Okay, so, I’ve got this fruitless mulberry tree in my backyard, right? It was getting a bit out of hand, branches all over the place, looking real messy. I figured it was time to give it a good trim. This was my first time pruning a mulberry tree, so I was a little nervous, not gonna lie. But I rolled up my sleeves and got to it.
First things first, I waited until winter. I read somewhere that’s the best time to prune these trees since they’re dormant and all the leaves are gone. Made sense to me, easier to see what you’re doing without all those leaves in the way. Plus, I figured the tree wouldn’t mind as much since it wasn’t actively growing. I noticed some broken and diseased branches, so I cut them first.
Next, I looked up some tips on how to actually prune the thing. I learned that you’re supposed to cut back the branches to the “collar,” which is basically where the branch meets the trunk. There’s like a little wrinkle there in the bark, that’s the spot. I grabbed my pruning shears – those things are sharp, by the way – and started with the smaller branches. Just one snip for each of those, easy peasy.
- Tackle the Big Branches: For the bigger, heavier branches, I found out it’s better to make three cuts.
- First Cut: About 24 inches from the trunk, straight down. I made this cut, and it definitely helped take some of the weight off.
- Second Cut: I removed the branch.
- Final Cut: I made the final cut right at the collar.
I tried to shape the tree into an umbrella shape, so all the branches are kind of radiating outwards. I guess that’s supposed to make it easier to reach any fruit, but mine’s fruitless, so I just did it for the looks. I also made sure to remove any branches that were crossing or rubbing against each other. They were all tangled up, I get rid of them.
After a few hours of work, I stepped back to admire my handiwork. The tree looked so much better! It was more open, less cluttered, and just generally more pleasing to the eye. I’m pretty proud of myself, not gonna lie. It was a bit of a learning curve, but I think I did a decent job for my first time.
I’m hoping this pruning will keep the tree healthy and looking good for years to come. I also read that pruning can encourage new growth, so we’ll see what happens in the spring. Maybe I’ll even get some fruit someday, who knows! But for now, I’m just happy to have a tidier tree in my backyard.
