Mulberry Tree Leaves

Yellow Turtle01 · Sep 11, 2014

A few hours away from there! I have been to Cedar Point though, so I know (vaguely) where that is! I live way on the side, Ashtabulaness

Thank you so much! I'll have to read up on that type of tree care, so I can know where to plant...

Yellow Turtle01 · Sep 11, 2014

AbdullaAli said:
There aren't silkworms here, no "good care". This is how the tree is cared for:
1- the tree is watered often.
The "soil" that is used is actually orange sand. It just gets LOTS of sun and heat (The temperature never drops below 48 here). My tree is doing OK, I think it just needs time

If I remember correctly, sand doesn't have a lot of nutrients, so maybe a mix-in type water fertilizer for the tree might help it grow.

Abdulla6169 · Sep 11, 2014

Yellow Turtle01 said:
If I remember correctly, sand doesn't have a lot of nutrients, so maybe a mix-in type water fertilizer for the tree might help it grow.

Or organic compost

Tortoises and people can enjoy mulberries!

bouaboua · Sep 11, 2014

Jacqui said:
Perhaps the term dwarf is meaning it's smaller then the "normal" mulberry trees, not that it's really going to stay a little 6-8' tree.

I cannot remember where I bought my mulberry trees. I can't fine the website but it is similar to that picture in the link what "wellington" posted. So, I confused.

The reason I bought three trees is I never think I have any thumb of mine are green, so if one or even two of those baby tree are died, I still can have at least one tree. Now I have three........Soon I will need to start to give away mulberry leaves to torts lover or silkworm lover.

Or I can have more torts..........NOT! ! !

Abdulla6169 · Sep 11, 2014

bouaboua said:
I cannot remember where I bought my mulberry trees. I can't fine the website but it is similar to that picture in the link what "wellington" posted. So, I confused.

The reason I bought three trees is I never think I have any thumb of mine are green, so if one or even two of those baby tree are died, I still can have at least one tree. Now I have three........Soon I will need to start to give away mulberry leaves to torts lover or silkworm lover.

Or I can have more torts..........NOT! ! !

If you can water mulberry trees and protect them from very low temperatures, they'll grow well!

wellington · Sep 11, 2014

They will grow in cold temp areas too. We had growing wild the fruit kind in a field by my house when I was a kid up in Michigan, zone 4. I'm now in zone 5 and they grow here too. Maybe not as fast as warmer climates, but they are cold hardy.

Tom · Sep 11, 2014

AbdullaAli said:
If you can water mulberry trees and protect them from very low temperatures, they'll grow well!

Low temperatures don't bother them. They drop their leaves and "hibernate" every winter in freezing climates. These trees do well in a very wide variety of environments. Apparently they do well in Ohio with frozen winters, and they also thrive in AZ with a climate more like yours with scorching summer temps and mild winters. Many people compare mulberry trees to weeds, as in "they grow like a bad weed".

The one thing that will kill them for sure is to damage a ring around their bark. They cannot recover from that. I've had them come back after all their roots were eaten. Darn thing simply grew new roots after I put the gopher that did the damage in my freezer and collapsed his tunnel. I have on tree in my sulcata pen and they rubbed a little too hard on the bark in one spot. It has taken this tree years to recover and its been a slow process. Another tree is in the dog yard with a fence around it. One of the dogs decided to hop the 4' fence and chew on the trunk. That tree did not recover. I'm going to chop it off below the damage and see if it comes back next spring.

Abdulla6169 · Sep 11, 2014

Tom said:
Low temperatures don't bother them. They drop their leaves and "hibernate" every winter in freezing climates. These trees do well in a very wide variety of environments. Apparently they do well in Ohio with frozen winters, and they also thrive in AZ with a climate more like yours with scorching summer temps and mild winters. Many people compare mulberry trees to weeds, as in "they grow like a bad weed".

