in rainy weather, the harvest may not wait.

Plodovaya-1

An early ripening variety, the first harvest ripens in mid-June. Fruiting is long lasting, lasting 6-8 weeks. White drupes appear only in dry, warm weather; if spring and early summer are rainy, the fruits turn pale pink. The variety has high productivity. At the age of 8 years, mulberries can bear up to 150 kg of fruit. Drupes have dense, sweet and juicy flesh. Among all varieties of white mulberry, Plodovaya -1 is stored longer and can be transported over short distances.

Pink Smolenskaya

An early ripening variety that produces sweet and sour pink fruits. Despite the fact that male specimens do not bear fruit, they will become a wonderful decoration for the garden. Due to its unpretentiousness and frost resistance, the variety is considered the best for beginning gardeners. The first fruiting occurs a year after planting. The mulberry tree bears medium-sized raspberry or red fragrant, sweet fruits.

Features of the variety:

the first fruits ripen in early June;
sweet berries with an unforgettable sour note;
long fruiting;
frost resistance.

Merezhevo

A young hybrid bred by Russian breeders.The tree is a large-fruited variety with sugary-sweet, aromatic fruits. Mulberry fruiting occurs in the second year after planting and lasts about 30 days. Ripening begins in mid-June and continues until the end of August. The berries are 5 cm long and colored cream or pink. The variety has a drawback: when overripe, the fruits quickly fall off.

White mulberry flavor

The taste of the berry depends on the variety and place of growth. In dry and hot climates, large berries acquire juicy pulp and a sickly sweet taste. In regions with rainy and short summers, white mulberry produces small, sweet and sour berries.

What are the benefits of white mulberry?

White mulberry berries have beneficial properties, so they are widely used in folk medicine. Each berry contains a high amount of vitamins B, PP, C, as well as a high content of carotenoids, malic and citric acid, essential oils and iron.

Important! Ripe drupes are used to treat anemia, gastrointestinal tract, liver and gall bladder. Drupes strengthen the heart muscle, relieve shortness of breath, tachycardia and normalize blood pressure.

For white mulberry to be beneficial, you need to know how to use it:

drupe juice diluted with warm water is used to gargle for sore throat;
a decoction of the root saves from hypertension;
an infusion of leaves relieves fever;
berry infusion will relieve colds;
a decoction of dried berries will eliminate insomnia and improve the functioning of the nervous system;
fresh berries restore strength in the postoperative period;
not ripe harvest saves from indigestion and heartburn;
freshly squeezed juice treats skin diseases;
crushed bark mixed with vegetable oil can quickly heal cuts, abrasions and wounds.

Which mulberry tastes better – white or black?

The white mulberry is less sweet and has a sweet and sour taste. Due to its low sugar content, it is ideal for dietary nutrition. The berry can have not only snow-white, but also pink, cream and even dark color. Due to its good frost resistance, white mulberry can be grown in any corner of Russia.

Black mulberries have juicier and sweeter drupes. Outwardly they are similar to blackberries. The black type of mulberry can only be found in the south of Russia or in post-Soviet countries.

Also, black and white mulberries differ in their chemical composition. The white one has a large amount of carbohydrates, the black one has a high content of organic acids.

How to distinguish black and white mulberries

Black mulberry differs from white mulberry in the color of its bark. If in the white species it is gray, then in the black it is red-brown. The shoots of black mulberry are short and numerous, the leaf blade is long, from 7 to 20 cm.

Lemon male inflorescences are cylindrical, soft green female inflorescences are oval. The fruits of black mulberry have a loose structure and are colored black or purple. Unlike white mulberries, black berries contain a lot of sugar and have a refreshing taste and aroma.

White and black mulberries got their name not because of the color of the drupes, but because of the color of the bark.

White mulberry cultivation and care

White mulberry is an unpretentious, frost-resistant plant. Even a novice gardener can easily grow it, as it is drought-resistant and can grow and develop in any soil. Growing white mulberry involves following the rules of care.

Landing rules

White mulberries are planted in mid-spring before sap flow or in September before the start of the rainy season. Most gardeners prefer autumn planting, since if the mulberry tree survives the winter well, it means it will have a long life.

The landing site should be bright, protected from gusty winds.

Attention! Despite the fact that mulberry can grow in any soil, it will not produce a good harvest in sandy, saline or waterlogged soil.

It is possible to determine the sex of a mulberry only after flowering, so it is better to purchase a 3-year-old seedling that has already bear fruit.

