Garden Care Guide

White Mulberry Care

Morus alba

A fast-growing, hardy, deciduous tree. It is grown for its sweet white fruits, and its leaves have traditionally been used as silkworm feed. It loves full sun and adapts to most soil types, including poor soils.

Hardy · -25 °C / -13 °F

Monthly care calendar

Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.

January
  • Pruning: The best time for hard pruning. Prune to control the size of the tree, aerate the crown and remove dry, diseased branches.
  • Plant protection: Dormant oil (mineral oil) and Bordeaux mixture can be applied for overwintering pests.
  • General care: Clear away pruning debris and fallen leaves.
  • Pests & diseases: Check the trunk and branches for scale insects (Coccoidea).
February
  • Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
  • Pruning: While dormant, remove dry, broken, crossing and inward-growing branches so that air and light reach the inside of the crown. Its fruit falls on pedestrians and vehicles and causes stains; avoid planting beside seating areas and parking lots, or choose a fruitless variety.
  • Plant protection: Before the buds wake up, Bordeaux mixture or a copper-based fungicide can be applied.
  • General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.
March
  • Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
  • Fertilizing: Well-rotted farmyard manure, compost or balanced NPK (e.g., 15-15-15), applied to the soil, 100-200 g per tree depending on the age of the tree; do not overapply.
  • General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.
  • Pests & diseases: Check whether there are aphids (Aphidoidea) on the new shoots.
  • Frost risk: Young shoots are rarely affected by late frosts and are generally hardy.
April
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water every 15 days.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Flowering begins.
  • Pests & diseases: Look for aphids (green or black clusters of small insects) on fresh shoot tips. If there are only a few, you can knock them off with a strong jet of water.
May
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water once a week.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Flowering continues. Spread mulch 5-7 cm thick over the root zone; it conserves soil moisture and suppresses weeds. Do not pile mulch against the trunk.
  • Pests & diseases: Look for aphids (green or black clusters of small insects) on fresh shoot tips. If there are only a few, you can knock them off with a strong jet of water.
June
  • Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. The root zone should be wetted to a depth of 30-40 cm.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Main harvest period. Harvest the fruit by shaking the tree or picking by hand. Clear up fruit that has fallen to the ground to keep pests away.
  • Pests & diseases: Look for aphids (green or black clusters of small insects) on fresh shoot tips. If there are only a few, you can knock them off with a strong jet of water.
July
  • Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. The root zone should be wetted to a depth of 30-40 cm.
  • Pruning: Light summer pruning can be done only for aesthetic purposes and to control vegetative growth.
  • General care: Strong shoot growth continues after harvest.
  • Pests & diseases: In hot and dry weather, check the leaves for spider mites (Tetranychidae).
August
  • Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. The root zone should be wetted to a depth of 30-40 cm.
  • General care: A suitable time for bud grafting.
September
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water once a week.
  • Pruning: Not recommended; it can encourage new shoots.
  • General care: Propagation by semi-hardwood cuttings can be done.
October
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water every 15 days.
  • Plant protection: Bordeaux mixture can be applied after leaf fall.
  • General care: The leaves turn yellow and begin to fall. You can compost the fallen leaves.
November
  • Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
  • General care: Good time for planting and transplanting. Collect fallen leaves; many disease agents and pests overwinter under them.
December
  • Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
  • Pruning: Once the tree is fully dormant, you can begin winter pruning toward the end of the month.
  • General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.

The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.

Want reminders for every plant in your garden? Our garden-care app with monthly task lists and frost alerts is currently available in Turkish; the English version is on the way.

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