Black mulberry
Morus nigra
A long-lived fruit tree prized for intensely flavoured berries — plant it once and harvest for a lifetime. Slow and worth it; the fruit stains everything it touches.
Black mulberry in a syntropic line
Black mulberry belongs in the High layer as a Secondary productive species. Main production and shade trees for the line. Rough in-row spacing starts around 6 m in a syntropic row. Good line partners include Black locust, Blue-leaf wattle. As a Secondary species it carries mid-term yield and structure while climax trees slowly claim the canopy.
Tolerances and growing conditions
- Strata
- High
- Lifecycle
- Secondary
- Soil preference
- Loam, Sandy
- Soil pH range
- 6 – 7.5
- Min. temperature
- -18°C
- Min. rainfall
- 500 mm/year
- Wind tolerance
- Medium
- Frost tolerance
- Medium
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Irrigation needed
- Medium
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Waterlogging tolerance
- Medium
- Origin
- West Asia
- Native to Portugal
- No
How to manage it
Long-lived fruit tree; prune when fully dormant to limit bleeding. Slow but very productive once established.
How to prune
Prune only when fully dormant to avoid heavy sap bleeding. Remove dead, crossing and inward-growing branches to build an open, vase-shaped scaffold with 3-4 main limbs. Avoid heavy cuts into old thick wood; keep this a light, formative touch.
How to propagate
Take dormant hardwood cuttings in winter, or layer low branches in spring.
Guidance, not a guarantee — success varies by species and skill.
What to watch out for
Fruit stains heavily - keep away from paving and paths.
Frequently asked questions about Black mulberry
Is black mulberry frost-hardy?
Yes for winter cold in many climates — generally hardy to around -18°C when dormant, with medium frost tolerance in the catalog. Flowering crops can still lose a season to late frost, so site them carefully.
What soil does black mulberry need?
It does best on loam, sandy ground, at pH about 6–7.5.
How much water does black mulberry need?
Plan for a rainfall floor around 500 mm/year, plus medium irrigation once established.
Can black mulberry handle wet or waterlogged soil?
It has medium waterlogging tolerance — short winter wet is usually fine, standing water is not.
What should I watch out for with black mulberry?
Fruit stains heavily - keep away from paving and paths.
Black mulberry in soil templates
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