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How to Cut Back a Fruitless Mulberry

Tree
Home Guides | Garden | Garden Care
By Amelia Allonsy Updated December 01, 2021

Fruitless mulberry trees include the 'Fruitless' cultivar of the white mulberry (Morus alba
'Fruitless') or male selections of white mulberry cultivars, including 'Stridling,' 'Kingan' and
'Urban.' Landscapers prefer fruitless mulberry trees over fruiting varieties because they provide
the same shade benefits without the mess associated with dropped fruits. Fruitless mulberry roots
are potentially invasive and should be planted away from septic systems and sidewalks. You can
cut back the fast-growing fruitless mulberry in a process called pollarding to encourage a full
round canopy and prevent fruitless mulberry trees from outgrowing the landscape.

Pollarding Method
The fruitless mulberry is cut back to leave three to six main branches stemming from the trunk
and all lateral or secondary branches are removed. The main branches are also cut back, leaving
stubs only a few feet in length. Each spring, new growth shoots sprout from the pollard heads also
known as knobs at the end of these main branches. Repeat the process every one or two years,
removing all of the new sprouts back to the knobs.

Why Pollard?
Fruitless mulberry trees are incredibly fast-growing trees. A mature tree left unpruned can grow
30 to 50 feet tall and quickly take over a small landscape space. Pollarding allows you to restrict
the tree's size so it only grows as tall and wide as the growth of its new shoots.

Landscapers similarly use this technique for other fast-growing trees, including willows and crepe
myrtles. This is an extreme pruning method that requires a lot of work and must be repeated in
order to maintain the desired shape.

When to Prune
You should cut back a fruitless mulberry within the first three years of its life to begin training it
in this formal shape. The pollarding method follows the same pruning schedule as other pruning
methods.

The best time to pollard fruitless mulberries is in late fall or early winter when the deciduous tree
is dormant because the cuts are less shocking to the trees. Fall pollarding also helps to ensure full
growth during the active growing stage in spring and summer. In some climates, you can also
pollard a tree early in late winter or very early spring before leaf buds form. Pruning after leaf
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buds form seriously restricts plant growth.

History of Pollarding
Use of the pollarding method traces back to medieval Europe and was basically started by
accident. Members of the peasant class were granted permission to cut foliage and new branches
from trees for use as firewood, animal feed and building material. When only the new foliage and
branches were harvested, it was discovered that the trees maintained their shape and health, and
continued to grow new branches each spring.

Pruning Mature Fruitless Mulberry Trees

According to Nate's Nursery, mature fruitless mulberry trees should be pruned only when
necessary. At this point yearly pruning is undesirable. Excessive pruning weakens the tree's limbs,
increases the plant's susceptibility to pests and diseases and lowers its life expectancy. Prune
mature mulberry trees only to remove crossing limbs or those that approach structures or power
lines, and to rid the tree of dead or diseased branches. You may also wish to prune in order to
raise the level of the lowest branches.

The Gardenerdy website recommends that you always leave at least two-thirds of the original
foliage when you prune. Make sure that the branches you trim are uniformly distributed along the
entire height of the tree.

REFERENCES WRITER BIO

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Is The Dyson V8 Worth The Cost?
By Updated April 16, 2022

Dyson vacuums are not cheap: Some models can run you nearly $1,000. If you're going to shell
out that kind of money, you want it to be worth it the vacuum needs to make life easier. Ideally,
you want a vacuum that can tackle cleaning your entire home. That is where the Dyson V8
Absolute comes in.

It has two cleaner heads (for hardwood floors and carpet), five attachment tools, and 40 minutes
of fade-free run time. Now, there are cheaper vacuums, like the V7 Motorhead, but that model
offers less power, suction time, and far fewer tools. There are also more expensive vacuums (like
the Outsize) that will offer more runtime, but also will cost an extra $300 to $500.

You can also get a vacuum that is meant just for hardwood (like the Omni Glide), but that doesn't
really tackle carpets. The V8 Absolute is the perfect meet-in-the-middle vacuum when it comes to
cost and abilities.
 Dyson V8 Absolute Vacuum Cleaner
Dyson.com

$499.99

SH OP N OW

Dyson V8 Absolute review

Dyson V8 Absolute Cost: $449.99

When speaking with Dyson, the company recommended the V8 Absolute for people with allergies,
but I'd say the best one for people living in apartments because it has the functionality to clean
both hardwood floors and carpets with ease and is lightweight and easy to maneuver.

