Illinois Everbearing Mulberry Tree Live Plant – Prolific Fruit Production

Overview

Experience the joy of homegrown fruit with the Illinois Everbearing Mulberry Tree. This remarkable live plant is a hybrid variety renowned for its prolific and continuous fruit production throughout the summer months. Unlike many other fruit trees, the Illinois Everbearing Mulberry Tree offers an extended harvest, providing a steady supply of sweet, dark berries. It’s an ideal choice for gardeners seeking a reliable and rewarding fruit-bearing specimen. This fast-growing, cold-hardy tree, known botanically as Morus alba x rubra ‘Illinois Everbearing’, can reach impressive sizes, making it a prominent feature in any landscape. Its adaptability and generous yields make it a favorite among fruit enthusiasts and home orchardists.

Originating from a cross between white and red mulberry species, the Illinois Everbearing combines the best traits of both, resulting in a vigorous and highly productive plant. This Everbearing Mulberry Plant is not only valued for its delicious fruit but also for its ornamental qualities, providing shade and attracting wildlife. Whether you’re an experienced grower or new to fruit trees, this variety offers an accessible path to enjoying fresh, organic mulberries straight from your backyard.

Key Benefits

The Illinois Everbearing Mulberry Tree offers a multitude of benefits for both the gardener and the environment. Its ease of care and abundant harvest make it a truly rewarding plant.

• Continuous Fruit Production: Enjoy a steady supply of delicious, 1-inch long mulberries from early summer through late fall, ensuring a prolonged harvest season unlike many other fruit trees. This continuous yield makes it a highly desirable Prolific Fruit Tree for fresh eating, jams, and preserves.
• Exceptional Cold Hardiness: This robust tree is hardy down to -20°F (-29°C), thriving in USDA Hardiness Zones 4-9, making it suitable for a wide range of climates where other fruit trees might struggle. It’s a truly Cold Hardy Fruit Tree.
• Rapid Growth Rate: The Illinois Everbearing is a Fast Growing Mulberry, quickly establishing itself and maturing to produce fruit, often within just a few years of planting. This allows you to enjoy its benefits sooner.
• Low Maintenance: Once established, this mulberry tree requires minimal care, making it an excellent choice for busy gardeners or those new to growing fruit. It’s generally resistant to most common pests and diseases.
• Versatile Use: The sweet, juicy mulberries are perfect for fresh eating, baking, making preserves, or drying. The tree also provides excellent shade and attracts beneficial wildlife to your garden.
• Adaptable to Various Soils: While it prefers average, moist soils, this mulberry tree is quite adaptable and can tolerate a range of soil types, provided there is good drainage.
• Significant Landscape Impact: Growing 12-25 feet tall and 10-25 feet wide, this tree makes a substantial and attractive addition to any garden or homestead, offering both aesthetic appeal and practical benefits.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Illinois Everbearing Mulberry Tree is straightforward, ensuring a bountiful harvest for years to come. This resilient tree thrives with proper attention to its basic needs. For optimal fruit production and vigorous growth, select a planting site that receives at least four hours of direct sunlight per day. Full sun is generally preferred, as it encourages more fruit development and sweeter berries. Ensure the soil is well-drained; while mulberries tolerate a range of soil types, they do not like constantly wet feet. Average, moist soils with good drainage are ideal. Amend heavy clay soils with organic matter to improve drainage and aeration before planting your Everbearing Mulberry Plant.

Watering is crucial during the tree’s establishment phase. Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Once established, the Cold Hardy Fruit Tree is relatively drought-tolerant, but supplemental watering during prolonged dry spells will benefit fruit quality and yield. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer designed for fruit trees. Pruning should be done in late winter or early spring while the tree is dormant. Focus on removing dead, damaged, or crossing branches, and thin out overcrowded areas to improve air circulation and light penetration, which helps prevent disease and encourages better fruiting. Monitoring for pests and diseases is recommended, though the Fast Growing Mulberry is generally quite hardy. Common issues are usually minor and can be managed with organic practices. This Prolific Fruit Tree is a joy to grow and will reward your efforts with delicious fruit.

Size & Details

The Illinois Everbearing Mulberry Tree is a significant addition to any landscape, known for its robust growth and impressive size. This live plant typically grows to a mature height of 12-25 feet and can spread 10-25 feet wide, creating a substantial canopy that provides ample shade and abundant fruit. Its rapid growth rate means you won’t have to wait long to enjoy its benefits. The fruit itself is approximately 1-inch long, dark, and incredibly sweet, ripening continuously throughout the summer. This ensures a prolonged harvest period compared to single-crop varieties. The tree is shipped as a bare root plant, ready for immediate planting in your garden. With proper care, it will quickly establish and begin its journey towards becoming a productive and beautiful specimen in your yard.

The tree’s hardiness is a major advantage, thriving in USDA Zones 4-9 and exhibiting cold tolerance down to -20°F (-29°C). This wide range makes it an accessible option for many regions across the United States. Expect vigorous growth and increasing fruit yields as the tree matures, typically beginning to produce fruit within a few years of planting. Its adaptability to various soil conditions and general resilience contribute to its status as a favored Everbearing Mulberry Plant among home gardeners.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does the Illinois Everbearing Mulberry Tree get? A: This tree can reach a mature height of 12-25 feet and spread 10-25 feet wide, forming a substantial and attractive canopy in your landscape. Its size makes it a great shade tree as well as a fruit producer.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Illinois Everbearing Mulberry Tree is an outdoor plant, best suited for planting directly in the ground in a garden or orchard setting. It requires significant space to grow to its full potential.
• Q: How much sunlight does the Everbearing Mulberry Plant need? A: For optimal growth and fruit production, this mulberry tree needs at least four hours of direct sunlight per day. Full sun exposure is highly recommended to maximize your harvest.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, the Illinois Everbearing Mulberry Tree is considered relatively easy to care for once established. It’s known for its hardiness and adaptability, making it suitable for gardeners of various experience levels.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: This plant is typically shipped bare root, meaning it will arrive without soil or a pot. It’s important to plant it as soon as possible after arrival to ensure successful establishment.
• Q: When is the best time to plant a Fast Growing Mulberry tree? A: The best time to plant bare root mulberry trees is in late winter or early spring, before the tree breaks dormancy. This allows the roots to establish before the stress of summer heat.
• Q: Will this Cold Hardy Fruit Tree survive winter in my zone? A: The Illinois Everbearing Mulberry is very cold hardy, thriving in USDA Zones 4-9 and tolerating temperatures as low as -20°F (-29°C), making it suitable for many temperate climates.
• Q: What kind of soil does this Prolific Fruit Tree prefer? A: It prefers average, moist soils with good drainage. While adaptable, avoid consistently waterlogged conditions. Amending heavy clay soils can improve drainage.
• Q: How long does it take for the tree to produce fruit? A: The Illinois Everbearing Mulberry Tree is a relatively fast grower and often begins producing fruit within 2-3 years after planting, with yields increasing significantly as the tree matures.
• Q: Can the mulberries be eaten fresh? A: Absolutely! The mulberries from the Illinois Everbearing are sweet and juicy, perfect for fresh eating directly from the tree, as well as for use in various culinary applications like pies, jams, and smoothies.