"sewing" misletoe

[Tom D]

I collected some misletoe berries from a clients apple trees, I want to get some growing on my own apple trees, anny suggestions as to how best to apply the seeds.

 

In a crotch? old pruning wound? or nick the bark to give em a head start?

[treequip]

Mistletoe is usually vectored by birds wiping the sticky seeds of their beaks. It ends up in the crevasses in the bark.

 

Just make a knick in the bark with your penknife and jam the seed into it. It's a bit of a sticky job.

 

I was amazed how many took.

 

Andy

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

being a parasite the mistletoe will effect the apple tree to some extent, if your going down this route up the trees care, I.e mulching and watering and it will cope fine. dont plant too many on the one tree though, it is a rather draining parasite in large colonies.

 

did you know there is a mistletoe tree? its an amazing tree, and it paracitises by making root clamps onto surounding shrubs and trees! its the only one known to do this, and is native to australia.

[roseyweb]

Thats going to be a little gem i remember to recite and amaze people when I'm talking about mistletoe,

[Robert_S]

Tom your new avatar is brilliant:lol:

 

Man shes getting big!!, they grow fast eh? seems like yesterday mine were that size.

[David Humphries]

Tom, I think part of the key is more about the seeds potential for germination.

 

If they're too immature & have been harvested too early they may not take no matter where they are placed.

 

We tried transplanting loads on to about 10 of our Limes, from a huge mass that came off an avenue of Vet Limes that got felled at Hampton Court about 8 years ago.

 

None took, they were not ripe enough.

 

We tried placing them in nooks, crevices, on top, underneath & on the side of branches. At various different heights. & even tried grafting segments of paratised bark. But all to no avail.

 

All you can do is try.

 

Maybe put them on the apple during a full moon, whilst wearing a tu tu & recounting the lyrics of your favourite thrash metal tune backwards

 

Good luck

 

 

 

.

[Tom D]

thanks for the replies, the berries that I picked are white and sticky, the seeds seem well formed, however I may re-visit the site and pick some more later in the year.

 

I may get a sacrificial goat as well.

[kevwrenn]

i had to do some in stoke a couple of years ago.... found some info online.... dont know if they ever took though as i changed jobs not long after... has quite a long germination period though if i remember correctly..

[geoff]

I seeded a few apple trees last year,any Ideas how long they take to germinate?