The planting pit for mulberry is prepared 10-15 days before planting the seedling. To do this, dig a hole 70 cm deep and 50 cm wide. A layer of drainage and 7 kg of rotted humus mixed with 100 g of superphosphate are placed on the bottom. To prevent the roots of the white mulberry from getting burned, the humus is sprinkled with a layer of nutritious soil. The prepared hole is poured generously to allow the soil to settle.

Landing rules:

At the appointed time, the white mulberry root system is straightened, dried and damaged roots are removed to healthy tissue.
The mulberry tree is placed in the center and carefully covered, periodically shaking the trunk so that an air cushion does not form.
After planting, the top layer is compacted, the soil is shed generously and mulched.
If the young mulberry is fragile and has a thin trunk, before planting, a support is driven into the bottom of the hole, to which the seedling is tied.

Spring planting of white mulberries is no different from autumn planting, the only difference is that the land is prepared in the fall.

Important! Since the root system of white mulberry is fragile and easily breaks off, planting is carried out extremely carefully.

Watering and fertilizing

White mulberry is a drought-resistant plant. Moderate watering is carried out from April to June, only in dry weather. If the spring was rainy, summer watering is excluded. Irrigation is carried out in a volume of 10 liters per 1 adult plant. After watering, the soil around the trunk is carefully loosened and mulched. Mulch will retain moisture, stop the growth of weeds, act as an additional fertilizer and protect the root system from freezing.

Young white mulberries do not need to be fed before fruiting begins. Since the nutrients added during the preparation of the planting hole will be sufficient for the mulberry tree to grow and develop. But at the fruiting stage, fertilizing should be carried out regularly and in a timely manner:

In early spring, Before the buds open, dissolve 50 g of nitroammophoska in a bucket of warm water. This composition is enough to feed 1 plant.
At the beginning of flowering – chicken manure is mixed with water in a ratio of 1:12.
Deep autumn after leaf fall, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied. Autumn feeding is necessary to give strength after fruiting and to protect the root system from severe frosts.

Trimming

White mulberries are pruned in spring and autumn.

Spring pruning - performed before the leaves bloom. The trunk of a young mulberry tree is exposed to a height of 1.5 m, removing all branches so that they do not touch the ground with age. When forming the crown, you can leave 1 conductor, or you can let the plant grow freely.

If the task is to grow a small white mulberry, then the top is pinched at a height of 170 cm. The skeleton begins to be formed from 8 side shoots. In subsequent years, pruning of white mulberries is carried out only to give an aesthetic appearance.All excess, damaged and dried shoots are removed. Drooping branches are not cut out; supports are installed for them.

Autumn pruning - after the leaves fall, the white mulberries are prepared for winter. To do this, perform sanitary pruning, cutting out dry, damaged, too thin branches that grow deep into the crown.

Advice! In order for the mulberry tree to develop well, sanitary pruning is carried out annually.

The crown of the white mulberry can be shaped into a ball or panicle. To give the shape of a ball, the lower side branches are shortened by ⅓ of the length, the middle ones by ¼. From the middle of the future ball, trimming is carried out in the reverse order.

The shape of the panicle is formed simply. For this purpose, the central shoot of the mulberry is not isolated, but the shoots are pruned at the same height.

To give a weeping appearance, pruning is carried out on the lower and lateral buds. With this pruning, the mulberry branches will bend down. When creating this form, severe pruning is carried out to the detriment of the harvest.

Protection from diseases and pests

To protect the mulberry tree from diseases and pests, it is necessary to regularly carry out preventive measures. Not only the crown of the tree, but also the tree trunk area is treated with insecticides and fungicides.

White mulberries are processed before buds open and in late autumn, after the end of the growing season. A 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture will help protect the mulberry tree from diseases and pests. In spring, mulberries can be treated with a 7% urea solution. It will not only destroy pests and pathogenic microorganisms, but also enrich the root system with nitrogen.

Preparing for winter

White mulberry can withstand severe frosts, so an adult specimen is not provided with shelter for the winter. It is recommended to cover only young white mulberries.To do this, after autumn pruning and fertilizing, the tree trunk circle is mulched, and flexible branches are bent to the ground and covered with non-woven material. The same material is used to wrap the mulberry trunk to protect it from rodents.

How white mulberry blooms

If the mulberry is planted in early spring, then during flowering you can determine the sex of the plant. Female spike-shaped inflorescences form short and dense catkins. Each flower is formed by a pistil, stamens and a 4-leaved light green perianth. The male flower forms looser inflorescences-catkins. The flower consists of a 4-leaf perianth and 2 pairs of stamens.

