Why won't the mulberry tree in my yard get fruit?

Question

The tree has been around a while and is about twenty feet tall and the trunk has a diameter of about five inches. It's in direct, full sun and it looks healthy. It isn't some fruitless ornamental, either--it sprouted naturaly. Do they have male and female trees? Is there a type of natural tree that doesn't get any fruit nor noticeable seeds?

Answer 1

It is probably a male plant and will never have fruit. Another possibility is that there is no other mulberry tree in the neighborhood and it is not being fertilized.

I am not sure I would wish for a fruiting mulberry tree, though. The fruit are not very tasty and they make a nasty mess.

Answer 2

It is possible that the tree isn't old enough or isn't getting enough fertilizer. I have an old mulberry that had just a few berries this year.

Fruitless male trees are the ones sought after for shading and growing near paved areas, since there is no fruit to fall and cause stains. In eastern Asia and southern Europe, the Mulberry has been cultivated for its leaves, which are fed to silkworms.

Answer 3

Mulberries grow on bushes, not trees. What you have is ornamental and doesn't bear fruit.

Answer 4

Yeah, there are male and female varieties. I had a mulberry tree that would put out a multitude of purple berries every year (the female variety). And, my neighbor had one that was nearly identical. It would bud, but it just produced spindly stamens, like the thing in the middle of a hibiscus flower (the male variety).