The berries are edible and sweet. The first English colonists to explore eastern Virginia in 1607 mentioned the abundance of both mulberry trees and their fruit, which was eaten (sometimes boiled) by the native
Powhatan tribes. Today, mulberries are eaten raw, used in the fillings of pastries, and fermented into wine. They are also used for marmalades, liquors, natural dyes, and cosmetics. The berries are not commercially sold because they have very short "shelf lives" and pack/ship very poorly. The wood may be dried and used for smoking meats with a flavour that is mild and sweet. It is also used for fenceposts because the heartwood is relatively durable. Other uses of the wood include farm implements, cooperage, furniture, interior finish, and caskets.
History Some Native American tribes used an infusion of the bark as a
laxative or
purgative. Infusions of the root were used to treat weakness and urinary ailments. The sap was applied to the skin to treat ringworm. Documentations of the use of red mulberry go back to 1500 by the
De Soto expedition, which recorded the consumption of dried fruits by the indigenous
Muskogee peoples. There were diverse uses of mulberry in different
indigenous cultures. Among them, the
Cherokee mixed cornmeal and sugar to the berries, to make sweet dumplings. Later on, European settlers also used the mulberry fruits to make pies or preserves. The trees were also important as a source of livestock feed and wood for furniture or boats. The
Choctaw Indians used to prepare a kind of cloth out of the bark of
Morus and would produce a yellow dye from the root of the same plant.
Cultivation In an early stage, pruning is necessary to make the red mulberry tree develop a sturdy framework. Afterwards, the pruning requirements of the red mulberry involve mainly removing dead or overcrowded wood. To keep the tree in a tidy form, it is suggested to choose a few main branches and cut the laterals to six leaves in July. This allows the spurs to develop near the main branches. However, the red mulberry tree tends to bleed after pruning, so pruning should be reduced to a minimum and should be conducted when the tree is dormant, as the bleeding is less severe then. Removing branches of more than 2 inches in diameter should be absolutely avoided. In the first year of a red mulberry's lifetime, a sufficient water supply is critical for the development of the root system. Young mulberry trees should be watered thoroughly twice a week if growing on light soils and once a week if growing on clay soils. Later, the red mulberry is drought tolerant, although under
water scarcity it may drop its fruits too early which results in berry yield losses. Thus, for berry production, irrigation is recommended under dry conditions. Mulberry trees thrive with little to no fertilizer. Fertilizing more than twice a year should be avoided and fertilizing later than July may lead to freeze damage. An NPK value of 10-10-10 is targeted and depending on the available nutrients in the soil, other nutrients like iron should be added. Usually, the red mulberry is free from pests and diseases but in some areas the "popcorn disease" may occur. In that case, infected fruits should be collected and burned, to prevent the pathogens population to reproduce and survive for the next season.
Climatic and soil requirements Mulberry grows in various climatic conditions and can be found in climates between temperate and tropical. Red mulberry plants require a total annual rainfall of and are adapted to altitudes of up to . The native environment of red mulberry most often consists of moist forests, thickets on floodplains, moist hillsides and river banks. It can tolerate short periods of flooding and can tolerate temperatures as low as . Optimal growing temperatures are between . At least 140 frost free days a year are required. Normally, the tree grows in full sun, but growth is also possible in partial shading. Red mulberry is also drought tolerant. The plants prefer deep, well drained soils that range from loamy to clayey and have a high moisture-holding capacity. Mulberry wood has the same quality as oak, which can be sold for 90-150 euro per m3. Nevertheless, to achieve a quantity of 1m3, we should have to take down the whole tree, which can be counterproductive in the case of fruit production. Nevertheless, the wood from the trimming can still be used as firewood and the biggest parts for furniture or turned objects. An additional yield of 8–12 tons/acre/year (20–30 tons/hectare/year) can be achieved with the littler parts and the leaves which serve as forage. Only 2 to 3 years after whip cultivar plantation, the tree should already start to fruit. The yields of fruits should reach 3 to 5 kg (per tree per year) on the first years until 300 kg for a mature tree. == Economic aspects ==