I probably wouldn't attempt this this year, but apparently mulberries and figs can be grafted together (they are closely related).
Are mulberries scions available at the scion fair?
And are they as easy to propagate as figs?
I'm not sure yet if I would like a full mulberry tree, or if I just want to graft a few branches onto my fig tree in a year or two. Ah, space...
[quote="jadeforrest":vmbpi0wj]I probably wouldn't attempt this this year, but apparently mulberries and figs can be grafted together (they are closely related).[/quote:vmbpi0wj]
Twould be interesting to see what effects on the fruit would be!
Are mulberries scions available at the scion fair?
I cannot remember seeing any. Perhaps sporadically?
And are they as easy to propagate as figs?
I once planted maybe 50 cuttings, overwintering in a balmy Southern Cal winter. Perhaps up to 10 of them made roots and grew. Still have one of them, but most anything that does well in Southern Cal, mulberry-wise, is a bust up in the NW. Somebody with youth and real estate on their side needs to grow out 100,000 seedlings and select something that WILL work well in the PNW. FWIW, that is how the Oscar mulberry got discovered by a friend of mine, Oscar Clarke [edit: he's about 91 yrs old now]. He planted about that many seeds, and started wading thru them at year two or three, looking for any that would fruit well at that dense planting. He found two decent ones, one of which some nurseries still sell. I have the only known other one in my collection. The original got bulldozed a dozen years ago to make way for university apartments. At the time that I rooted it, I thought his tree would always be there! I was wrong. But it is also a bust in the PNW. Great for southern Cal though!
I'm not sure yet if I would like a full mulberry tree, or if I just want to graft a few branches onto my fig tree in a year or two. Ah, space...
I think Lon knows where a decent mulberry is in Portland, at some Bishops residence or something. That might be worth investigating. Why not graft? That would be pretty interesting.
Hey Mr.Boizeau,
Do you have Regent grape? Any thoughts on its performance?
I’ve never heard of mulberry / fig compatibility 
Seem like two different animals, to me. And do you mean American, or “Persian†Mulberries? I was never impressed with the insipid fruit of the American’s I’ve tasted -- but fell in love with the ‘description’ of a Persian mulberry I eventually ordered from “Oregon Exotics†Nursery (they still around?)
Long story on the Persian …but it never amounted to much, just a weak unproductive ‘bush.’ Finally had me giving credence to that “All around the mulberry bush†rhyme -- though they’d been described as eventual ‘trees.’ I replaced it around 3 years ago with a ‘Nichols Plum’ - from which I was eating fruit last Fall! …don’t waste the years I did babying something you’ll eventually yank – especially if space is limited.
[quote="Viron":bt8sbgq5]I’ve never heard of mulberry / fig compatibility Seem like two different animals, to me.[/quote:bt8sbgq5]
I have no idea if / how long they would be compatible, but they are pretty closely related as are these groups:
Moraceae -- mulberry
Ulmaceae -- elms
Urticaceae -- nettles
Cannabaceae -- hemp & hops
We need a taxonomist to help us now! Just think of all the combinations you could try if only you know this stuff!
I have heard of red-clover / sunflower grafts being successful. I'd like to know the underlying reason.
It would be fun to make a visual representation of the genus, species, etc of the major fruit and nut trees, noting where graft comparability has been established. It might highlight some new possibilities.
I have decided to put in the Geraldi Dwarf black mulberry. At 6 feet high, it doesn't take a lot of space.
Idyllwild
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Viron
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