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Illinois Everbearing mulberries

alan haigh
16 years ago

A lot of you seem to be pretty savvy consumers. I could use some advice on where I can purchase I E mulberries, preferably at discount at 10X. More important, I want large diameter with a lot of root even though shipping will be expensive.

Comments (15)

  • Embothrium
    16 years ago

    Low prices and quantities tend to be associated with small sizes. Big plants cost more to produce, the grower has had them longer. Big + cheap I might tend to be wary of. Also: mulberries are fast growing, perhaps you may not really need to track down and pay for the shipping of larger ones.

  • alan haigh
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Gee, thanks for that, but I wan't asking for that kind of advice no matter how gratifying the giving. I've been in the nursery business for 20 years- I was looking for sources not peripheral advice. Of course bigger costs more. Never mind, and thanks for the effort...anyone else, please?

  • jellyman
    16 years ago

    Harvestman:

    Illinois Everbearing, like most mulberry cultivars, is a fast-growing tree. It is not unusual for a specimen to grow three feet or more the first season. An IE that I planted in my son's yard last spring is now 5 feet tall, in spite of some attention from deer. I am sure you have your reasons for preferring larger trees, perhaps a client's preference, not yours, but there is scant advantage to planting a larger IE tree. For the same reason, most nurseries do not retain IE trees much more than the first season after grafting. They become too large to ship.

    IE seems to be a popular choice, and many nurseries sell out even before the season opens. You may be fortunate to find IE trees of any size in large quantities, much less at a discount.

    I would suggest you content yourself with planting smaller trees, assuring your clients that they will grow fast (if protected from deer). If this is considered peripheral advice, then I will have to live with that. B-Boy's comments may be cryptic, but often contain gems of truth. He has been at it for a while too.

    Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

  • lucky_p
    16 years ago

    Raintree, Edible Landscaping, Whitman Farms, Burnt Ridge, Stark Bros. all offer, or have offered IE in the recent past.
    Probably available from a number of other lesser-known mail-order nurseries.

  • alan haigh
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Once again, I was asking for sources not for advice about IE, I've grown about 80 of these trees from 2.5 to 3" caliber over the years and the first one taught me how fast they grow and how much deer like them. I have two 20 year old tree on my propery. I manage about 15 other trees in other orchards. I'm not trying to evaluate anyones credibility or experience. But I'm 55 years old and have supported myself my whole life entirely as a grower. I wish there was a national contest of fruit tree trivia, maybe I could win a nice vacation and go somewhere and plant mangos which is something I do enjoy.

    Here's the deal, I can sell a 2.5 inch calibre tree for $250 dollars. If I can save a year and it takes me 2 instead of three by my math I'm saving about $80 bucks in baby sitting. I was getting pretty good sized trees from Womack nursery but they don't have them in this years catalogue. I guess I'm not satisfying anyones urge to be a fruit tree guru, and believe me I have the same apetite
    and the same kind of ego but all I need is a good source for I E mulberry trees. Please don't tell me how easy they are to graft, how I could get them to size up faster, your genius would just be wasted.

  • alan haigh
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Lucky, thanks, finally an answer to the actual question and all of those are pretty good sources but I was hoping to maybe find a small southern grower where the one year trees get pretty big. I have purchased trees from Lucille at Whitmans- she's great and I bought from Burnt ridge one year. Lucille's usually sold out by now, but I think I'll give her a call, her prices are always the best in quantity.

  • Embothrium
    16 years ago

    Spellcheck: Caliper.

  • lucky_p
    16 years ago

    Hmm. Southern....
    I'm thinking I've seen Womack's Nursery out of DeLeon TX offer IE, too. Long growing season there - might be what you're looking for.
    Just Fruits & Exotics, in Crawfordville FL probably also offers it.
    Then...there's the infamous TyTy Nursery in TyTy GA, but I'd NEVER recommend anyone purchase anything from them - but their online catalog is interesting reading/viewing - just too bizarre & cheesy!

  • alan haigh
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks Lucky, yeah, I don't know why Womacks stopped propigating it, They used to ship me 1" dia. trees and leave lots of roots- suckers took off like rockets. Killed me on shipping though. I'll try JFE, think I'll leave Ty Ty alone.

    I really have to get another copy of Fruit, Nut and Berry Inventory. I have the 2nd edition and it's pretty dated.

  • Embothrium
    16 years ago

    From the third (2001) edition:

    Burnt Ridge Nursery
    Edible Landscaping
    forestfarm
    John Gordon Nursery
    Hidden Springs Nursery
    Oregon Exotics
    Raintree Nursery
    Sherwood's Greenhouses
    Tripple Brook Farm
    Whitman Farms Nursery
    Womack Nursery Co

  • alan haigh
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    bboy, thank you, i'm checking out hidden springs, I don't know them.

  • jbe1
    16 years ago

    I placed a large order with Hidden last fall and was very pleased with the prompt shipment and health of the plants, but they were quite small (but very reasonably priced). Excellent company. As to IE, I've planted a couple from Edible Landscaping both starting at 3 gallon size. First one did well a couple years back at a previous property. Then planted one here last fall, large plant that was incredibly root bound. Did my best to take care and spread the roots. Not sure why but it up and croaked, probably Easter freeze (which didn't harm the entire Hidden order). Anyway, had to have IE so purchased Stark Bros. tree from local nursery in the spring, they come in the "EZ" (narrow deep) pot. Probably started out at 4ft and 1 inch diameter. Now after terrible drought and only sheet mulch and soybean meal for nitrogen the beast is about 10Ft tall and 2 1/2 inch diameter even after being browsed hard by deer multiple times.

    Good luck.
    JB

  • alan haigh
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I checked out Hidden Springs on the internet and realized that I'd ordered some Autumn Olive cultivars from them before and that one of the owners is the daughter of Hector Black who I have great respect for. It is definately a nursery owned by honest hard-working people.

    In the end I ordered 10 trees from Lucile at Whitman's farm. She propigates unusual stuff for a lot of more expensive nurseries like Raintree. She gives a serious discount for quantity and in the past her sizes have been pretty good.

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    15 years ago

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