Mistletoe and Berries

madpenguin

Back in January I started a thread about Mistletoe here:-
https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1024321/mistletoe#latest

Today I have finally managed to get 7 berries off a conveniently placed Mistletoe on a small cherry/crab apple tree on a path to the village.It is at head height so could see the structure of the plant.Fascinating plant!The berries are indeed very viscous and I had a job retrieving them from my coat pocket and then from my fingers!
Am I right to assume that the berries just need to be squished into convenient cracks in the host tree bark? I have 2 cherry trees at 20+ years as candidates.

Singing Gardener

I have a handful of young mistletoe plants which I grew from berries. I can't find the website whose instructions I followed, but I removed the seeds from inside the berry and then stuck them onto young branches about 2-3 cm in diameter and as high up as I could reach (so about 2m probably). You don't need to put them into cracks.

I did mine in the spring though - are you sure your berries are ripe?

Singing Gardener

I think I followed the instructions on this website: 
http://mistletoe.org.uk/homewp/index.php/grow-your-own/

Also apparently mistletoe grows best on trees of the same type from which it came.

madpenguin

Thanks that is interesting information.
February seems the best time to get them onto the host tree and I can store the seeds (in the light) until then.
Also says you need lots of seeds for success so will have to gather more when I can!

nutcutlet

They're not ripe yet, they lose that green when they are

Singing Gardener

I bought the berries I used and planted. I sowed 50 four or five years ago resulting in two successes and another 50 last spring from which I have at least 3 plants but haven't checked all of them yet as there are some I can't reach until winter has eliminated the nettles, thistles etc.! I tried all sorts of different hosts but the successful ones were on hawthorn and apple.

madpenguin

I have bitten the bullet and ordered a Mistletoe Grow Kit from that site (Black Friday price!!).
They will arrive in February.Something to look forward to.
Will collect my own berries if I see more as well.

herbaceous

I spent six or seven years trying to get mistletoe seeds to germinate, finally cheated and 'stole' a few young plants from a less well known Royal Park!  I had nearly twenty years of lovely berries then a sycamore tree killed the old apple tree the mistletoe was growing on 

I really wish you all luck in your growing ventures, nothing like your own greenery at Christmas.

cornelly

Happy days gone by when the week before Christmas, was going out and getting holly Ivy and mistletoe to decorate the home, and making paper decorations, never thought of growing our own mistletoe there was always plenty in the orchards around the village.