What's eating my mulberry 'shangri-la'?

Mulberry 'Shangri-La' (Morus nigra selection) is a compact, heavy-cropping mulberry with the same core pest issues as other mulberries. Birds are the dominant threat to the fruit. Scale insects and whitefly can colonize branches and leaves. Deer and squirrels damage young trees. Overall maintenance requirements are low.

Berries taken as soon as they ripen, often before the grower can harvest; heavy crop losses on compact trees that are easier for birds to access entirely. Drape with fine fruit netting secured to the ground; pick ripe fruit promptly every two to three days; bird-scaring devices provide limited short-term relief only.

Armored or soft scale encrusts bark on main stems; leaves yellow; sticky honeydew leads to sooty mold; heavy infestations reduce vigour and fruit size. Apply dormant horticultural oil spray in late winter; prune overcrowded branches to improve airflow and light penetration; encourage natural scale predators.

Nymphs feed on leaf undersides; honeydew drips onto lower foliage producing black sooty mold; leaf yellowing and premature drop in heavy infestations. Avoid broad-spectrum insecticides; use a strong water jet to dislodge nymphs from leaves; introduce parasitic wasps (Encarsia spp.) in protected environments.

Fruits grabbed before fully ripe; half-eaten berries dropped below the tree; bark gnawed on young branches in late winter when other food is scarce. Net the tree; position the tree away from fence lines where squirrels can launch; squirrel-proof tree collars on the trunk of young specimens.