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June 19, 2007
Mulberry Hell!
There are two mulberry trees in my backyard. One is very huge and is overflowing with mulberries which can be quite messy and stain virtually everything it comes in contact with.
I was told by my sister-in-law that I just cannot cut the tree down. I don't understand why not, it's my backyard. Help!!!
What steps should I take and who can I call to chop this mulberry tree down?
Comments
At least you don't have a female Gingko tree in front of your house. I don't know what moron decided to plant trees on sidewalks whose fruit REEK when they can't rot into the soil, but whoever that person is, I hope they rot in hell.
Meanwhile, yeah, I would love to know how to remove the damn thing. Anyone tried cutting down a tree in their backyard (or on the sidewalk in front of their house which they are responsible for keeping clean and snowplowed?)
Posted by: Anonymous at June 19, 2007 1:52 PM
You need a licensed tree service to cut down mature trees in NYC and you CANNOT cut down a street tree without a permit from the Parks dept, which you are very unlikely to get.
Just because it's a mature healthy tree doesn't mean you can't get rid of it. Not every tree planted that long ago was planted with any forethought as to whether it was appropriate for the site. Look at the number of huge Silver and Norway Maples with their root systems entering the waste lines of a lot of homeowners here in the city. There's tree hugging and there is just plain silly...
Mulberries are poor choices for areas like backyards because they limit enjoyment of your property. Plus, they are not small and in a small city backyard that means a big tree doesn't have enough room to exist without the danger of really damaging your house. You can find a smaller tree to plant that you will truly enjoy without all these problems.
I'd recommend Family Tree Service- 718-698-2725
Posted by: Kensington Gal at June 19, 2007 2:05 PM
Hee hee re the ginko comment. We're buying and the seller made sure to tell us that we have a MALE ginko in front of the house, not a female, so we won't have the fruit.
Posted by: zeebee at June 19, 2007 2:34 PM
OP states that the trees are in the back yard, not on the street. If it's in your yard, you can cut it down, as far as I know.
Posted by: anon at June 19, 2007 2:54 PM
I believe the important thing is to keep the male and females far enough apart that they cannot fertilize.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 19, 2007 3:04 PM
I believe the important thing is to keep the male and females far enough apart that they cannot fertilize.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 19, 2007 3:05 PM
Meh. It's your backyard. Go Paul Bunyon on it and have Babe the Blue Ox cart it away.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 19, 2007 3:27 PM
I used The Care of Trees to remove a mulberry from my backyard. I think they are on the expensive side of what I have read on these forums.
http://www.thecareoftrees.com/
Posted by: Anonymous at June 19, 2007 3:36 PM
Thank you all. I think that I will call a professional ASAP to cut the tree down. I agree with the above poster that a mulberry tree is not a great choice for a backyard. I will plant another tree in its place -- not a mulberry tree.
Posted by: anon at June 19, 2007 4:20 PM
If it's in the back yard you can cut it down. Tree cutting and removale can get pricey.
If you want to kill it. Just bury the bottom 12 inches with dirt, and rocks, and it will sufficate and die.
If you want a faster kill remove a 2 inch stip of bark around the cicumference of the trunk.
Posted by: ryan at June 19, 2007 5:12 PM
good choice. Sounds like you already have a huge one, so really no need to tell you they grow like weeds. But...they do!
Our neighbor let one grow right on our property line and when we moved in 3 years ago it was a scrawny tiny thing. Seemed like no big deal. Now it's a big messy beast and needs to come down. Luckily we are on the same page.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 19, 2007 5:13 PM
My neighbor has one and it's dropping gooshy berries all over the place in my back yard... I'm actually thinking of putting in some sort of canopy/tarp so it deflects the berries, possibly for collection... I hear they're actually quite tasty.
Anyone ever make Mulberry Jam? Post any good recipes!
Posted by: Anonymous at June 19, 2007 5:58 PM
I have had a lot of tree work done by Urban ARborists -- tree removal, pruning, trimming and recently some emergency work after the Nor'Easter.
They are good but not cheap. One poster had a good experience recently with the New York Tree & Shrub Co. (718-358-4728), which did work for a very good price.
Please don't try killing a tree on your own. This might work in the wilderness where an uncontrolled fall is not going to hurt anybody or anything but we are living in Brooklyn and you don't want to hurt anyone or your property with a sick tree.
Posted by: donatella at June 19, 2007 7:57 PM
We made a mulberry pie last year off of mulberries from near the brooklyn navy yard. Rather easy. Collect mulberries, dump in pie shell. Possibly add sugar and lemon. Bake.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 19, 2007 11:43 PM
God, I hate mulberry trees. Ugly even before they drop that awful mess. Nuke 'em all, for my money.
But the advice from Ryan 5:12 is not so good: "If you want to kill it. Just bury the bottom 12 inches with dirt, and rocks, and it will sufficate and die. If you want a faster kill remove a 2 inch stip of bark around the cicumference of the trunk."
Um, first, on the idea that mounding dirt 12 inches around a tree will kill it (until after 63 years or so): No, it won't.
Second, in an urban area, where the children frolic just across the fence from your ugly-ass mulberry, killing a tree and waiting for it to fall wherever it chooses is not a good program.
Posted by: ryan at June 19, 2007 5:12 PM
Posted by: Bob999 at June 20, 2007 1:32 AM
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