Illinois Everbearing Mulberry Tree Update. 6.5.18

 I originally planted this Illinois Everbearing Mulberry tree in my yard in Vancouver, WA,  as a mail order bare root tree, 3.18.2010.  In summer 2012, I dug it up and moved it to my new place in Battleground, WA.

This tree is one of my top 10 favorite orchard trees, now.  It bears prolific numbers of mulberries which are delicious, outstanding flavor and texture.  They ripen over about a month's time.  Despite many articles stating that birds love these mulberries, there are always many for me.

The leaves of this tree are a pale green.  Many times, people have commented that this tree must need some nitrogen.  If so, I am happy with the fruit bearing and size now, and don't want to over-fertilize it.  I think it's just a pale green leaf tree, however, and there is nothing wrong with it.

As happened last year and the year before, the branches are covered with the start of another excellent mulberry crop.

Illinois Everbearing Mulberry when planted, far right, 3.18.2010

Late blooming fruits, and developing fruits. 5.22.17

Persimmon Nikita's Gift, flower buds.  5.21.17

 The late blooming fruits are not affected by early spring rains, which gives them a better chance compared to Asian pears, plums, peaches, and cherries.  The persimmons have lots of nice flower buds.  Some of those, and some leaves, have hail damage, but I think most should pull through.  Some fruit trees, maybe most, don't bear the first year they bloom.  Yates American Persimmon has lots of little flower buds, for the first time.  So we'll see about that one. 

Grapes are an exception, usually bear grapes if they bloom, even the first year.  This is the first year they have a lot of flowers at the Battleground place.   Some are 2, 3, or 4 years from planting or cuttings.

Persimmon flower buds, Saijo.  5.22.17

Persimmon flower buds, Coffee Cake.  5.22.17

"Illinois Everbearing" Mulberry flowers.  5.22.17

 Mulberry tree is covered with flowers.  Looks very promising.

Early figs forming on "Lattarula".  5.22.17

Grape "Buffalo" flower buds.  5.22.17

Some Images from Vintage Printable.com. 11.11.14

Vintage images of Daffodils.  source: vintageprintable.com

Browsing vintageprintable.com, online source of vintage, public domain images that are free to use.

I enjoy these old images.  They involve much more effort, artistry, skills of observation, talent, than any photo.

These images relate to recent plantings.  They demonstrate the continuity of gardening through the ages.

Fritillaria rubrum "Crown Imperial"  source vintageprintable.com

Fall in the Orchard. 11.8.14

North Side of Orchard.  11.8.14

Wild Plum Seedling.  2 years old.  11.7.14

Buddleia Windbreak West of Orchard.  11.8.14

Fig Row, South of House.  11.8.14

 Some views of mini orchard spread around the yard.  This is end of the 3rd summer here at Battleground, so many of the trees have had 2 full years to acclimate and grow.

Pawpaws were planted the first summer.  Never having grown them, and read about difficult to get started and slow to grow, I'm pleased they have done this well.  The smallest is Rebecca's Gold, about one foot tall.  NC-1 is the largest, about 4 foot tall.  Sunflower, about 3 foot tall.  I'm also pleased about the persimmons.  Nikita's Gift was so tiny I wondered if it would grow.  Now, sturdy and looking promising for future years, although  only about 4 foot tall.  Saijo is about 8 foot.  I did give  them - and the paw paws, organic nitrogen this Spring.

Peaches - Oregon Curl Free about 9 foot tall.  Charlotte about 8 foot tall.  Indian Free about 3 foot tall.  Q-1-8 in it's first year, grew rapidly, 5 foot tall.  The only one of the 3 older trees to have bad leaf curl was Charlotte.  That was also the only one to have peaches - only 2 - this is only the 2nd year old for these.

 Wild Plums, the largest seedling is about 8 foot tall.  This is 3rd year from seed, the first being in container.   There are 3, only one in a prime location for sun and with protection.  Deer eat up to about 4 feet, but the top looks very good.

Other plums, Stanley didn't bear but is very large now, mature looking tree.  Has spurs with promise for flowers.  Satsuma died.  Replaced with cutting-grown Hollywood, 1 foot tall 1st year from cutting.  Toka was best tasting, 3 plums. 7 foot tall.  Methley, no plums, growth now 5 foot tall.  NOIDs already on property, the smallest / deer mangled fully recovered and above the usual deer browsing height; the largest had only about 4 plums.  Now both with multiple bud grafts of other varieties. 

Cherries, lots of deer browsing.  Very discouraging.  The sweet cherries and tart cherries need better protection.  Sweet cherries did establish well, now about 5 foot tall.  Central leads are good, branches browsed to within the narrow cages I installed on these.   Montmorency did very well when I got the deer fence in, 8 foot tall and lush.   I can buy more fencing if I use the truck to commute this week.  North Star and Almaden Duke unprotected browsed nearly to death, we'll see what happens next year.  Both have some bud grafts that are looking tenuous, we'll see.

