Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Catahoula on January 05, 2012, 09:49:55 pm
-
Hi,
Last year I got a box of hedge apples and folowed the directions but obviously have a brown thumb rather than a green one!! We are in the sand hills of SC. Sandy soil and rain off and on depending on the mood of mother nature. I would love to grow some osage trees on our farm for my kids to enjoy one day. I was thinking of ordering some seedlings and trying to plant them instead of trying to grow from seeds since I can't seem to grow anything! Any advice about what time of year to plant seedlings or growing from seeds?
Rand
-
Rand, osage is one of the easiest trees to start from seeds. I planted 100 seeds and I think I had close to 90% grmination and about 70% survival after about 3 months of growth. Nothing wrong with good drainage but you need to make sure they don't dry out until firmly rooted, maybe 2 years or so. If you decide to keep them in pots for a couple of years be aggressive about repotting to larger pots and the growth of the tree really depends on the roots having plenty of room. I grew one tree up to 6ft in one year using a 15 gallon pot while most of the others which were in 1 gallon pots lagged far behind at maybe 2 feet. Use a good basic fertilizer but not in excess. My next batch I will raise in 15 gallon pots and transplant to soil after 1 year.
-
Hi Y'all,
This topic has been on my mine of late.
Badger, do you collect your seeds locally, or buy seed/seedlings?
Thanks,
-gus
-
ive been wanting to try this, anyone know where to get seeds from, its not a local tree here so i would probably have to order it unless someone has some seeds available in the woods around their house that they could part with?, i want to try growing the perfect bow stave
thanks
noel
Ps: what is the largest growth rings you can get from osage?
-
I bought my seeds, I may still have the address, I will check. Steve
-
If all you want are some of the hedge apple fruit, my neighbor across the street has an osage tree in his back yard and I highly doubt he'd mind a few disappearing. I'm sure it'd be cheaper to ship seeds, but I don't know where you'd get them.
George
-
They'll grow in sandy soil. It doesen't get much sandier than Florida and I have two growing that I planted from seedlingsin my front yard. It will give the neighbors something to cuss me about when I'm dead n' gone. ;D
-
Badger,
Ok...gonna try the seeds again if you can tell us where you got yours. I will try the pots and will dillegent this time! By golly! Guess I could start them inside any time and get them going?
Rand
-
Osage growing in direct sunlight gets bushy and gnarly. If it grows under the shade of tall trees it tends to grow straighter. I havent had any luck with seeds but I have kept my eyes on some existing small trees that are growing pretty straight. ;D
-
I covered my seeds with a wet towel until they developed little tails then transferred them to small pots. I think it took about two weeks. I still haven't found the address but type in osage seeds on e ebay and you will fins some. I paid 20.00 per 100 seeds.
-
My friends have bought osage seedlings from the Missouri forestry department in the past. The sell for $8 for 25 bare root seedlings, a pretty good deal. They shipped to my friends in Alabama so I suspect they would ship anywhere in the US but don't know for sure.
http://mdc.mo.gov/landwater-care/landowners-and-farmers/seedling-orders
Here is the seedling catalog.
http://mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/resources/2010/04/11_12seedlingorderform.pdf
-
I grow the osage to train into bonsai trees, the knarly natural tendencies it has lends it to this art very well.
-
This I gotta see, Badger!!! Post some pics of your bonsai 'sage please!
-
george, if i cant find any seeds i might take you up on the offer for the hedge apple fruit, do you ave to dry the seeds before planting?
-
Osage orange was brought west by settlers and you can still find a few older trees. They are still producing fruit and are found mostly in gold country.
-
george, if i cant find any seeds i might take you up on the offer for the hedge apple fruit, do you ave to dry the seeds before planting?
To be honest Noel, I was able to get free seedlings from the state when I wanted to plant osage up in Nebraska. I've never planted them from seed.
I'll get some of the fruit and see if I can extract the seeds for you.
George
-
Ok,
Just ordered a bunch of osage and black walnut seedlings from the site listed. Will let y'all know if they show up. One wrinkle in ordering was that I had to list a county in Missiouri that I would plant the seedlings in...no way to say Kershaw in SC!...we'll see...
Rand
-
Noel;
PM Chris Cade in S.C. I think he still has some in pots at his cousins Nursery. That's where I got mine.
-
You might have a look at this site for S.C.
http://www.state.sc.us/forest/nur.htm
Here is some info for Texas, along with links to Lousiana and Oklahoma.
http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=9562
Note that Indian Mound Nursery was the contact for East Texas but they now say to use the West Texas Nursery in its place.
-gus
-
I was out scouting a farm for potential hog hunting this weekend. It was flat littered with osage. in fact, osage saplings were coming up all over the place to try and flatten your tires the way mesquite does out west. I brought home a few very ripe hedge apples.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7157/6705155583_43b0d6f300_z.jpg)
Now I have to figure out how to get the seeds extracted. Saw some good hog sign, and ducks a-plenty too.
George
-
Hi,
Ok...ordered the Osage and Black Walnut seedlings from the Missiouri site listed on page one of this post...cost me very little for 25 osage seedlings and 25 black walnut seedlings. I got them a couple of days ago and planted them today...well all the osage and most of the BW...got a few more of them to do tomorrow. Some of osages were 4 feet tall fm the root...most from 18 inches to 24 inches. The BW's were mostly 12 inches to 16 inches from the root. If you want to plant some trees this seems the easy way to go. SC has trees to order to but didn't have any osages.
Rand
-
George;
Soak them in a bucket of water till they make a slurry. Then, dig a long trench and pour them in to plant or just dry them out.
-
Its hard to believe people have to order hedge. My yard is litterd with hedge and black walnut. Makes it a pain everytime I mow. The squirels like both.
Jeff
-
I do like mullet but after they get two or three years old. I replant the seedling in sumac thickets. Makeing my holes by diging and adding good dirt. And fertize every year or so.Where they have to fight for sunlight this makes them grow fast, straight up trying to reach the sunlight.