I've never been able to recognize them as seedlings, and usually transplant them when they are 4-5 feet tall. However; I had thought to experiment with mashing a bit of fruit and seeing if I can't induce it to sprout. If I am successful I will happily send you a couple. I am also informed that they will sprout if you just stick cuttings in the wet ground. Sort of like willow. The power company cut down my big mulberry a couple years ago. I had gotten 20 gallons of berries off that tree the year before. Good wine and pies. Anyway, I notice last fall that the stump was covered with shoots and I plan on cutting and trying to root some of those, too. Wolf's Rest Farm is almost 9 acres, and if I had my druthers it would be COVERED with fruit, nut, and berry trees and bushes. I'm working on it, believe me. SO far I have a couple mulberry trees, blackberries, wild apples, feral pears, goji, aronia, wild cherries (both early and late) Hansen's bush cherries, asparagus, service berries (real close relative to blueberries), grapes-wild and concords, hickories, and walnuts. I buried a couple apples last fall, and if they sprout I am going to graft yellow delicious, winesap, and either johnathans or macintoshes to them. I also planted some wild plum pits, so I'll see if they grow or not. I have red and gold raspberries, and wild raspberries. I was given 100 strawberry plants, but they are too much work to get a really good crop, so I naturalized them. I got close to 6 galllons of berries last year. My DS and BIL and a lady I was seeing got thoroughly wasted on the daquiries my sister made. Good times!!! I'm going to try that with mulberries this year!!!
black locust, arguably the best homesteader tree
What did you do with the strawberries to "naturalize" them? That is a verry impressive list of fruits and nuts. I wish we owned this place. I'd work a lot harder on it.
Okay Darius, will do. Seems I remember fruit in early fall, just before Thanksgiving. I didn't pay too close attention, but will do better this year :)
Anybody want to do some trading for the hedge seeds? Got 4 acres down here I'd love to put a hedge aroud. Dont think I want to start with that many seeds, but just build up with a start.
No trade needed, if I get some, they're free for the asking. Just D-mail me your address info and what seed in the header. I'll need to note it in my garden planner.
Can you root cuttings any time of year or is there a better time to do it?
Thanks Hineine, I ment to grab some "apples" the last time I was in Ky, but did'nt get it done.
You can root cuttings anytime. Some will root better at different times of the year, but you can still get most stuff to root if you do it right. Putting them in the ground is a different matter. Trees and bushes are best to go into the ground in the fall or even in deep winter if you can dig. Now is good, too. But when the tree wakes up from it's winter snooze you want it to be where it's gonna be growing. I've started cuttings as late as august and they did okay.
If you are really going to get into starting your own trees and shrubbery you should find a copy "PROPAGATION" by Allan Toogood. It goes in depth into all the different methods of sexual and asexual plant reproduction. It also has tables and tables of different plants and how best to propagate them. I don't know if it's still in print (I got mine in the early 70s) ; But if you can get one, then I HIGHLY reccomend that you do.
Thanks Nik.
It's nothing. I took some mulberry cuttings today. I'm going to try and root them, and them shape them into espaliers. Stay tuned!!
I'll be interested in that.
Curious if black locust grows in my area?
And am wondering how the mulberry cuttings did? I had a large tree when I lived in Houston, so know that grows here. If the cutting worked I might be able to get some to grow on the new place.
And I would LOVE to plant some of the osage orange for a hedge! How exciting that is is reported to keep out hogs!! Anyone know where I could find some seedlings?
About 60% of the mulberries took root. I won't espalier them until next year. I also found and marked a few small wild seedlings to transplant after they go dormant. My neighbors hate me.
You can find alot of different trees to buy on ebay. I never tried osage orange as it is too easy to come by here.
That's wonderful that your cuttings rooted Nik!! Your neighbors might hate you, but the birds will sure love you. lol
Thanks for the great link Darius. I can see I'm going to have a hard time ordering just hedge apple. ;)
I potted my mulberry into a bigger pot. It's on the porch right now. Should I bring it in for winter? It's about a foot tall now.