Content
Mulberry or mulberry is a beautiful tree that performs decorative functions, and also bears fruit with tasty and aromatic berries. Mulberry Black Baroness is distinguished by juicy black fruits, which are suitable not only for everyday use, but also for making jam, wine, syrups.
Description Mulberry Black Baroness
Despite its name, the Black Baroness belongs to the white variety, as it has a light bark shade. This variety is related to early varieties of mulberry. The fruits ripen in June-July. Up to 100 kg of berries can be harvested from one tree.
The aroma of the berries of the Black Baroness is weak, and the taste is sweet. The plant is able to withstand frost down to -30 ° C, but only if it is short-lived. Therefore, the tree can be grown in Central Russia. Inflorescences with a light green tint, fluffy.
Pros and cons of mulberry Black Baroness
The advantages of this variety are obvious:
- high productivity;
- frost resistance;
- large fruits;
- adapts well to different climatic conditions;
- does not require additional pollination, since the tree is monoecious.
But there are some disadvantages of this variety:
- poor preservation and impossibility of transportation;
- requires a lot of light.
The plant is not capricious in care and maintenance, and when pruned, any decorative shape can be formed from it. The "weeping" type of mulberry is excellent, when long branches with a beautiful bend are able to reach the ground.
Planting and caring for mulberry Black Baroness
To obtain a beautiful weeping tree and to harvest a large harvest, it is important to follow strict agricultural rules. In this case, the long-lived tree will delight not only its owner, but also his children and grandchildren. The first crop is obtained three years after planting.
Preparation of planting material and site
It is necessary to plant the tree in an unshaded area. The Black Baroness loves a lot of sunlight, therefore, in the shade of buildings she will bring a small harvest and develop poorly. At the same time, it is important that in winter the tree is protected from cold, piercing winds.
The plant does not have special requirements for the soil. The main thing is that the soil is not too saline.
Mulberry tree perfectly strengthens sandy soils, thanks to its strong and branched root system.
It is recommended to prepare a landing site in the fall. The depth, width and height of the fossa are 50 cm each. Immediately before planting in the spring, you need to expand the dimensions of the fossa. When planting, the distance between seedlings and other plants should be at least 3 m.
Landing rules
According to the rules, it is necessary to plant a mulberry seedling in the spring. Drainage from broken bricks, pebbles or rubble is placed on the bottom of the dug hole. The drainage layer is especially important when groundwater is close.
The nutrient mixture is poured on top. It consists of soil mixed with humus, with the addition of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
Therefore, the seedling must be carefully placed and the roots straightened so that they do not break.
After installing the seedling, the root system is carefully sprinkled, and the earth is tamped. Pour a bucket of water into the root zone. Then a layer of sawdust, peat or leaves is laid around. It will help maintain adequate moisture and nutrients.
Watering and feeding
Mulberry Black Baroness tolerates drought conditions well, but with regular watering, its frost resistance increases. Active watering is carried out from early spring to mid-August. In the presence of heavy rainfall during the summer, you do not need to water the tree.
The first couple of years after planting the mulberry Black Baroness does not need additional feeding. She has enough nutrients that were introduced during planting.
Then it is supposed to feed the tree twice a year:
- In early spring, even in the presence of snow, urea is scattered. When the top layer thaws, the urea is perfectly absorbed and saturates the roots. Fertilizer is applied at the rate of 50 g per sq. m.
- Potassium and phosphorus should be added in mid-August.
With such regular feeding, the harvest will be good, and the plant will endure the winter without problems.
Pruning
Mulberry Black Baroness in tree height and width is formed by pruning. The tree can be given different shapes, making it more spreading or spherical. This allows the mulberry tree to be used as decoration on the site.
To form a crown, it is necessary to cut off all lateral shoots at a height of up to 1 m. It is recommended to do this in the spring, before the sap flow begins. But at the same time, the air temperature should not fall below - 10 ° C.
Sanitary pruning of the mulberry tree The Black Baroness consists in removing all sick and frozen branches. It can be carried out in parallel with the formative one or separately every few years in late autumn.
In order to rejuvenate the tree, the Black Baroness is periodically trimmed with the removal of the oldest shoots.
Preparing for winter
Despite the frost resistance, the Black Baroness mulberry in some regions, for example, in the Moscow region, should be prepared for winter.
The preparation procedure for winter includes several mandatory stages:
- mulching the trunk circle with sawdust and spruce branches;
- pruning all green shoots that are not lignified by November;
- Smoke fires can be built in the spring to protect against return frost.
But it is not necessary to wrap the trunk specially in the fall, since it does not suffer from frost. Frost is dangerous for young shoots and an unprotected root system.
Harvesting
The yield of the mulberry Black Baroness is high. But these berries are not subject to storage, as well as long-term transportation. Therefore, it is recommended to harvest carefully. There is no need to climb a tree for berries. You just have to wait for ripening. The finished crop itself falls to the ground. It is enough just to lay a waterproof material or polyethylene and shake the tree slightly. All berries that are ripe by this time will fall. Those that will not be eaten during the first day are recommended to be recycled.
Diseases and pests
Mulberry Black Baroness is resistant to most diseases. When disembarking in a too damp place, such ailments may occur:
- powdery mildew;
- small-leaved curl;
- brown spotting;
- bacteriosis.
For prevention, it is recommended to treat the tree with special preparations, which are bred strictly according to the instructions, spray the tree before flowering and fruiting.
It is important to systematically examine the tree and cut off affected leaves and shoots and burn them. Mulberry also needs comprehensive protection against many pests, including:
- Khrushch;
- bear;
- spider mite;
- mulberry moth.
As a preventive measure, it is recommended to annually dig up the ground around the trunk in order to destroy the eggs and larvae of many pests that hibernated in the ground.
Reproduction
Mulberry Black Baroness can reproduce in several ways, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages:
- rooting green cuttings - the simplest and most frequently used method;
- seeds - a laborious process that requires subsequent vaccination;
- layering;
- root shoots.
The most commonly used cuttings are cut in June. A green stalk should have 2-3 buds. Lignified cuttings are cut 18 cm long.
Reviews of the mulberry Black Baroness
Many lovers of mulberry trees and simply sweet garden fruits mark the Black Baroness with extremely positive reviews.
Conclusion
Mulberry Black Baroness belongs to frost-resistant varieties with high yields. It is popular not only as a fruit tree, but also to decorate the site. The main thing is to feed the tree and form the crown correctly.
