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What is Mistletoe?
When people think of mistletoe, they often think of the Christmas decoration. Although it is associated with Christmas in Europe and the United States, mistletoe is a catch-all word for many different species that grow throughout the world, primarily in the tropics.
There are two species of mistletoe used at Christmas time, American (Phoradendron sp.) or European (Viscum album) mistletoe. Both are members of the Viscaceae plant family, while most tropical mistletoes belong to an entirely different plant family.
American mistletoe is highly toxic if ingested. Interestingly enough, the European variety of mistletoe is used for medicinal purposes. Studies suggest that it may be effective in shrinking tumor size in certain types of cancer.
Both types of mistletoe are evergreen plants with green oval-shaped leaves, white flowers, and whitish-pink berries. Despite its plant-like appearance, mistletoe is in fact a hemi-parasite. Mistletoe does contain some chlorophyll and can photosynthesize most of its own nutrients, but siphons off certain nutrients and water from its host plant.
Mistletoe is spread by birds, which eat the berries and then excrete the seeds. When a seed makes contact with a branch on the potential host, it begins to develop a pseudo-root system that burrows into the host plant, usually the branch of a large tree.
How to Grow Mistletoe
Cultivation of American or European mistletoe is usually not very successful. American mistletoe is considered a pest and extremely undesirable. Multiple mistletoe infections, as they are called, will eventually kill the host plant.
European mistletoe, on the other hand, may weaken the host, but it generally does not kill it, mainly because it grows very slowly. European mistletoe is sometimes cultivated in backyard gardens in northern Europe and England. The lifespan of mistletoe is about 10 years.
**Do not cultivate American or European mistletoe in the United States. It may become invasive and destroy native trees and shrubs.**
1. Choose a host tree that has several large branches at least 4 to 5 inches in diameter that receive plenty of sunlight. Apples or lindens seem to be the best host trees for growing mistletoe.
2. To increase the odds for success, choose berries from mistletoe plants growing on the same kind of tree you are using as your host. For example, if you are using an apple tree, find a mistletoe plant growing on an apple tree.
3. Pick whole entire berries that are fully ripened, usually in late winter, either February or March.
4. Gather many berries. There is no way of knowing which berries will produce male or female plants for at least five years. Both male and female flowers are needed to pollinate and produce fruit (berries).
5. Make multiple shallow cuts in a couple of locations in the bark of the branch.
6. Peel off the outer layer from each berry before placing several berries into each shallow cut. Cover the berries with burlap or layers of tissue paper to protect from birds.
7. Alternatively, because the peeled berries are gelatinous and somewhat “sticky”, you can attach berries to the outer bark (without making shallow cuts in the bark) and wrap them tight with burlap or tissue paper to protect them from being eaten by birds.
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