How to prune potted mulberry trees

Pruning time for potted mulberry trees

Usually, the first pruning is done after the leaves of the potted mulberry trees fall in autumn, mainly to remove thin branches. This is beneficial to avoid nutrients being absorbed and wasted by small branches during the winter. Pruning is done before sprouting in early spring of the following year, mainly to prune the tops of the branches, which is beneficial to inhibit the apical dominance of the mulberry tree, promote the germination of more leaves and flower buds, and facilitate fruiting.

How to prune potted mulberry trees

Pruning

It is usually carried out during the winter dormancy period to cut off dead branches, dead stumps, diseased and insect-infested branches, and weak branches on the mulberry tree. The cut should be close to the intersection of the branches and the cut should be smooth.

Cutting

The time for pruning is during the dormant period of mulberry trees. Cut off the part of the tip of the mulberry branch where the tissue is not full. Generally, branches longer than 1.5 meters can be cut back to 1/4-1/3, branches around 1.5 meters can be cut back to 1/5-1/4, and branches around 1 meter can be cut back to 10-15 centimeters.

Bud thinning

When the mulberry tree's top grows to 10-15 cm in the current year, the overcrowded buds need to be thinned out so that the remaining branches can grow thicker and have more leaves. The degree of thinning out buds generally depends on the soil fertility and the strength of the tree. In fertile soil, less buds can be thinned out and more leaves can be retained.

Core removal

During the spring silkworm period, the tender core at the top of the new shoots needs to be removed. For late-maturing mulberry trees, the core removal time is generally done on a sunny day about 10-15 days before the leaves are used, while for early- and mid-maturing mulberry trees, it is done about a week before the leaves are used. If the leaves are to be used early, the tender core with two leaves should be picked off. If the leaves are to be used late, the tender core with one leaf can be picked off.