collected mulberry

[catfish chapstick]

I spent two years collecting this mulberry thinking it was a hawthorn. Thankfully I was corrected by some nice folks here on Bnut. It actually was growing among hawthorns and was the only one that wasn't a hawthorn. I have always wanted to try a hawthorn but the ones I saw were not as interesting as this mulberry turns out to be. I probably could have just collected it when I first found it but just to be safe I cut it back and let it rest and then dug a trench around it and let it rest more. last spring I put it into a pot and it did fine with the exception of some spots on its leaves which I mostly removed. this year I would like to spray it for fungus to try to prevent that from happening because I believe that could potentially cause it to die back in the winter. I just pulled it out to examine and there were two dead branches. not a big deal as they were high on the trunk and probably going to get cut anyway but for the future I'd like to keep the die-back under control so I can focus on building the design. other than all that the tree looks healthy. I took these pictures of what I think is the front and back and one from a slightly higher angle and one from the top. I'm thinking either about tilting the tree forward a bit and rotating it or keeping it the way it is and making it a little shorter. I left the small trunk for now but I imagine it will probably have to go at some point because it might be just too small to be worth keeping.

If anyone has any advice, experience with mulberry, ideas about the design, or comments at all please share with me. I am open-minded as to what this tree may become in the future. I do like tall trees but something about the top of this one does bother me a little. plus it always wants to throw out suckers which I removed last season.

 

[Poink88]

Nice. I like it.

Don't you think it is a bit too early to be on a bonsai pot though?

 

[JudyB]

I like it too. I collected a mulberry that I grew out in the ground for a few years, and is now on it's second year in a box. They do develop fast in the ground. I would think that if you're getting good growth, and your trunk is where you want it, just make sure that the roots have a bit of room to run. They will grow suckers where they've been cut, it's just the nature of them. Just keep after them, and let the top take the energy. I like the small second trunk, if you can get it to catch up a bit. Don't worry about leaf reduction at all, they will be very large. Just let it grow...

 

[coh]

It's a nice piece of material but I would agree about the pot...would probably be best served spending a few years in a larger grow box/pot. The added vigor might help avoid dieback, which could be related to a root issue. As for the top - you might want to cut that straight segment at the top back by 1/2 or even eliminate it and regrow the top, putting in movement to match the lower trunk. The larger grow pot would allow you to make that process happen faster.

Chris

Edit to add image - somthing like this, perhaps? Cut at red line and regrow curved upper trunk line (blue):

 

[NewWorldBonsai]

Nice. I like it.

Don't you think it is a bit too early to be on a bonsai pot though?

It's got a nice form and the movement feels right.

I have to agree with Poink on this one. Put that baby in 15gal or so and in a year or two every scar will be non existent and you'll have some fat branches to start ramifying.

Consider it anyways...

 

[berobinson82]

Dang Catfish! You always seem to find the nicest yamadori. Good eye. Great score!

 

[catfish chapstick]

Thanks for all the responses.

I know that most people wouldn't have it in a pot this small just yet and I have been considering putting it in the ground. I really just wanted to see if it would survive winter in this pot without protection and it looks like it did. I don't have any larger pots, well I do but they are going to be used for collected material, and I'd rather just put it in the ground for a while. I might wait a year to put it in the ground so I can establish a goal and start the framework. I do want fatter branches but I want the movement to carry into the branches and if I put some movement in first it could work better for the future. fat lower branches (not too fat) doesn't matter if they are perfectly straight. I've looked at some older mulberry trees in the area and it looks like the lower branches usually reach slightly upward and out and often droop back down making a sort of umbrella-shaped canopy.

I like the smaller trunk, even though it is so small. I've always liked the mother-daughter form but the larger trunk seems to outweigh the smaller one so much. Maybe a father-daughter if you know what I mean. we'll see.

I hope it doesn't have root issues. I checked the roots last year and they seemed fine and the whole plant vigorous. I think all the mulberry in my area get some sort of fungal infection, some worse than others, and that might be the reason for the die-back. I'm going to look into treating it this year.

I agree about shortening it but I was even thinking lower, especially if i'm going to let it grow out in the ground, I can create taper and movement.

I don't know how to tell if it's male or female but I would love for it to fruit someday. when I was a child I would pick and eat mulberries all the time with my grandfather in the summer here. fond memories.

 

[JudyB]

Mulberries seem to evoke nostalgic feelings for everyone who grew up with them. I have several grand old multi trunked huge mulberries, they are the quintessential summer lazy shade tree to me. With bonus snacks!

 

[coh]

I agree about shortening it but I was even thinking lower, especially if i'm going to let it grow out in the ground, I can create taper and movement.

I'm just curious about how much you're thinking of shortening this tree. You've already got nice movement and taper, there's just too much of a discontinuity at the top. If you plant it in the ground and allow a sacrifice branch or two to grow from the lower half, you can increase the taper even more while preserving the beauty of the trunk above. Just my opinion of course, and I realize that there may be other issues that are not apparent in the photo.

Chris

 

[JudyB]

I'm just curious about how much you're thinking of shortening this tree. You've already got nice movement and taper, there's just too much of a discontinuity at the top.

I agree with Chris.

 

[catfish chapstick]

I'm just curious about how much you're thinking of shortening this tree. You've already got nice movement and taper, there's just too much of a discontinuity at the top. If you plant it in the ground and allow a sacrifice branch or two to grow from the lower half, you can increase the taper even more while preserving the beauty of the trunk above. Just my opinion of course, and I realize that there may be other issues that are not apparent in the photo.

Chris

I agree with you I'm just keeping an open mind

 

[youngsai]

update?

Catfish, I searched mulberry to find info to help me with mine and found this little beauty, how is it? It has an awesome wildness about it...

 

[catfish chapstick]

Unfortunately this tree and and another mulberry I collected died. The trees both had a disease and I'm sure I over worked them too soon after collection. I'm so used to crabapples and elms that I guess I expected the same from mulberry. It's a shame since I had been conditioning it in the ground for a few years where it appeared to be as vigorous as any deciduous tree, invasive even...