Planting Osage Orange

[JNRBRONC]

It's been many years since botany class. I know of an Osage Orange that has fruit hanging from it. On a website that sells trees, from the Q and A section, an employee of the site commented "these are dioecious–male trees and female trees–at least one of each is required for fruit". Does that mean it had a pollinator and the fruit is potentially viable to plant or is there a chance it fruited without a pollinator and will be sterile?

TIA

 

[JNRBRONC]

Did a search on the internet and found "The fruits will grow even if they are not pollinated, but unpollinated fruits do not produce seeds." I will have to collect a few and cut them open to check for seeds. Luckily, I know of a couple of different trees in different areas, hopefully one will be pollinated. Just looking to add diversity, think they are a cool tree.

 

[Sligh1]

Plant em!!!!!! Having some is great!!! It’s kinda like “cedar” …. Too many can be out of control but I’d never go without them. Hardy tree. Takes a lot to kill one. Feeds the deer. Crazy good cover. Get after it for sure!!!!

 

[T_Max]

We have a bunch and I have grown a bunch. I take a hedge apple and cut it into quarters with a machete or hatchet. Dig a small hole (like one shovel scoop) and drop in a piece, kick the dirt back over, and you are done. Very low effort with a good success rate for me.

 

[Slick]

I guy once told me that way back in the day they would collect the hedge apples and mix into a soup. They would then dig a trench and pour the mixture in the trench. He said in 5 years you would have a hedge fence that even cattle could not get through. Basically a fence with out paying.

 

[sundog78]

What part do deer eat on a hedge apple tree?

 

[T_Max]

I’m sure they eat some of the apples, but the browse line around here is incredible! Any leaf a deer can reach is eaten.


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[JNRBRONC]

I picked up one from a tree in a road ditch a couple of years ago (same tree that I've seen fruit on lately) and put it down the basement as supposedly they drive spiders away. I didn't notice that effect, but mice tore it up so I'm guessing there were seeds in it. Need to check by cutting one open.

 

[Jgamet]

I read somewhere that deer love the taste of OO leaves?? I have predominantly oak covered farm....contemplating placing some OO in there....like the cover they provide that big bucks seem to favor and the browse they provide is an added bonus.

 

[Bucksnbears]

Never seen one. (That I know of), do/ can they grow in northern Mn?

 

[Muskrat24]

If you ever in SW IA NWMO I can get you all you need for seed.

 

[Snail3496]

I guy once told me that way back in the day they would collect the hedge apples and mix into a soup. They would then dig a trench and pour the mixture in the trench. He said in 5 years you would have a hedge fence that even cattle could not get through. Basically a fence with out paying.

Is this how they planted hundreds of miles of hedgerows back in the day? I've always wondered how they all got planted.

 

[theDoorman]

I read somewhere that deer love the taste of OO leaves?? I have predominantly oak covered farm....contemplating placing some OO in there....like the cover they provide that big bucks seem to favor and the browse they provide is an added bonus.

I was told it’s the first thing to green up in spring time and the deer love eating them until everything else gets green.

 

[chadw]

What part do deer eat on a hedge apple tree?

Our farm is covered with OO. I’ve seen deer eat the hedge apples. If you cut a tree to at ankle height, it creates an incredible mineral stump that they will hammer for about two years (then you have a spiny mess ). Deer University (Mississippi State) mentioned them on their podcast on mineral stumps.

We sell about 300-400 per year or so for fence posts the last 4 years.

Below is one that has been browsed down.

 

[Muskrat24]

I was told it’s the first thing to green up in spring time and the deer love eating them until everything else gets green.

Typically OO is one of the last trees to green up in the spring but the deer definitely have browse lines on them. I would not have believed that deer eat the hedge apples but the last two seasons I have observed fawns eating the left over pieces where squirrels have broken them up to get to seed. I’ve never saw a deer tear into an in tact hedge Apple, not saying they don’t just haven’t personally observed it.

 

[JNRBRONC]

The tree I know of started dropping fruit and I picked up 4. Machete chopped in half one and it showed I cut through two seeds. So must be a pollinator tree in the area. Hopefully I won’t regret planting these.


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