New dwarf Mulberry Charlotte Russe - Your opinions please

[Losos]

I saw a news item in a magazine claiming that Suttons have introduced a new Mulberry which grows to just 1.5 Mt. in height and fruits in the first year

I was always taught that if something sounds too good to be true it probably is

Have you guys any thoughts on this :?:

I've long been tempted to try growing a Mulberry but have always been put off by the ten plus years they take to start fruiting.

[veggiechicken]

I don't think they'd say it fruited in the first year (or two) if it didn't.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeands...ous-mulberries

[sparrow100]

I have one. It's just starting to leaf up and is very fragile-looking.

I was told it would fruit this year. That might mean one berry, but I'd be happy with that. Suttons are sold out now till September, by which time there should be lots of reviews to let you know whether it does fruit and how much realistically it will grow in the first year.

Ken Muir sells mulberries that will fruit in their first 3-5 years, which I thought was similar to most fruit trees. According to his website you can espalier 'normal' mulberries too, which is great given how massive they usually are.

[Mrs Bee]

I was too slow to order one of these for this year so I won't get mine until September.

I already have a mulberry tree that I bought 2 years ago and am still waiting for the first fruit. We know where there is a full grown tree locally but others have cottoned on to it's location and that the fruit is edible so there isn't enough to be worth picking.

The fruit is absolutely sublime.

I will be very interested to hear how yours goes Sparrow.

At a slight tangent, I am still waiting for the orange currant bush that I bought from the edible garden show a few years ago. I finally got in touch with the vendors who told me that I needed one of their blackcurrant bushes for fertilisation. Wish they had told me that when I bought the blasted thing.

Not sure whether to get one or dig the beggar up and plant an ordinary currant bush.

[Jay-ell]

Mrs Bee - never heard of an orange currant (except as a type of tom) - I have a Golden Currant I just got from W1lk0


So tempted by the Dwarf Mulberry, but got to figure out where I'm putting 2 blueberries, goji berry, 2 tay berries, 2 black currant, 1 golden currant and 1 black berry first.

[Mrs Bee]

The golden currant is an Orangesse. It is supposed to taste like mango and I was seduced into buying one. Really cross now that they didn't tell me what I needed to buy to actually get fruit, especially as I spent quite a lot at their stall.

I think the company is Swiss. Lubna.

[veggiechicken]

Fourberry® Orangesse® for sale | Buy Ribes aureum online from Lubera |

[sparrow100]

The golden currant is an Orangesse. It is supposed to taste like mango and I was seduced into buying one. Really cross now that they didn't tell me what I needed to buy to actually get fruit, especially as I spent quite a lot at their stall.

I think the company is Swiss. Lubna.

That is really annoying - we (you) also spent AGES on that stall - I left you and went walkabout for a bit. It seems a fairly essential bit of info to leave out. Worth contacting them I would have thought, given that I think when you bought it was when the company was just launching here - perhaps they didn't know or weren't prepared enough.

[Mrs Bee]

You are dead right Sparrow. We were ages on the stall.

I am leaning towards getting a companion plant and see what happens. And if the currants are worth eating I can take cuttings and pass some on to you as I said I would. But I will take cuttings for both plants.

I am a little wary though as so many exotic things I have bought as seed and plants have turned out to not be worth eating. Goji berries, electric daisies, asparagus peas, that salad that James Wong says tastes like roast beef, roast beef my left buttock!!!!!

I have a black raspberry waiting to go in the plot. I believe it is what that lovely raspberry liqueur is made from. I just hope that is worth the bother!!!

[Mrs Bee]

[url=http://www.lubera.co.uk/plants/lubera]

Yep that is the one. If any one else wants to give it a go make sure you get the companion plant.

[veggiechicken]

It seems you have to buy another expensive plant from them to pollinate it!
Some of their weird new plants are being sold as pairs. Maybe they've had complaints!

[Jay-ell]

What are "Fourberries®?
Botanically these berries are Ribes aureum, gold currants, which are sometimes also called Ribes odoratum. Originally, this species is a prairie plant that was found in many (mainly western) countries of North America; it is robust, hardy and drought resistant.

RIBES AUREUM - that's what the golden currant I got for £3 from Wi1k0s is. Photos of the fruit look similar.

Doesn't say anything about being self infertile - looks like I might not get berries, I'll have to such it and see.

[chrisdb]

I saw the advert but couldn't find any 3rd party reviews so decided to wait. I love trying new things, but many of them are failures ( I've now grubbed out goji berries, honey berries, reuben blackberries, ...) so if the plant isn't cheap and there's no validation of the seller's claims I'm a bit reluctant to be the first to go.

[DannyK]

Bought an Illinois Everbearing mulberry years ago based on the puff in the catalogue.
Fruit was insipid now a stump! Only thing it did was keep birds off other fruit.
Now got Wellington Mulberry and am living in hope.
Fruit on my ribes odoratum are black and taste horrible. Yellow flowers, nice scent.

[devonuk]

I agree with the Guardian's reservation that this probably a hybrid, not a variety of black mulberry (morus nigra) - the leaves look like white mulberry not black, and if Sparrow's is leafing out in mid-march that is very atypical for morus nigra which usually plays it safe until May before coming into leaf. Fruit may therefore not be of m nigra quality.