RHS Growing Guides
Our detailed growing guide will help you with each step in successfully growing Mulberries.
1
Getting Started
Section 1 of 7
These look similar to large blackberries once ripe, and are deliciously sweet, aromatic and tangy â and as theyâre rarely found in shops, itâs well worth growing them.
Mulberries ripen from red to almost black when ripe, sweet and juicy
Month by Month
Jobs to do now
- Plant mulberries
- Feed with a high potassium general fertiliser
- Plant mulberries
- Feed with a high potassium general fertiliser
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant Out | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N |
| Harvest | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N |
2
Choosing
Section 2 of 7
For the best fruits, take care to choose a black mulberry (Morus nigra) or one of its varieties, rather than any other mulberry species. Black mulberry trees can eventually grow very large, up to 9m (30ft) tall and wide, so need a lot of space. If you donât have that much room, there are several smaller varieties too, includingcompact âCharlotte Russeâ, which will reach only 1.5m (5ft) tall if kept in a container, andwill fruit in its first year.
When choosing a variety, look for those with anRHS Award of Garden Merit(AGM). These are recommended by RHS fruit experts, as they performed well in trials. Youâll also find mulberries growing in several of theRHS gardens, so you can compare their sizes and see how they grow.
What and where to buy
Black mulberry trees are mainly available from fruit tree suppliers, although you may find them in larger garden centres. Specialist suppliers may offer a choice of several smaller varieties, more suitable for average or smaller gardens. They are usually sold in pots, in a choice of sizes. Bare-root trees (without soil around the roots) may also be availablefrom autumn to spring, and can often be pre-ordered.If you buy a tree that has already been part-trained into a standard form (lollipop shaped) or half-standard (with a shorter trunk), it will make a well-formed tree more quickly.
Recommended Varieties
'Chelseaâ
Very large fruits with an intense flavour, perfect for eating, wine-making and jam.
The RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) helps gardeners choose the best plants for their garden.
Wild bees and other pollinators are in decline. The Plants for Pollinators initiative helps gardeners easily identify plants that encourage them back into the garden
'Jerusalem'
Large, juicy, well-flavoured fruits, ready to harvest in late summer.Medium-sized tree.
The RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) helps gardeners choose the best plants for their garden.
Wild bees and other pollinators are in decline. The Plants for Pollinators initiative helps gardeners easily identify plants that encourage them back into the garden
Morus nigra
The black mulberry offers tasty fruits and ornamental appeal, but can grow into a large tree.
The RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) helps gardeners choose the best plants for their garden.
Wild bees and other pollinators are in decline. The Plants for Pollinators initiative helps gardeners easily identify plants that encourage them back into the garden
3
Planting
Section 3 of 7
Mulberries like deep, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil that has been enriched with well-rotted manure or garden compost. Choose a sunny, sheltered planting spot, where the tree will have plenty of room to develop its wide shape â check the plant label to see its eventual size.Mulberry trees look great as a centrepiece in a lawn, with plenty of space around them so you can enjoy their handsome, often gnarled appearance to the full. They can also be planted against a warm sunny wall, especially in colder locations.
Both bare-root and container-grown trees are best planted while dormant, from autumn to spring, but should settle in best in spring as the soil is warming up. Insert a sturdy stake to support the young tree and ensure good root development. For full planting instructions, see our guides below.
Planting in a container
Compact mulberry varieties are suitable for growing in large containers, ideally 50cm (20in) wide, filled with peat-free soil-based compost. They should grow happily for 10 to 15 years if watered regularly in summer and repotted into slightly larger containers every few years. See our video guide below for full planting details.
4
Plant Care
Section 4 of 7
Once established, mulberry trees need very little maintenance â they are hardy, robust, slow-growing trees that can live for hundreds of years. They often make wide, lop-sided specimens over time, but thatâs all part of their charm.
Watering
Water newly planted mulberry trees regularly from spring to autumn for the first few years. Established trees shouldnât need additional watering, except during droughts or in very free-draining soil. Mulberry trees in containers need regular watering throughout the growing season, but especially in summer.
Mulching
After feeding in spring, apply a mulch of organic matter, such as well-rotted manure or garden compost, around the base of the tree, but not right up to the trunk. This will help to hold moisture in the soil and deter weeds.
Feeding
Mulberries usually crop abundantly, but if you need toboost fruiting, feed in early spring with a high potassium general fertiliser, such as Vitax Q4or blood, fish and bonemeal.Scatter one handful per square metre/yard around trees growing in bare soil, and one-and-a-half around those in lawns.
Repotting
Repot young mulberry trees growing in pots into a slightly larger container each year as they grow. Do this before growth re-starts in spring, using fresh peat-free soil-based compost. See our video guide to repotting below.
5
Pruning and Training
Section 5 of 7
Mulberries are usually grown as free-standing trees with a bare trunk topped with a wide canopy of branches. If you donât have room for a large tree, choose a compact variety or train a tree as an espalier, flat against a sunny wall or fence. Established free-standing mulberries need very little pruning and can be left to develop a naturally wide shape, oftenrather crooked as they age. Any pruning is best done while the tree is dormant, ideally after leaf fall in autumn,as mulberriesbleed a lot of sap if pruned after mid-winter.
The main tree forms for mulberries are:
- Bush (a tree on a short trunk) â with a young tree, prune back the main upright shoot (leader)to 70â90cm (28â32in) tallin early winter, cutting just above strong side-shoots. Allow these to develop into a framework of eight to ten branches, as forbush apples. After that, only minimal pruning is usually required, removing any dead, damaged, crossing or overcrowded branches. If you wish to keep a neat shape, also remove wayward branches and any that sprout from the trunk below the main canopy.
- Standard or half-standard trees â these are pruned in the same way as bush trees, but with a taller clear trunk of 1.2â1.5m (4â5ft) for half-standards and 1.8â2.1m (6â7ft) for standards.
- Espalier â mulberries can be trained flat against a sunny, sheltered wall, with several tiers of horizontal branches. Start with a young tree, preferably one ortwo years old, then prune and train as for apple espaliers. But when summer pruning, prune more lightly than apples â shorten the new side-shoots that sprout from branches to three or four leaves, to produce short fruiting spurs. Do this in late summer, just as growth is slowing down.
6
Harvesting
Section 6 of 7
Mulberries are delicious raw or can be turned into aromatic jam
7
Problems
Section 7 of 7
Mulberry trees are generally healthy and robust once settled in, but donât expect fruit straight away â youâll probably need to wait several years for your first crop. Birds will help themselves to the berries too, but will hopefully leave plenty, hidden among the leaves, for you to enjoy.
