Morus Alba Pendula Pruning

Characteristics

• The weeping white mulberry is a deciduous tree that is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. Developed from the standard mulberry, the leaves of which are a food source for silkworms, weeping white mulberry is a dwarf specimen that reaches a height of 6 to 10 feet and a width of 8 to 12 feet. Usually grafted onto the rootstock of a mulberry species tree, it develops gnarled branches that arch and droop toward the ground. Its flowers are small and inconspicuous, opening in spring, and produce small, berrylike fruits that attract birds.

Pruning

• A weeping white mulberry tree should be trained as a single-leader tree, with only one central trunk that develops from the rootstock. When starting with a young tree, identify the graft union, which usually is indicated as a slight swelling with a noticeable scar around the trunk's circumference. Remove all shoots or side branches that develop below the graft union because they originate from the rootstock and won't have the weeping characteristic of the tree's upper portion. These shoots or side branches should be removed as soon as they appear, regardless of the season.

Training

• Although a weeping white mulberry's branches droop naturally, you can help train the tree to a balanced form by identifying main side branches that arch gracefully around the tree's circumference. Choose branches that are evenly spaced around the central leader, or trunk, of a young tree, removing extras by cutting them off at their origins with sharp pruning shears. Supporting a young tree by tying its trunk to a strong stake also helps it grow straight, and the stake can be removed after two or three years. While the stake is in place, avoid damage to the trunk by re-tying it each year as the trunk grows in circumference.

Timing and Maintenance

• A weeping white mulberry tree bleeds profusely when cut during the growing season. So the best time for pruning is during late autumn or winter, when its sap doesn't flow. That timing also allows you to see the tree's form clearly because leaves are no longer on the tree. After the tree develops a well-balanced form, the only pruning it needs is the removal of diseased and/or damaged branches, and all branches that cross other branches and might cause bark damage when they move in wind. You also can trim branches that drag on the ground to improve the tree's appearance.

  The white weeping mulberry has invasive tendencies in parts of the United States because of self-seeding through its berries. Clearing berries from under the tree each year can help control that tendency.