Trees - Mulberry
Back to Trees

  I am enclosing leaves from sprouts that come up all over one corner of my yard. I believe they are runners from one of the mulberry trees in my neighbor’s yard. What can I do to prevent this? They are in my flower beds and in the grass.

  They are definitely mulberry seedlings or sprouts. Mulberry trees can come up from seed or from root suckers. If they are from root suckers, they cannot be controlled with herbicides, since the herbicide can be taken in and cause damage to the mother tree as well. The only recourse, is to keep cutting the sprouts out, and dig up as many roots in your flower beds as possible. You realize that this will only control them temporarily, as new roots will grow. Mulberry trees can be somewhat of a nuisance in both sprouts and messy fruit.

  Will you please identify the enclosed leaves? They are in several stages, shapes and colors right now. It grows into a large bush. Since I press flowers and leaves to make pictures, I would like to know the name of this plant.

  The plant in question is a mulberry tree. That is one of the few plants that has three different leaf shapes on the same tree. The shapes include an almost heart shape, a mitten shape, and a three lobed leaf. Mulberry’s are fast growing trees, which do set a somewhat messy fruit. That is how the seedling appeared in your yard.

  Could you please identify the enclosed leaf? The tree is 18 years old or more and large at the base. The leaves turn yellow in the fall. It grows leaves every year, just leaves and no flowers. I would love to know the name of it. This year it put out several limbs at the base. My son thinks I should cut these sprouts off–what do you think?

  The tree in question is a mulberry tree–either it is growing in shade or it is a fruitless tree. Many people would be happy to have a fruitless tree, since the fruit is highly favored by birds, and can stain readily. If you want a single trunked tree, remove the suckers. If you want it to be bush-like in appearance, leave them be.

  I am enclosing three leaf samples from three trees that have volunteered in my back yard. Can you identify them for me? I would like more shade in my yard and am reluctant to get rid of these. The prettiest one is about ten feet tall, but the leaves started turning yellow in September. Could I have watered too much? I appreciate any help you can give me. (Sherwood)

  The somewhat indented leaf sample is a mulberry tree. While they do grow rapidly, they can produce somewhat messy berries--that is how it came to be in your yard. The second sample is a wild cherry or black cherry tree. Again, it grows rapidly and produces numerous berries, which the birds love. The third sample is a hackberry tree. While young, it is not the most attractive tree, but it can grow quite large, and is relatively resistant to diseases. If you need shade, I would allow it to grow.

Back to Trees