Apples, this is first year for most.  Wondering if minidwarfs are a good idea.  The dwarfs - JonaRed - shipped from Starks, excellent growth, and multi-graft disease resistant, Rubinette, Pristine, and Queen Cox, shipped from Raintree, almost as good.  The columnar apples, planted at about 18 inches tall their first year, now about 3 foot tall, Golden Sentinel had one apple - very good, Scarlet Sentinel had none.  They are in cages.

Illinois Everbearing Mulberry and NOID Forsythia. 11.8.14

Figs, South of house, recovered from frost kill.  Sal's was not frost killed, now 4 foot.  Tiger, Carini, Smith all grew multi-trunks to 2 or 3 foot.  Petite Aubique, 18 inches, but sturdy.  I'm in process of installing gnaw-screens as leaves fall.  When colder, plan to add inverted trash can protectors for the young ones, and chicken wire or bird net to deter deer and rabbits, for Sal's.  Plan next year- replace the NOID with Lattarula from container, in Spring.  Maybe add one more to row, Dominick.   If any die back again maybe replace with Dominic instead of adding one more.

Buddleia hedge grew to 8 foot tall, for those in 2nd year - Blueberry and Peach Cobbler varieties.  They weren't all that attractive, but the windbreak will be useful.  That side is source of wind.  Honeycomb, in 2st year, grew about the same as the others did last year.  Anticipate pruning all back, so they can grow bushier and not over-tall.

Illinois Everbearing Mulberry, not in the 5 X 5 grid but nearby.   Now 8 foot tall.  Had some nice mulberries this year.  No dear browsing.  Most branches probably too tall.  It may be hard to install bird netting next year due to height, but I should try. 

Some Old Botanical Illustrations. 12.26.13

These are selected images I liked from vintageprintable.com public domain downloadable images. The illustrate the topics very well.

Onion

Pelargonium, zonal geranium

Peppers

Red Mulberry

Fig

Kitchen Garden

Chinese cucumber

 Selected shots of the kitchen garden.

Chinese cucumber is blooming.  Shouldn't be long before we get some cucumbers.

Illinois Everbearing Mulberry.  This will be the last of them..  I will savor them.  They are so good.

Cherry tomatoes are bearing a few handfulls now.

Cantaloupe is in bloom.  Whether we get some remains to be seen.

Mulberry Illinois Everbearing

Cherry Tomatoes Sungold and SuperSweet 100

Cantaloupe "Minnesota" miniature

Okra Clemson Spineless

 There are a couple of okra flowers.  If we get just one okra, it will be fun.  The plants that did best were the ones I grew in containers then planted into the raised bed.  The direct seeded plants remain puny.

Not pictured, the swiss chard is big and productive.

The pole beans are just beginning to bloom.

First fig. More mulberries.

First fig of the year.  Lattarula.

 For some reason I've been sick the past couple of days.  Something to cheer me up - the first ripe fig of the season.  Like last year, Lattarula was first.  Big, heavy, sweet.

Lattarula. Juicy and sweet.

 Someone feels the need to be in the picture.  Always nearby.  This fig was eaten within a minute.

More mulberries.  "Illinois Everbearing".

 Yesterday, from the Battleground place.  Every few days, a handful of mulberries.  Flavor as appealing as figs.  Very tasty.

The first fig last year was July 28th.  Se we are about 10 days ahead.  Sweet.

Home Orchard

Vancouver Brunswick fig before moving 12/12

Vancouver Brunswick fig 6/13

Illinois Everbearing Mulberry

Update on this "Vancouver Brunswick" fig tree that I moved last December.  I thought I might have killed it with the pruning and digging and moving.  Then when it did start to grow, the new growth was killed by frost.

Now it's making a good comeback.  At the Battleground site, this tree has more coarse, darker green, stiffer leaves.  I take that as due to brighter sun and differences in climate.  Maybe the cooler nights, or a difference in fertility.

This tree may not have figs this year.  I don't mind, and prefer that it use it's photosynthetic energy to establish more extensive roots for next year.

From this and the other tree-moving results, I think I can say, now, I know how to transplant trees to a new location.

The Illinois Everbearing mulberry is almost ready for a first crop at Battleground.  Many of the mulberries are changing from green to greenish-red.  Again, as for the fig tree, the leaves are darker and more coarse.  I take that as a good sign. The loss of growth from late frost proved to be minimal.  The tree appears well adapted and established in the new site.  Compared to last year in the Vancouver back yard, there are many times more mulberries.   I forgot to bring bird netting this weekend.  Might regret that.  Would like a taste.

