Some of our trees in the cleared area near the house have mistletoe growing in them. It's hard to see in the Spring and Summer when they are all filled out and obscured by the leaves...
...but in the Winter we can see where they are. These are several trees by the way, not just one with many branches. We know Mistletoe is a parasitic organism but after some research, as long as the trees are well watered, there shouldn't be any harm to them. Indeed, these trees have had these for years and they are just as healthy as ever.
Anyway, our thinking is that maybe in a year or two, we can do something like this...
...and give away (and/or sell?) fresh mistletoe bundles for Christmas! The funny thing is, I have a huge roll of red velvet ribbon, just the right size, from a project a friend of mine had a few years ago...maybe it's a sign!
So I love your idea with the mistletoe, but was wondering how you would get it down? We have lots of it growing here in Virginia, but it is usually so high up in the trees, I wouldn't know how to harvest it. I have heard of getting a shotgun and shooting it down, but your neighbors might not like that. Let me know if you have a solution.
ReplyDeleteThere are some around here in the area that sells the mistletoe.
ReplyDeleteYou better be willing to climb trees and not be afraid of heights or have a cherry picker, cause the mistletoe grows mostly high up in the upper part of the tree. Mistletoe grows basically from bird droppings and the stuff does spread.
Anyone with pets and you bring mistletoe into the home; Beware; as mistletoe is toxic to cats & dogs, assuming they eat a large amount, but then again how much do they consider a large amount. If you feel your pet has eaten some, take to the vet ASAP just to be on the safe side.
Deletehttps://wagwalking.com/cat/condition/american-mistletoe-poisoning-1
Every person I have ever know who got the mistletoe from their trees shot it down with buckshot.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a great Christmas project! As for harvesting the mistletoe high in the tree, you could use a long-handled pruner or a long-handled fruit picker. You can purchase them on Amazon or there are videos on YouTube that show how to make homemade fruit pickers.
ReplyDeletestart practicing your climbing skills! haha! this is seriously very cool. yay...trump was just impeached again!
ReplyDeleteThe red ribbon is definitely a sign.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
One of my Dad's friends used to take Christmas as the opportunity to ship as much of their mistletoe to northern friends just to get rid of it
ReplyDeleteThat mistletoe bunch is so pretty. I love the bead chain and the sparkly ribbon. They set the bunch apart from the old regular plain bunches I see at the store. I bet you could sell a lot of them. You might have to set up a table in front of a grocery!
ReplyDeleteMistletoe falls from my oaks in a strong wind from Sept on. I gathered it up and saved it for Christmas.
ReplyDelete