Mulberry trees, and more mulberry trees. You are lucky if you live in an area where mulberry trees have been planted. You can begin to raise silk as soon as the leaves begin to open. Those of us who live in mulberry poor areas must begin to plant lots of mulberry.

I planted 100 starts around my tiny city yard. I will keep them pruned as bushes. After two years they seem able to feed three staggered batches of 200 caterpillars each, but only through their last molt. After the last molt, silkworms eat more in their last week than they did during the three or four weeks before. For that time of ravenous eating, I have located several full grown trees within driving distance. On Sunday afternoons I go gather mulberry leaves. They keep for a week in closed plastic bags in the fridge.

To find mulberry trees you must simply start asking. People who have them usually love them, as they are a very beautiful tree, and the berries attract happy birds. Mulberry trees grow better when pruned, so the best way to gather leaves is to prune off shoots or branches, rather than to pick individual leaves.

What about in the winter when there are no leaves?

In the winter, silkworms hibernate as eggs in the refrigerator. The entire cycle from bringing the eggs out of the fridge till putting the next generation of eggs back in the fridge is only about three months. All the rest of the time they are in the fridge. I say these are the easiest pets to keep!

Do the eggs have to be cooled for 9 months or can the cycle be shortened? - Can the eggs immediately be hatched for the next generation?

The eggs have to hibernate for at least 3 months. In a cold climate they don't necessarily have to be refrigerated but when it starts to warm up they'll start to hatch (hence the fridge is a good idea). There are strains in India where it's hot all the time and there are mulberry leaves year-round that do not need this hibernation period. The strains I grow have been in this country for at least 30 years, and since we don't have year-round mulberry leaves available, they work out well for growing once a year.

How long does it take to raise some silk?

Once you take the eggs out of the fridge and allow them to hatch, it's a total of about three months and you will have some silk. However, you can only start in the spring when there are mulberry leaves about. If it's still winter (and you don't have a greenhouse), then you must be patient.

How do I process silk cocoons?

Boil them in soap. About a tablespoon of liquid hand dishwashing detergent to 10 cocoons in a quart of water. Actually, don't boil them, but rather simmer just under a boil for 20 minutes. If they are not all soft and opened out, repeat. Rinse in a strainer, squeeze between a folded towel, spread out in the air and fluff while drying. Then the cocoons can be opened out, the fiber pulled open, and spun by any method.

How many cocoons does it take to make silk?

250 cocoons produce 1 oz finished silk, or 1,000 cocoons for 4 oz. When softly handspun and openly knit, 4 oz is enough for the medium sized, long sleeved body sweater illustrated in A Silkworker's Notebook.

Can I make any money raising silkworms?

Maybe. Right now I buy cocoons and sell them. For good, well formed Peace Silk cocoons, from which the moths have been allowed to emerge, I am now paying 3¢ each. That is not much, but it represents what I can in turn sell them for at this time.

However, what I most want to encourage is for you to think first about raising some extra special fiber for yourself. It is very easy and takes very little effort to raise enough of this fine handspinning silk to make a scarf, a pair of mittens, or some lace knit silk stockings.

Back to Raising Silk Introduction
Or perhaps you would like to go Home.