Re: [nafex] Pakistan mulberry

This is the little blurb that goes along with GRIN accession DMOR 9 - "Information from Seed Savers, page 375: Large, 1 inch [2.54cm], juicy, red to purplish black fruit similar to blackberries; can be quite delicious. Small, wide spreading, deciduous tree grows 20-30 feet [6.1-9.14m] tall. Very long-lived, becoming gnarled and picturesque. Similar to Russian Mulberry in that it can be used to make a fine hedge; very attractive to birds. Ripens in late spring. Hardy to at least -10 degrees Farenheit. Grows well in Zones 5-6. Native to western Asia." I'm not sure from whence this info comes, but it suggests that other macroura selections may be more adaptable. Aren't there people successfully growing Pakistan in zone 6 PA? At Jun 1, 2015, 8:24:17 PM, Lee Reich wrote:Staying dormant is just part of the picture for winter survival. Plants also have minimum temperatures that they will tolerate. My guess is that Pakistan mulberry, like many other subtropical plants, will survive short periods of temperatures near zero degrees F. when fully dormant, but no more. I doubt that the plant would survive the low temperatures of Vermont even when fully dormant. But I hope I am wrong. I currently grow Pakistan in Zone 5a, in a pot that will move to my unheated basement in winter. Lee Reich, PhD Come visit my farmden at http://www.leereich.com/blog http://leereich.com/ Books by Lee Reich: A Northeast Gardener's Year The Pruning Book Weedless Gardening Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden Landscaping with Fruit Grow Fruit Naturally On May 31, 2015, at 9:08 PM, Devin Smith via nafex <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org> wrote: I have been thinking about trialing Pakistan mulberry here in Vermont. I understand that it is a real long shot, but given the fact that much of the limitation seems to revolve around 'low chill' requirment, it might just work. Hardiness-wise, I understand Atlanta area saw sub-zero temps. for a couple of nights this past winter. Did those of you in the south who are growing Pakistan experience severe dieback this winter? I'm thinking that our winter weather is consistent enough that the trees would stay dormant, and then I could 1. grow them on the own roots so they can resprout if need be and 2. plant in a protected spot with some extra protection as people do with figs. They sure are delicious, so I think its worth a shot. I also noticed perusing the GRIN database that several other similar selections are available, listed as Morus macroura or 'himalayan mulberry.' One in particular DMOR 9 looks similar to 'pakistan', though a bit scrawnier, and the description seems to suggest zone 5 hardiness, though on second look I noticed this is merely a snippet from a seed savers exchange write-up about the species. Anyone know anything about hardy higher-chill macroura selections that might be a good stand in for 'pakistan'? __________________ nafex mailing list nafex@lists.ibiblio.org Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info: http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex message archives http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex Google message archive search: site: lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex [searchstring] nafex list mirror sites: http://ifneb.blogspot.com IFNEB Blog http://groups.google.com/group/permaculturelist http://groups.google.com/group/nafexlist https://sites.google.com/site/nafexmailinglist Avant Geared http://sites.google.com/site/avantgeared