The one thing that will kill them for sure is to damage a ring around their bark. They cannot recover from that. I've had them come back after all their roots were eaten. Darn thing simply grew new roots after I put the gopher that did the damage in my freezer and collapsed his tunnel. I have on tree in my sulcata pen and they rubbed a little too hard on the bark in one spot. It has taken this tree years to recover and its been a slow process. Another tree is in the dog yard with a fence around it. One of the dogs decided to hop the 4' fence and chew on the trunk. That tree did not recover. I'm going to chop it off below the damage and see if it comes back next spring.

I was talking about the mulberry i'm used to... Sorry, I had never realized there are more cold tolerating species. Our winters aren't mild, they are pleasant... The kind of weather you'll want to have a picnic in.

bouaboua · Sep 11, 2014

Tom said:
Low temperatures don't bother them. They drop their leaves and "hibernate" every winter in freezing climates. These trees do well in a very wide variety of environments. Apparently they do well in Ohio with frozen winters, and they also thrive in AZ with a climate more like yours with scorching summer temps and mild winters. Many people compare mulberry trees to weeds, as in "they grow like a bad weed".

The one thing that will kill them for sure is to damage a ring around their bark. They cannot recover from that. I've had them come back after all their roots were eaten. Darn thing simply grew new roots after I put the gopher that did the damage in my freezer and collapsed his tunnel. I have on tree in my sulcata pen and they rubbed a little too hard on the bark in one spot. It has taken this tree years to recover and its been a slow process. Another tree is in the dog yard with a fence around it. One of the dogs decided to hop the 4' fence and chew on the trunk. That tree did not recover. I'm going to chop it off below the damage and see if it comes back next spring.

Thank you for the info about the mulberry tree. good info.

leigti · Sep 11, 2014

Dan said:
They're invasive garbage trees and nothing will kill them. Hermann's tortoise and sulcata enjoy the leaves though.

That doesn't make me very happy that I actually planted a dwarf version this year :-(has anybody had their Russian tortoises like the leaves? So far my Russian tortoise won't touch them.

Tom · Sep 11, 2014

Dan said:
They're invasive garbage trees and nothing will kill them. Hermann's tortoise and sulcata enjoy the leaves though.

Sorry. I don't agree with any of that.

Invasive? None of mine have ever spread.

Garbage? How so. Great shade in the summer and an excellent food source for all 50 of my tortoises, hardy, heat and cold tolerant...

They are easy to kill and I have the dead ones to prove it.

Tom · Sep 11, 2014

leigti said:
That doesn't make me very happy that I actually planted a dwarf version this year :-(has anybody had their Russian tortoises like the leaves? So far my Russian tortoise won't touch them.

All 20 of my russians eat them right up, as do all my other tortoises. Torts are only picky if you allow them to be. Sometimes people give me picky torts. They go from being picky when I get them, to being hungry all the time, to being not picky at all anymore, within the space of a few weeks or months. I don't feel sympathy for a picky tortoise that walks past a pile of good food and gives you the puppy dog eyes until you feed it lettuce. I'm not starving them. Its their choice to eat or not, so I don't feel bad for them if they skip a day or two here or there while their food pile wilts and goes to waste. Pretty soon, they eat. Pretty soon they eat what ever I put in front of them.

GotTurtles · Sep 11, 2014

leigti said:
That doesn't make me very happy that I actually planted a dwarf version this year :-(has anybody had their Russian tortoises like the leaves? So far my Russian tortoise won't touch them.

My Russians eat the leaves. Heck my wood turtles and a couple of box turtles even eat them.

leigti · Sep 11, 2014

That's good to know. I will see if I can get my Russian and my Boxturtle to eat them before they all fall off for the winter.

