How to prune mulberry trees in winter

Winter pruning time for mulberry trees

Typically, mulberry trees are pruned between late December and mid-January of the following year. After the beginning of spring, the temperature gradually rises, the physiological activities of mulberry trees begin to intensify, and the buds on the branches begin to sprout. If pruning is done at this time, it will cause a large loss of nutrients and water, resulting in the undesirable situation that the upper part of the pruned branches will not sprout or sprout few and weak buds, which will greatly reduce the yield and quality of mulberry leaves. Therefore, it is not too late to prune mulberry trees in winter.

How to prune mulberry trees in winter

When pruning, you need to use special pruning tools. Do not use sickles, hatchets or other knives to cut and chop randomly, causing damage to branches, bark, buds, etc., and avoid uneven cuts, otherwise it will be detrimental to the growth of the mulberry tree. When pruning mulberry trees in winter, you should select good and sufficient growing branches and cut off useless branches. The length of the branches should be about 10-15 cm long, leaving a cutting at the cut end. Different types of mulberry trees require different treatments. If it is a "chicken coop mulberry", you need to keep the strong branches and cut off the diseased branches, broken branches, weak branches, etc.; if it is a "clustering branch", you should remove the weak and keep the strong, and ensure the growth of side branches, so as to maintain a reasonable distribution of branches and uniform development, and give full play to the group advantages.

Maintenance of mulberry trees after winter pruning

Strengthen the management of the mulberry garden after winter pruning, thoroughly remove the weeds under the trees, loosen the nearby soil, and eliminate overwintering pests and insect eggs. For mulberry trees that have not been fertilized before pruning, it is necessary to apply sufficient organic fertilizer after winter pruning, and at the same time add an appropriate amount of phosphorus fertilizer to supplement the nutrients, which can enhance the mulberry trees' resistance to stress.