How To Prune An Overgrown Weeping Mulberry Tree

You prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree by using a strategic three-year renewal method that removes the oldest, thickest branches first.

This approach gradually reshapes the tree while keeping its beautiful, cascading form intact and ensuring you can still prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree without shocking the entire plant.

If you’ve been staring at a tangled mess of branches touching the ground, you’re not alone, and knowing how to prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree is a skill you can absolutely master.

In this post, we’ll walk through the best time to prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree, the exact tools you’ll need, and a step-by-step system that will have your tree looking elegant in no time.

Let’s get those pruning shears ready.
 

Why Prune An Overgrown Weeping Mulberry Tree The Right Way

Pruning an overgrown weeping mulberry tree isn’t just about making it look tidy, it’s about the long-term health of the tree.

When you prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree correctly, you open up the canopy to better airflow and sunlight.

This reduces the risk of fungal diseases that love dark, damp, crowded branches.

And a well-pruned weeping mulberry is also much easier to maintain in the future, so you won’t have to tackle such a massive project again.
 

1. The Three-Year Renewal Principle

The golden rule when you prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree is never to remove more than one-third of the tree’s total mass in a single year.

Instead, you’ll spread the hard pruning over three seasons.

In year one, you remove the thickest, oldest branches down to the trunk.

In year two, you tackle the next round of old growth.

And in year three, you finish by removing any remaining thick stubs, leaving a younger, healthier framework.

This method is gentle on the tree and prevents the ugly, sucker-filled regrowth that happens when you butcher it all at once.
 

2. Timing Matters: Late Winter Is Best

The best time to prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree is in late winter while the tree is still fully dormant.

Pruning in late winter means the tree hasn’t started pushing out new leaves yet, so it can focus all its energy on healing the cuts you make.

You can prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree in early spring, but you risk losing some of that spring’s fruit crop.

Avoid pruning in the fall because the fresh cuts will not have time to heal before frost sets in, leaving them vulnerable to winter damage.
 

3. The Right Tools for the Job

Before you prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree, gather your tools so you don’t have to stop halfway.

You’ll need a pair of sharp bypass pruners for small branches under half an inch thick.

Add a pair of loppers for branches up to two inches thick.

And for the big, heavy branches that caused the overgrown look in the first place, a pruning saw is non-negotiable.

Also, keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol nearby to sanitize your blades between cuts, especially if you’re pruning an overgrown weeping mulberry tree that might have had disease issues in the past.
 

Step-By-Step Guide To Prune An Overgrown Weeping Mulberry Tree

Once you have your tools and the timing is right, here’s the exact process to follow when you prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree.
 

1. Start By Removing Dead, Diseased, and Damaged Wood

Before anything else, walk around the tree and identify all the dead, diseased, or damaged branches.

These are usually easy to spot because they’ll have no buds, they might be brittle, or they’ll have peeling bark.

Cut these branches back to the point where they join a healthy parent branch, or all the way to the trunk if needed.

Removing this problem wood first clears the clutter so you can see the tree’s true structure before you prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree any further.
 

2. Remove the Thickest Branches That Touch The Ground

Now, focus on the branches that are dragging on the ground, because those are the ones ruining the weeping shape.

You want to prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree so that the lowest canopy hangs just above the grass, not lying flat on it.

Look for the thickest of these ground-touching branches and cut them off at the trunk with your pruning saw.

This is part of your three-year plan, so you’re only taking the most aggressive offenders this year.

Keep the thinner, younger shoots that still have a pleasing arch, as those will be your future canopy.
 

3. Thin Out Crossed and Rubbing Branches

Inside the dense mass, you’ll find branches that cross each other and rub together.

Rubbing branches create wounds that become entry points for pests, so you must remove them.

For each pair of crossed branches, keep the one that grows outward and upward at a nice angle, and remove the one that grows inward or downward.

As you prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree this way, you’ll start to see the beautiful umbrella shape emerge.
 

4. Lift the Canopy to Your Desired Height

If your weeping mulberry is so overgrown that it’s acting like a groundcover, you may need to lift the entire canopy.

Choose a height that suits your landscape, maybe 18 to 24 inches off the ground for a tidy look, or higher if you want to walk under it.

To lift the canopy, you’ll prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree by cutting off all the branches that hang below your chosen height line.

Make each cut just above a lateral bud or a smaller branch that points in the direction you want new growth to go.

This encourages the tree to fill in higher up rather than just weeping down to the dirt again.
 

5. Step Back and Sculpt the Shape

Finally, step back about ten feet and assess the overall silhouette.

A beautiful weeping mulberry should look like a cascading fountain, with branches flowing evenly in all directions.

If one side looks bald, don’t touch it, instead, remove a few branches on the opposite side to balance the weight.

If the top is growing too tall vertically, you can prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree’s central leader back to a side branch that heads down.

This last sculpting pass is where your tree turns from just “pruned” into a showpiece.
 

What NOT To Do When You Prune An Overgrown Weeping Mulberry Tree

There are a few common mistakes that can ruin your hard work, so I want to make sure you avoid them.
 

1. Don’t Leave Stubs

When you prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree, never leave a long stub sticking out from a main branch.

Stubs will eventually die back, rot, and invite insects into the heartwood.

Always cut back flush to the branch collar, which is the slight swelling where the branch meets the trunk.

A clean cut heals fast, but a stub is a permanent eyesore.
 

2. Don’t Use Wound Paint Unless It’s Very Cold

Old-school advice says to paint pruning cuts, but modern arborists disagree.

In most climates, you should not paint cuts when you prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree because the paint traps moisture and encourages rot.

The only exception is in extremely cold regions where cuts might freeze before sealing on their own.

In general, trust the tree’s natural healing ability and leave the cuts exposed to the air.
 

3. Don’t Fertilize Right After Pruning

After you prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree, resist the urge to fertilize immediately.

Fertilizing right after pruning can force a flush of weak, fast growth that will ruin the weeping form and create a new mess.

Wait until early spring and use a balanced, slow-release fertilizer if your soil test indicates it’s needed.

The tree just went through a big change, so let it settle in before giving it extra food.
 

So, How Do You Prune An Overgrown Weeping Mulberry Tree?

You prune an overgrown weeping mulberry tree by using a gentle three-year renewal plan, starting in late winter with dead wood removal.

Then you tackle the thickest ground-dragging branches, thin out crossing shoots, lift the canopy to your preferred height, and finish with a sculpting pass.

By removing only a third of the old wood each year, you keep the tree stress-free and ensure it bounces back with vigor.

Weeping mulberries are incredibly forgiving, so even if you make a mistake this season, the tree will likely recover by next year.

Just keep your tools sharp, your cuts clean, and your patience strong.

Hope this guide gives you the confidence to tackle that overgrown beauty in your yard.

Happy gardening, and enjoy your beautifully transformed weeping mulberry.