Only healthy plants bring joy to the gardener, sick ones cause work. Mulberry trees clearly belong to the first category, because they are considered to be resistant and easy to care for. Only drought damage or spider mites may affect them and they are usually easy to treat.
In principle, the mulberry tree is considered relatively resistant to diseases and pests, at least this applies to trees planted in the open ground. Curled leaves or unsightly spots on the leaves can indicate damage from drought or road salt. Infestation with fungi is relatively rare.
Avoid using road salt near the garden, as it can cause damage to your trees even after a few years because it only seeps into the ground slowly. If your mulberry tree does not recover from copious watering, then you should change the soil around the tree, fertilize the plant regularly and water it thoroughly in the next few years.
Parasites of the mulberry tree
As a container plant, the mulberry tree is susceptible to pests such as the spider mite in the winter quarters. Make absolutely sure that your mulberry tree is cool enough and airy, if possible in an unheated room. Light frost does not harm him. Since spider mites do not tolerate frost at all, this is the best way to prevent spider mite infestation.
Should you discover the fine web of these pests on your plants, then rinse them thoroughly, including the undersides of the leaves. Use water that is as lime-free as possible and protect the root ball from the rinsing water and the rinsed-off spider mites.
Lacewings or predatory mites can also help you control spider mites. You can get these helpful creatures from specialist retailers. Alternatively, you can use an insecticide based on rapeseed oil, which is also not harmful to the environment.
The best means of combating spider mites at a glance:
- well-ventilated winter quarters just below zero degrees
- If the leaves are infested, rinse them well from all sides
- do not allow rinsing water to get onto the root ball
- Obtain lacewings and predatory mites from specialist retailers
- Use canola oil based insecticide
tips and tricks
The sooner you react to suspected drought damage or spider mites, the easier and more promising the treatment of your mulberry tree.