The V8 Absolute comes with five tools: Combination tool, Crevice tool, Mini Motorized tool, Mini
soft dusting brush, and a Stubborn dirt brush. It also has a tool bag, since five tools would be
annoying to lug around by hand while cleaning.

Dyson V8 Absolute features

▪ 40 minutes of fade-free power
▪ Two power modes
▪ Whole machine filtration

The machine filtration system captures allergens while you vacuum and expels cleaner air, and the
V8 motor spins at 110,000 rpm for powerful suction.

Dyson V8 Absolute pros

▪ Dual attachment heads
▪ Useful added tool attachments
▪ Easy-to-clean, no-touch emptying bin

This is the best vacuum for tackling hardwood floors and carpet/rugs in the same cleaning
session. The V8 Absolute comes with a direct-drive cleaner head for carpets & rugs and a soft
roller head for hardwood floors & tile. The cleaner heads are super easy to switch out at the click
of a button.

While $450 is a lot to pay for a vacuum, it comes with two heads and five useful attachment tools.
The crevice tool is especially handy because dirt just loves to pile up in the corner of my stairs and
is otherwise unreachable without that attachment. The combination tool is also excellent for
removing fur from surfaces like couches, chairs, and pillows.

The emptying bin on the V8 Absolute is large but easy to empty. I tested three vacuums at once
and would say this was the least messy of the three. Not that any were horribly messy, but I didn’t
accidentally get dust on my hands while emptying the bin or have to pull stuck hair out of it. It
took seconds to empty out and close back up.

Dyson V8 Absolute cons

▪ Moderate suction power
If you live in an apartment and have low pile rugs, you’re going to be totally okay with this
vacuum. But if you live in a house or apartment with high pile carpets, you might need a little
more power. It'll get the surface-level dirt and debris out with little to no issue, but the stuff
trapped at the bottom of your carpet will require a couple of passes. If you need something more
heavy-duty, you’d be better suited with an upright Dyson vacuum.

Is the Dyson V8 Absolute worth the cost?

If you want the best of both worlds, yes the Dyson V8 Absolute is worth the $450 price tag. As I
said earlier, it is not inexpensive but it comes with so much more than the cheaper Dyson models,
like the basic V8 model (only one roller head) or the V7.

Being able to clean carpets and hardwood floors with the same machine is a game-changer for
cleaning day. It also cost effective, since you're not shelling out hundreds on two different
machines. If you're on a budget and only can pick one Dyson vacuum to splurge on, the V8
Absolute should be the one.

Written by Ana Suarez for SFGate.

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How to Trim Non-Fruiting Mulberry Trees

By Amelia Allonsy
Pruning is essential for fruitless mulberry trees (Morus alba "Fruitless"), which are a landscaping
favorite because they are fast-growing but don't create the mess of fruiting mulberry varieties. In
addition to the "Fruitless" cultivar, male forms of the white mulberry tree (Morus alba) also don't
bear fruit. Although rapid growth is a prized trait, they quickly outgrow the landscape if left
unpruned. Pollarding is a type of intensive pruning recommended for fast-growing trees such as
fruitless mulberries and crepe myrtles. This pruning method encourages a round ball of foliage
but prevents the canopy from growing too large.

1. Pollard a nonfruiting mulberry tree for the first time within the first three years of its life and
repeat the process annually or every other year in late fall to maintain the form.

2. Cut out all the lateral branches, leaving only three to six of the main branches that originating
from the tree trunk. Use lopping shears for branches less than 2 inches in diameter and a
pruning saw, pole saw or chain saw for larger branches.

3. Cut any main branches back to the branch collar at the main trunk if there are more than six
substantial branches on the tree. Maintain symmetry in the tree when selecting which
branches to eliminate.

4. Cut each of the three to six remaining branches to only 2 to 3 feet in length; cut the branches
straight across with a chainsaw. New branches will grow from these pollard heads, also known
as knobs, in spring.

5. Clip branches back to the nearest bud as needed to control the growth during the active
growing season. Fruitless mulberry trees are such rapid growers that they can outgrow the
landscape even when pollarded annually.

6. Cut all the new growth sprouts back to the pollard head in one year or in the following year to
repeat the cycle, using a pruning saw or pole pruner. A chainsaw shouldn't be required at all
for maintenance pruning in subsequent seasons because the branches are cut before they get
thicker than can be cut with hand pruning tools.

REFERENCES RESOURCES TIPS WARNINGS WRITER BIO

R E L AT E D A RT I C L E S

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