Mulberry- root prune?

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This is my 3rd year starting mulberries from seed. I'm using the root maker system...starting in RM18s, then 1 gal, then 3 gal. All the plants seem to want to take bush-form with more growth on branches than the leader. I want them in tall tree-form, so I prune the branches but they just keep coming. I'm starting to wonder if the RM root pruning is causing this? If so, not sure what options I have since direct seeding hasn't worked due to inability to frequently water them and I don't have any containers tall enough for a deep tap root.

Any advice is appreciated and thanks in advance

 

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Tried to graft mulberry with no luck this year. Wanted a Northrup which saint lawrence nurseries used to sell.

MY advice,

Just let the mulberry go and prune it when dormant. Search for the mulberry you want, then use those seeds. MAybe when transplantng to the ground make the hole more vertical you dig. You can use metal rods to loosen small paths for the roots to grow vertically.

Started this whole tree thing on the cheap, torringo crabapple for the state nursery in 2017. Got bunches of 25. Some were bushy some went more tree like. I live in NY and got some mulberry trees at home. Most of mine are tree like. I'lll take some pictures sometime this week. I do more small game hunting than big game. Winters get long n boring. Wanted some mulberries up at camp to hopefully get a grey squirrel up there. Seen one on state land 3 or 4 miles down the road, but never at camp. State land has beech trees, paper company land has virtually no beech or really no hard mast trees at all.

Could grow a raised bed with a whole bunch and pick out a few best. Maybe growing them in a tube where they have to reach better light.

IF you ever bump into northrup seeds, gladly take some.

 

[Telemark]

I would let them go for a few years and prune them in winter after they are in the ground. Usually the deer will then prune anything under about 6 feet.

 

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