ZEROPILOT · Sep 12, 2014

My tree is still not established enough to be "PLUCKED" just yet, but of the few leaves I have taken, there wasn't any interest in them from my R/F. The one I shredded with hibiscus leaves was eaten. Do they prefer the larger, somewhat velvety feeling leaves or the smaller, younger smooth ones? Both?

turtlemanfla88 · Sep 12, 2014

I would wait till spring to plant one . I just planted a bunch of cuttings if you lived in FLA or ever come down this way I could give you some in the spring. I have a funny story in my old house my mulberry tree is now 15-20 years old and 20 by 20 feet. I had a neighbor that was a jerk and no one liked him well my black mulberry was the fruiting type and it dropped a lot of fruit in my yard and his well he had new white carpet in his house. Guess you should wipe your feet off or better yet take your shoes off. I remember he sprayed round up and told one of the other neighbors he did not care about my turtles and tortoises. I am so glad I do not live in a deed restricted subdivision any more. Now I have a half acre and me and my animals are a lot happier.

Kapidolo Farms · Sep 12, 2014

http://www.feedipedia.org/node/12764 follow this link to see why they are such a good source of nutrition. They are also a great source of fiber for both grass and leaf eating species. I have fed mulberry leaves to tortoises and herbivorous lizards for about 30 years. They have all prefernetially consumed it to just about any other green offered. One excpetion might be squash leaves, they are liked better by most.

Abdulla6169 · Sep 13, 2014

Dan said:
I have read that there are many types of mulberry trees so I mustn't over-generalize but the ones in my area are not pretty trees. Growing close to sixty feet tall, they have ungainly habits and choke out any more handsome trees like tulip poplar, maple, or sycamore which could otherwise grow up. They drop sickly-smelling fruit which then draws ants and wasps. And here, they are highly invasive and tend to spring up along fence-lines. It cannot be denied, however, that they're excellent tortoise food and I keep a couple trees in my yard pruned down by constantly stripping their leaves for my animals to eat. They're not all bad.

It could very well be the case that others have had more positive experiences with other members of the mulberry family, but like poison ivy, the mulberry we've got around here is not something I'd transplant into my yard. I think that some of the fruitless or dwarf cultivars would be a better choice.

The mulberries I have produce tasty fruit, but here they wont grow without irrigation.

iluvtorts · Sep 13, 2014

Tortmomma2 said:
I have a fruitless mulberry tree in my front yard and I was wondering if it is okay to feed my African Sulcata tort the leaves? I thought I have read I could but I want to check to make sure I could again. Thanks guys

My sulcatas love mulberry leaves. I also found out that in the fall I pick large amounts of leaves and pack them in vacuum bags and seal and freeze them. The leaves turn blackish green, but don't get mushy or anything and then I have mulberry leaves to feed all winter long.

Tom · Sep 13, 2014

Dan said:
I have read that there are many types of mulberry trees so I mustn't over-generalize but the ones in my area are not pretty trees. Growing close to sixty feet tall, they have ungainly habits and choke out any more handsome trees like tulip poplar, maple, or sycamore which could otherwise grow up. They drop sickly-smelling fruit which then draws ants and wasps. And here, they are highly invasive and tend to spring up along fence-lines. It cannot be denied, however, that they're excellent tortoise food and I keep a couple trees in my yard pruned down by constantly stripping their leaves for my animals to eat. They're not all bad.

It could very well be the case that others have had more positive experiences with other members of the mulberry family, but like poison ivy, the mulberry we've got around here is not something I'd transplant into my yard. I think that some of the fruitless or dwarf cultivars would be a better choice.

Sounds like you have mostly the fruiting variety near you. Those do make a HUGE mess and attract all sorts of pests. Interesting that they appear along fence lines. That is where mulberry fruit eating birds are very likely to congregate and of course defecate. We have very few of the fruiting types here in CA or in AZ either from what I've seen. That would explain why I don't see them as invasive and you do. The non fruiting varieties need to be propagated from cuttings, so they won't spread from the birds and bees. They only grow where you put them, and they most definitely must be irrigated to survive here in our dry climate.

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