There are two main varieties of mulberry are available in the market right now. Moras alba (one with white fruits) Moras nigra (one with black fruit). Moras nigra is my favorite one. I actually love it when fruits are red in color, black is good but red is too good for me.
Growing mulberry is not that hard, actually, it is too easy. Plants of mulberry are very hardy, you cannot go wrong with them. Once the plants of mulberry reach a certain stage, they don’t require your constant attention. Before growing them here a few health benefits of mulberry fruits:
Health Benefits Of Mulberry
1: Improve Digestion
Mulberries contain a good amount of fibers in them. Fibers are works with your stomach and relieve constipation. They facilitate the movement of foods through the elementary canal. These movements will help you in constipation, stomach cramps and bloating.
2: Heart Issues
Mulberry will help in lowering bad cholesterol in your blood. Blood low in bad cholesterol is great for high blood pressure patients. Low bad cholesterol and normal blood pressure will prevent any kind of heart problem.
3: Blood Sugar
If you have type 2 diabetes, mulberry is great for you. White mulberry is more effective than white mulberry. Certain chemicals are present in the white mulberry, which are very similar to the medicines used to treat diabetic patience.
4: Cancer Risk
Organic and pesticides free mulberry fruits contain tons of antioxidants and phytonutrients. These are very efficient in stopping the growth of tumor cells. So you can eat them to protect yourself and your family against cancer.
5: Anemia
If your feeling fatigue and dizziness, you may have anemia. Anemia can be treated with iron-rich foods. Luckily, mulberries have a good number of irons. So, you can eat them to get rid of anemia.
6: Boost Metabolism
Mulberries have tons of iron in them. Iron will increase the number of red blood cells in the circulation system. More red blood cells mean more oxygen to parts of the body, which will improve the metabolism and functionality of your body.
7: Improve Immunity
Vitamin C is also a big part of mulberries, which is great against illness. Doctors are also recommending vitamin C against coronavirus. Vitamin C will improve immunity to fight against any kind of pathogen. A single-serve of mulberries can easily provide you vitamin C for a whole day.
8: Note
As I mentioned before, mulberry can lower blood pressure, so eat them in moderation, if you have a low blood pressure issue. Mulberries also have some allergins in them, so keep an eye on them if you are allergic.
How To Grow Mulberry From Mulberry?
If you have a space problem in your garden, you will be happy to know that you can grow mulberry plants in containers and they will not just grow, they will produce fruits too.
Best Times To Collect The Seeds
Mulberry plants produce fruits in two seasons. So you can collect them in spring or summer and sow them or you can collect the seeds at the end of the usual growing season and put them in the refrigerator after putting them in water for 24 hours. Put them in the refrigerator for 80 to 100 days and then sow them.
Follow these steps to grow mulberry in the container.
1: How To Collect Seeds Of Mulberry?
You can easily buy some seeds from any plant store or find a tree in your neighbors that producing fruits right now. Grab a few fruits of mulberry (fully matured ripen fruits) and smash these fruits with your finger, seeds will come out of the fruits.
Seeds of mulberry look like the seeds of tomatoes. Now put those seeds in a glass of water for a few minutes. Seeds that sits in the water and reach the bottom of the glass are healthy and they will grow.
Extra Tip: Mulberry seeds are very hardy and they can grow everywhere. So check out the surroundings of the big tree, I’m sure you will find a few seedlings or small trees. You can easily grow them in a container.
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2: Sow The Seeds
After the collection of seeds, now its time to sow them. Sow them in a seed tray or you can use small disposable glass. Make some drainage holes at the bottom. Before sowing them, you should prepare the soil. Normal garden soil is not gonna work all the time, so you should make special soil germination of seeds.
You can either buy multipurpose compost or you can make your own. Here is the recipe that I use: 50% organic compost and 50% coco coir or coco peat. Here are a few guides for you to make your own soil:
After making the soil, fill the seed tray with it. Give water to the soil before sowing. Just put one or 2 seeds in each container and add an extra thin layer of the same soil on the top.
After sowing the seeds, give it water and put your tray or container in a shady area for a few days. If you are living in a hot climate like me, you should keep the tray in a shady place unless germination starts. For a cold climate, put the seeds tray in sunlight after 3 to 4 days.
3: Prepare Soil For Final Location
Germination of seeds will start in 12 to 15 days. If seeds are germinating well, it means they need more water and sunlight. During these days you should make your potting soil. You can either buy from the market or you can make your own. Here is the method to make your own potting soil at home:
Read: How To Make Potting Soil At Home For Container Gardening
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4: Transplant Seedlings Into Bigger Pots
When your seedlings reach 6-8 inches in height, you can transplant them in bigger containers. Mulberry plants can grow 20 – 30 feet in height (we should not let them grow that much in height, prune them to make them dwarf), so you should select bigger pots. Bigger the better. Minimum 12 inches container can do the trick.
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After container selection, fill it with potting soil. Pull your seedling along with the root ball and plant it in your container. Early in the morning is the best time to transplant seedlings, to save them from transplant shock. After transplanting, give them water immediately.
5: Extra Tips
- After transplanting, keep your container in a semi-shady location. When growth starts, you can put it in full sunlight.
- In containers, plants need more water than usual. So keep checking the moisture level of the soil by sticking your finger in the soil of your container. Give water once or twice a week.
- Put some mulch in the container to stop the growth of weeds, reduce the evaporation of water and for extra nutrients later, because mulch will decompose to make extra nutrients in the soil.
- If leaves of plants are turning yellow, it means they may need extra fertilizers. You can give them organic compost, organic manure (fully fertilized) or all-purpose plant food. You can buy all-purpose plant food from here.
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