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I have 3 mulberry trees that are over 30 years old and have never fruited. They were purchased from a nursery in sets of 2 (one died within a year) and we were told at the time of purchase that there was one female and one male for cross pollination. Obviously we were misinformed since we have never gotten fruit from any of the trees.
My question is does any one know where I can get some scions from fruiting trees so I can graft them onto my trees to eventually get some berries?
Hmm, well I'm confused and clearly, so is the nursery you bought from. Mulberries are self fertile, in other words, they do not need a partner in order for pollination to take place, each tree carries both male and female flowers. These are rather inconspicuous, and may not even be noticed if there are few of them.
I don't know what part of the world you're in, but mulberries do require a sheltered, warm position, so against a wall, out of cold winds, and preferably not planted in colder regions at all, or they won't flower, or will flower but the cold/frost kills them before pollination and no fruit forms. Which might be what's happening with yours... have you ever seen any flowers on any of your trees? Come to that, are they actually Mulberry?
With trees of that size, grafting will not bring good results. The trees will sucker around the new scions even after they take, and it will be a constant battle to keep them under control. If the nurseryman said they came in pairs of male and female trees for pollination, I would assume that they are a monoecious species. Sexing young trees isn't always accurate, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if you have three male trees. You may have to have a certified arborist/tree care professional have a look at them to make sure.
Other things that make Morus species flower less are:
None of these things should completely stop a mature mulberry from fruiting. I think you probably purchased black mulberry (Morus nigra), which is a very common monoecious species. If you find that this is the case, your problem will be solved by replacing two of the male trees with females. Try to find a reputable grower that knows what he's doing. That will keep you from another thirty years of wasted time.
