Cuttings are 7” long and roughly Sharpie marker to 5/8” diameter and are intended for rooting (see below).

Scions are 10” long and roughly between pencil and sharpie marker diameter and are intended for grafting. Scions can be rooted and cuttings can be grafted, they are just less suited, for example a really thick cutting will be annoying to graft onto a small rootstock.

Baxter X OP Plants are grown from seed and are 12”+ tall, keep in mind that many seedling Mulberries will make “male” flowers and will not produce fruit. These trees are great for leaf production, root stock and as a roll of the dice on fruit production.

Mulberries are a amazing tree, they grow fast, have leaves with up to 20% protein and are loaded with masses of tasty fruit. Best in well drained, fertile soil with full sun, but capable of growing in pretty adverse conditions. Protect trunks from rodents in winter (like all young trees). For a massive info dump on Mulberries check out this episode of my podcast

Tehama - Large white fruit, huge leaves and fast growth. Typically considered a zone 7 variety, but thriving here in zone 5 for several years. Most reliable rooter I have found. In my 2020 trial 100% of cuttings rooted with 0.3% IBA in talc and bottom heat.

Sweet Lavender - Medium white to light purple fruit that is super sweet and super abundant. Even more vigorous than most Mulbs.

Illinois Everbearing - My personal favorite mulberry for the north, medium size fruit with exceptional flavor and very long ripening season (June-September here). Potentially difficult to root from hardwood cuttings, grafting or starting from summer cuttings recommended for less experienced growers.

Geraldi Dwarf - A really nice option for smaller spaces. Medium size fruit with very good flavor. Compact form tops out between 6-8 ft. Generally short internodes means lots of fruit packed into a small growing area. I’ve never heard of anyone succeeding at rooting this variety, graft only.

Rupp's Romanian - Large dark berry. Appears to be very hardy with no winter die back in the 5+ years growing here. Average flavor.

Baxter - The largest fruited hardy mulberry I have come across. The original tree is in a park in Portland, Maine, it’s unclear if this tree is a seedling or not. While Baxter is prolific and has huge fruit, the flavor is variable, so I consider this to be a excellent tree for animal fodder or breeding work, but less than ideal for regular human consumption.

Collier - Said to be similar to Illinois Everbearing. I’ve only had this one around for a year, so I can’t comment yet. Supposedly roots very easily.

Northrup - Long considered among the hardiest of Mulberry varieties. Fruit is smallish and not as good as some others, but good.

Jackpot - Named by Jesse Stevens. I haven’t had them long enough to have much of a opinion.

Viola’s Lavender - New to me. Non-staining light purple fruit, medium growth rate, good production with very good flavor. Selected in Indiana.

Arrabella - Productive and tasty, dark fruited mulberry from VT.

St. James - A John Hershey selections, small pink/light purple fruit, pretty and delicious.

Rooting directions: Mulberries are not as easy to root as many other plants. I make no guarantees that ANY cuttings will root. That said, I have had generally good results from the conditions described here. I have had best results from rooting dormant hardwood cuttings in soil-less potting mix (IE promix), ideally with some extra perlite added. The bottom 1/4-1/2 of the cuttings should be dipped in rooting hormone (my best results were from 0.3% IBA in Talc aka Hormodin #2), then placed into a hole in the rooting medium, then rooting medium should be pressed in around the cutting. Ideally the bottom half of the cutting should be covered. Rooting in cool space (shed, basement, etc) with bottom heat (seedling heating mats work great) significantly improves results, a air temp of 33-49f helps keep the leaf buds dormant as long as possible, while the heated soil helps roots develop. If you can’t provide bottom heat to your cuttings while keeping the tops cool I wouldn’t invest a lot of time/resources in trying to root mulberries.