Hi everyone,
What are the chilling requirements of morus nigra?
1. Minimum chilling hours needed to ensure fruit set the next year.
2. Maximum temperature that 'counts' as chilling hours.
3. What conditions trigger the plants to break dormancy?
4. What are the lowest short-term and long-term temperatures the plant will
survive?
Background information: As mentioned in a previous post, I'm in zone 5/6
and have morus nigra in 87 litre (23 U.S. gal) pots.
I'm weighing my options:
A. Bury the plants in winter, just like some people do with figs. I'm not
sure if morus nigra is hardy enough for this.
B. Put the plants in an unheated, detached garage over winter. I think it
would get far too cold in January and February and would kill the plants,
although I haven't documented temperatures yet.
C. Leave the plants outside until around Christmas to satisfy chilling
requirements, then put them in a cool basement, which is presently 12 deg C
(54 deg F), and hope the plants don't break dormancy before I can bring
them back outside.
D. Greenhouse: I have a mekeshift greenhouse setup in my cellar door
stairway. The temperature fluctuates, but I can control it to a point. The
benefit of having the plants in the greenhouse is that I think it could
reduce the number of years it takes the plants to bear, by making them
slightly healthier and more vigorous (this was pointed out by Lee Reich).
But, perhaps I can't have my cake and eat it too.
Any input or experiences would be appreciated.
-Nathan
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