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Managing Mistletoe!
We all will probably recognise mistletoe as a regular
feature in Gwent, particularly Monmouthshire. It is a semi-parasitic
plant which has around 200 host species but it particularly likes to
grow in apple trees. It has very high conservation value; there are 5
insect species which rely on mistletoe to survive, so its presence is
something we should definitely celebrate!
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As most fruit tree owners will know, you have to
annually prune your fruit trees to keep them healthy and producing
fruit. But who knew you had to manage your mistletoe as well?
Without
management mistletoe populations in orchards can overwhelm the fruit
trees they are growing in, gradually weakening the tree making it
susceptible to disease.
It also produces a physical problem in that it is an
evergreen plant, covering the canopy of fruit trees as if they were
still in full leaf during winter. This makes the trees vulnerable in
windy conditions, increasing the chance they will be blown down. Loss of
fruit trees due to heavy mistletoe infestation is detrimental to the
mistletoe population as once the trees are gone, there are no host trees
remaining.
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Female mistletoe. Photo: Alice Rees |
We really must be managing our mistletoe to maintain
healthy populations. Below are a few tips on how to do this…
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Prune mistletoe populations in winter, at the same
time as you prune your fruit trees.
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Entire plants of mistletoe can be removed from the
tree, just ensure that some plants remain to ensure the future of
the population.
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When choosing which mistletoe plants to remove
have a look at the number of male and female plants present. Male
mistletoe plants are slightly yellow in colour and do not have any
berries. Female plants are the only ones to produce berries. It is
important to ensure at least one of each sexual category is present
to enable pollination. Having a higher ratio of female plants means
that you will have a greater supply of berries, useful at Christmas
for us, as well as useful to birds as a food source.
Planting mistletoe!
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For those of you who do not currently have any
mistletoe growing in your trees, you can try your hand at
planting some. Some things to bear in mind before you do so…
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Mistletoe will causes some deformity of growth of
the branch you plant on.
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Mistletoe is a semi-parasite. This means it will
draw nutrients from the host tree. Therefore it is best to not plant
mistletoe on young establishing trees; stick to healthy mature
trees.
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You don’t have to plant in fruit trees, hawthorn,
willow and poplar are also common host species.
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Mistletoe in a fruit tree. Photo: Alice Rees |
Having made the decision you want to plant mistletoe
in your chosen tree, follow these simple steps to guide you through the
process…
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Acquire your berries. These are best collect when
ripe in February - March. When we usually see berries at Christmas,
they are not actually ripe and so you will have little success with
planting these. Ripe berries can be bought on line, or harvested
from local populations – remember to ask the land owner for
permission first.
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Choose your host tree. As mentioned above, choose
a healthy mature tree (not too mature!) which can withstand having
some of its nutrients taken from it. Apples are the favourite host
of mistletoe, but try hawthorn, poplar, willow, even walnut.
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Choose your branch. The best branches will be 2 or
3 years old with good flexible bark which has not yet become too
thickened. A branch at an easily accessible height for you to reach
is an important consideration, as you may want to check on the
mistletoe’s progress throughout the year.
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Extract your seed. Mistletoe seeds are found
singularly within each berry and they are covered in extremely
sticky white flesh. The stickiness is designed to help the seed
stick to the branch. The best technique to remove the seed is to
burst open the berry and rub the seed between your fingers (be
prepared to get sticky!) to get as much of the white flesh off it as
possible. You want to be left with a seed which has a thin layer of
sticky flesh on.
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Plant the mistletoe. Contrary to popular belief,
it is not necessary to cut into the bark of a tree to plant
mistletoe. If you think about it, when a bird naturally spreads the
seed it is not making any cuts, it simply deposits the seeds
directly onto the branch, so this is all you need to do. Placing the
seed on the underside of the branch is advantageous as it helps
prevent the seed from drying out by the hot sun. It also protects
the seed from heavy rain as well.
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Mark the spot. You may not remember where you
planted your seeds, therefore it is a good idea to use a plant label
to mark which branch you selected. Not only does this mean you can
check the seed’s progress, it also stops you from pruning the branch
off!
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Repeat! Mistletoe seeds are very difficult to
grow. They suffer from predation by birds and slugs. They may be
knocked off the tree or rained off. The seed may not even be viable.
Therefore, to increase your chances it is advisable to plant several
seeds on different branches – as many as you can be bothered really!
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Sit and wait... Mistletoe is a very slow grower.
The first pair of leaves will appear after a year at which point
they will be tiny! Subsequent pairs of leaves also take a year to
grow but several pairs will grow at the same time. After around 4
years you will have a little mistletoe bush and it will be
established in your host tree. If you have blackcaps and mistle
thrushes in your garden you may start to notice new mistletoe bushes
popping up as they start to naturally spread the plant.
Good luck with planting your mistletoe! Let us know
how you get on!
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