The NC-1 pawpaw is still at it's beginning.  I expect this year the pawpaws will be establishing their roots, more than growing tops.  The other pawpaws are even smaller.  Last year's concern was, did I  kill them by planting here in the Summer.  Pawpaws are reported as needing shade in their first year.  They survived, and are growing, so I'm happy with that.

NC-1 Pawpaw

Mystery Fruit Tree

Sal's Fig

Apple Golden Sentinel

The "mystery fruit tree" was here when we bought the Battleground place.  Initially, I thought apricot.  Then Asian plum.  Now I'm thinking apricot again.  Last year it was defoliated by deer.  I sprayed with repellent, mulched, provided compost.  This year it's almost doubled in size.  Maybe next year it will bloom, and maybe bear fruit, so I will know what it is.

Like the other fruits, the Sal's fig tree has recovered nicely from the last frost leaf-kill.  There are some incipient figs.  Maybe I'll get to eat some this fall.

The Golden Sentinel apple sports one apple.  The tree is only knee high.  I should remove the apple, but I want a taste this fall.  This tree may need to move this fall.  Or not.

Home Orchard. Progress Report.

Charlotte peach. There is some leaf curl. Not too bad. I hope this year the 3 peach trees adapt and grow. Last year they didn't have much chance. Oregon curl free has barely grown. But does seem to be curl free. Indian blood peach had such a drastic root loss with transplanting, I'm surprised it's alive. It has a little leaf curl, not much.Little columnar apples. Blooming like crazy Less than 2 feet tall.Gage plum. One branch had flowers. Last year it was nearly destroyed by deer. Surprised it survived. I also have 2 seedling trees from fruit from this tree.Graft on asian pear. WIll it take? Too early to say.Mulberry. Moved it here from Vancouver last summer. Mulberries are reported as late to leaf out. Starting too. Glad it survived.The little orchard. Although there are other fruit trees and vines on the property. I hope they settle in and grow nicely this year.Asian pear. Blooming nicely. Last year it had one pear. I planted a pollinating variety about 10 feet away, but few flowers and earlier. Hard to say what will happen as far as getting any asian pears. Next year or in 2 years the grafts should also bloom, if they take. That might help.

Moving a Small Mulberry Tree

Now it's fall. It's chilly.  It's raining every day. Good time to move some more trees, I think. Better than summer, when I moved other trees. This time it's an Illinois Everbearing Mulberry. I originally planted it March, 2010. So it's had 2 summers to grow. I decided it will be hard to keep the growth controlled. The exposure was north of a privacy fence. The neighbor to the south has a massive uncontrolled apple tree, also competing. At the Battleground place, it will have full sun to the East, South, and West. So maybe more mulberries. They are very tasty. One of the most delicious fruits I grow.
 

"Mulberry Tree Wrap" in an old vinyl tablecloth for travel. No pics digging it up. It's the usual, dig a trench, then try to dig deeply under the tree. It was difficult to dig under the tree. Despite the rain, the ground under the tree was dry and hard.

This is my one chance to inspect the roots. Impressive root system. The roots look thicker than the trunk. They were not very deep. Maybe 18 inches, at the most.

Here we are, planted and mulched with about 3 inches of leaf compost mulch. I did line the hole with chicken wire, to annoy and frustrate the mole.  The mole had a tunnel at exactly this spot, so I think the tree was a sitting duck.

I read on another website that mulberries are a tree "not" to plant, due to the berry production. The main concern is that birds eat the berries. Then the birds defecate, the purple poop stains cars. The berries also stain sidewalks. There are no sidewalks here, and no place to park a car near the tree.  Cars are few and far between.  My plan was to keep the tree small, and cover with bird net. I may still do that. I could have cut it down, and bought a new bare-root tree to plant in Spring. Then I would lose two years of progress. By moving it, I may lose some progress, but not much.

I pruned about 1 to 2 feet of new branch growth.  That will make up for root loss.  I don't think I lost a lot of roots.  Probably less than 20%.  Maybe less than 10%.  That compares to commercially grown trees, which I read lose 85% of their roots when moved.

There is also concern about spread of mulberry trees via seeds in bird poop.  I don't think that's an issue here.

Little Orchard revisited

Now I'm thinking about adding another row. There is room. That would be 5 more fruit trees. Which types? Maybe... - Asian Persimmon? I can't get the idea of astringent American varieties out of my mind, even though, apparently, when fully ripe they are very sweet and not astringent. I need to research a bot more. I don't want one that needs a pollinator. Maybe Early Jiro? Pretty fruits, pic from One Green World. Black Sea Jujube. All of these pics are from One Green World. Li Jujube. Chinese Haw That leaves room for one mulberry, probably the same as I have at home, Illinois Everbearing. I love the flavor and the "everbearing" aspect is attractive. So far my home tree has minimal production but is only in its 3rd year.