How to Start to Grow a Mulberry Tree

Mulberry trees grow well in most areas of the United States and come in primarily in two varieties. The white mulberry and the red mulberry are very similar to each other and have only subtle differences, such as the larger serrated edge of the white mulberry compared to the finer serration of the red. Both tree species grow to between 40 and 60 feet tall and bear large, deep purple berries that are similar in appearance and taste to blackberries. Mulberry trees grow quickly and are relatively simple to propagate from softwood cuttings taken from the current season's growth.

Mulberry cuttings
Razor knife
Peat moss
Sand
Rooting hormone compound
3-inch pots
Large, clear plastic bag
Wire tie
Potting soil
1-gallon flower pots

Instructions

- 1
  Combine equal quantities of sand and peat moss to form a rooting soil. Fill a 3-inch pot with the soil mixture for each cutting you will root. Water the soil in the pots so it is moist but not soaked.
- 2
  Remove 6- to 8-inch softwood cuttings with four or more leaves and buds of the current season's growth from a healthy mulberry tree.
- 3
  Strip off the leaves from the lower third of cuttings with a razor knife. Dust the cut lower end of each cutting with rooting hormone compound. Insert the dusted end of each cutting into the rooting soil up to half its length.
- 4
  Place the cuttings in a large, clear plastic bag. Seal the bag with a wire tie. Put the cuttings in a warm, sunny area. Mist the cuttings daily with a spray bottle filled with water.
- 5
  When the cuttings begin to produce new growth, remove the pot from the plastic bag. Continue to water the cuttings as needed to keep the soil moist.
- 6
  Transplant each cutting when the roots fill the 3-inch pot, to a 1 gallon grow-out pot filled with potting soil. Place the rooted cuttings outdoors to harden off in a well-lit area. Continue to water the cuttings.
- 7
  Transplant the mulberry saplings into a sunny area, protected from wind, when they reach 2 to 3 feet in height. Continue to water the saplings until they become well established.

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