Mistletoe advice

Can't remember where I got the berries, but I don't think I would have bought them with so much growing wild around Somerset.

 

Here's a few links that might prove useful and interesting

http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/how-to-grow-mistletoe-from-seed.html

http://www.hmmm.ip3.co.uk/mistletoe/index.shtml

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicgardening/mistletoe.php

And finally you can buy growing kits including fresh ripe berries too (available from February

http://www.buy.mistletoe.org.uk/growkits.htm

 

There's loads to be seen in the M5 corridor as it makes its way south through these counties. Sounds like it's common all the way to the South coast. It's also found in Wales, as far west as North Pembs. I've never seen it in further north then the Midlands, can't remember seeing it in Cornwall, either.
Just found this map which bears out most of my hunches.
Taken from this interesting paper.
http://www.mistletoe.org.uk/mmatters/images/Mistletoe_CNFC2011.pdf

I've had no luck growing it on lilac in Leicestershire!

 

Thats very interesting, never thought about altitude & humidy as a limiting factor.

Its happily growing in the False Acacia opposite me.





And there is a clump in the Orchard underneath it.

 

£14.75 for just the seeds , well someone is on a winner.

I remember a couple of years ago a nursery was selling apple trees with 3 year old plants on them , knowing my luck it would be a male I will see if I can find a link .

None growing by me , I have tried past 3 years still waiting.

Lots of them as you turn off from the M4 onto the M25 in the poplar trees


**** update****

use this link as you can see save yourself some ££££
http://www.mistle.co.uk/

Spruce

 

I have managed to propagate three plants on my apple trees, they are five years old now. Christmas Eve I cut about 20 large sprigs and under cover of darkness hung them on the door knobs of the bungalows in our little commune! That'll keep the beggers guessing! ? ! ?

Cheers, Tony.

 

Tony this may suit you ???

 

Sorry, the sound card? has gone phut (I believe) on the mighty 'puter, so no sound. But it looks good anyway - thanks.

Cheers, Tony.

 

Nikki, have a look at this thread from last year, you might find it useful:
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/viscum-album.38622/

I don't think it's absolutely necessary to slit the bark on the tree you choose, I simply rubbed the mistletoe berries into cracks in the bark on my old apple tree and it seemed to work fine.
As Zigs says, you'll have to be patient though, as it can take two or three years before the mistletoe appears.
I've never seen mistletoe growing on hazel, so not sure if it will work there. No harm in giving it a try though.

 

the seeds need light to germinate , the link I added said cover with some chicken wire to stop the birds from getting the seed , plus cutting the bark you can introduce disease

Spruce

 

Spruce,
does that mean the mistletoe lives independantly of the host ie. doesn't put roots into it?I can understand then, why it wouldn't be vital to slit the bark. A strip of plastic mesh tied round the branch with garden string would keep it in place for a couple of years methinks,
Jenny

 

Mistletoe grows roots down into the tree..."....... Mistletoe doesn't grow with the roots of a garden plant as the tree does that part for it. Instead it forms a structure within the tree branch, the haustorium which operates like the placenta in a mammal, transferring nutrients from host to 'parasite'.

Jenny have a look at the link

http://www.mistle.co.uk/index.htm

Wales it was believed that a sprig of mistletoe gathered on St. John’s Eve (Midsummer Eve), or at any time before the berries appeared, would induce dreams of omen, both good and bad, if it were placed under the pillow of the sleeper. Thus mistletoe is one of the many plants whose magical or medicinal virtues are believed to culminate with the culmination of the sun on the longest day of the year.

Spruce

 

Thank you Spruce, very interesting and informative link

 

We popped over to our lottie last evening and while we were there i remembered to check on my mistletoe berries that i have smeared on to our apples and plum trees and have now found at least three berries that have started to put down the little green legs {Hypocotyl}that will hopefully start to bury themselves in to the trees system and take up nutrients and with luck in four years time we shall have a very small crop of berries to harvest.

These berries are from a load we harvested from off of the floor at the bottom of some Hawthorn trees while we were up in Shropshire at the start of May and they had been in the fridge in a closed container for two weeks before i rememberd to take them to the lottie.I never bothered to stick them into crevices,just smeared them onto the tops of the branches{forgot that they might need to go underneath to hang down}and also never wrapped hessian round them and completley forgot to tie coloured wool round the branches to remember where i had sown them .I gave them a water last night as we havn't had any rain for a few days and i don't want them drying out and dying at this stage.

Anyway, if they survive and i get mistletoe off of them it will disprove the fact that you don't need to sow the seeds on the same type of tree that they were harvested from or go to all of the palarvor that the books and net tell you to do