Harvesting

The yield of mulberries is high; up to 100 kg of fruit can be harvested from an adult specimen. You cannot delay harvesting, as overripe berries quickly crumble. Drupes are collected from mid-June to the end of August. Cleaning is carried out early in the morning, on a sunny, not rainy day. In order not to lose the harvest, spread a blanket or a large piece of polyethylene under the crown of the tree. After this, the branches are tapped with a stick, thereby causing the berries to fall off.

After finishing the work, the drupes from the film are carefully collected into a separate container. In this case, you need to remove leaves, branches and other debris. The shelf life of white mulberry is short; in a cool place it can last no more than 2-3 days. Therefore, it must be eaten and processed. White mulberry produces delicious, aromatic jam, healthy compotes and jams. Freshly harvested drupes can be frozen or dried.

Recipes with white mulberries

The medicinal properties and contraindications of white mulberry have been known since ancient times.Therefore, when growing mulberries on your own plot, it is necessary to learn about contraindications and consult with a therapist when consuming the berries for the first time.

White mulberry jam

To prepare a tasty and aromatic delicacy you will need:

white mulberry – 1 kg;
sugar – 1.3 kg;
lemon – 3 pcs.

Step by step execution:

Freshly picked mulberries are carefully sorted.
Lemons are washed and processed together with the peel through a meat grinder to obtain lemon slurry.
The drupes are combined with lemon, covered with sugar and left for 3 hours to obtain juice.
The prepared jam is placed on low heat until it boils.
Remove the pan to cool completely.
Next, return to the stove and boil for 30 minutes.
The procedure is carried out 2 times.
The finished jam is cooled and transferred to clean jars.

Mulberry compote

For preparation you will need:

white mulberry – 450 g;
sugar – 350 g;
citric acid – 1 tsp.

Recipe:

The drupes along with the stalks are placed in a sterile jar, covered with sugar, citric acid is added and boiling water is poured up to the shoulders.
After filling, the jars are closed with airtight lids and turned upside down.
To allow the compote to cool slowly, cover it with a warm blanket and leave it overnight.
The cooled drink is stored in a cool place.

Pouring

To prepare the liqueur, prepare the following ingredients:

white mulberries and sugar - 1 tbsp each;
water – 100 ml;
vodka – 200 ml.

Preparation:

Add sugar to the water and bring to a boil.
The mulberries are sorted and kneaded with a wooden pestle until pureed.
The berry mass is transferred to a glass container and poured with sweet, hot syrup.
The bottle is left at room temperature until completely cooled.
Add vodka to the cooled drink, cover with a lid and leave to infuse in a dark place for 2 weeks.
After 14 days, the liqueur is filtered and stored in a dark, cool room.

Contraindications

Despite the fact that white mulberry has a large number of beneficial properties, it should not be abused. Because if consumed excessively, especially in hot weather, mulberries can cause a sharp rise in blood pressure and indigestion. Drupes are not recommended to be eaten in combination with other fruits and berries, as the juice causes intestinal fermentation. Therefore, it must be consumed 3 hours before or after meals.

Important! Since white mulberry can bring not only benefits, but also harm to the body, before use, consultation with a specialist is necessary.

Reviews of white honey mulberry

Mukhina Olga Vladimirovna, 65 years old, Dubna

I have been growing white mulberries of the White Honey variety for 10 years. I purchased a 2-year-old seedling, planted it in nutrient soil and began to wait for the harvest. The first fruits appeared in small quantities 4 years after planting. Every year the yield increased. At this time, the mulberry tree bears fruit abundantly, which allows you not only to eat fresh berries, but also to prepare food for the winter.

Murashkin Petr Georgievich, 63 years old, Ekaterinburg

I have known the taste of white mulberries since childhood, as I spent all summers in Ukraine. I learned from the Internet that there is a mulberry variety called White Honey, which can withstand temperatures down to -30 °C. I purchased a seedling and planted it on the site. After the first fruiting, it was as if I returned to childhood. The taste of the drupe is sweet and sour, not cloying.It can be consumed fresh in small quantities, or can be stored for the winter. I advise all gardeners to plant this beautiful and useful tree.

Conclusion

White mulberry is a useful, fast-growing plant that can be grown in regions with an unstable climate. Thanks to their beneficial properties, berries can be used to quickly cope with many ailments. But do not forget that mulberry, like other berries, has contraindications. Before using the fruit for the first time, you should consult a specialist.