I found some fruit from an osage orange tree and would like to know how to propogate the seeds. The fruit is intact, so do I plant the entire thing? is it full of seeds? does it need any special attention when just starting out? I know they grow here, the tree it came from must have been 40 - 50 ft tall. I just need to know how to begin and when. Thanks.

-- Joan - Zone 6 (egavasnok@juno.com), December 04, 2001

Answers

Here's a good site with lots of info about the Osage Orange tree.

-- chuck in md (woah@mission4me.com), December 04, 2001.

in a previous post,, about this subject,, I read the article how to propogate them,, and I would like to try it this spring,, so if anyone has any,, I would GLADLY pay for postage. Email me,, and let me know,, THANKS

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), December 04, 2001.

I have never seen an osage orange tree. Don't know where they grow. But, all I've ever read about them has been negative. I'm curious why anybody would want to grow them.

-- pc (jasper2@doglover.com), December 04, 2001.

Hedge trees can really become a pain in the butt. They grow like crazy here in southeast Nebraska. If left uncontrolled they can take over pasture land. They were planted as living fences (hedge rows) years ago. Hedge wood makes great firewood and very sturdy fence posts. The wood usually burns very hot and is probably not recommended for use in a fireplace, but is great for wood furnaces and air tight stoves. I have also seen cows eat hedge apples, I could not believe it when I saw that a cow had an entire hedge apple in its mouth just chewing it like it was a regular apple. They must taste good to them.

-- Scott (scotthom@hotmail.com), December 04, 2001.

Freeze the apples that you want to plant for a couple of days. As soon as the weather permits in the spring plant them 2-3 inches deep. Squirrels love them too.

-- charlie (charliesap@pldi.net), December 04, 2001.

Last year some friends found some osage orange fruit, and what they did was this:

Took the "apples" in November, put them in a 5 gal bucket, covered with water, and let them "ferment" til about Feb/Mar outside. (We're in the North Houston Texas area).

Then they took the "really stinky" stuff, and poured off most of the water, and just "sowed" the residue in flats and covered with dirt. Thinned later to about every 6-8 inches......

We tried planting some of the seedlings in May/Jun, and they looked viable, but we were not available to water, (at our country place), and it was somewhat of a drought year, so we lost almost all of them. We're trying again this year tho'...same procedure.

-- Birdlady (jjpace@ev1.net), December 04, 2001.

The Osage Orange tree is very functional! The tree originated near Missouri (home of the Osage Indians, for which it was named). Early settlers discovered the tree and imported it from its home range to all over the US. It serves as a very functional hedge/ fence (this was long before barbed wire and it was easier to plant a thick thorny tree than build a stone wall or build a split rail fence). The trees are effective shelterbelts and shield livestock from cold winter winds and provide shade in summer. They grow pretty quickly, too. They provide cover for deer, squirrel, rabbit and groundhogs. The "orange" part of the name refers to the large inedible to humans fruit, which is orange size to grapefruit size and the out side is covered with brain looking bumps. Cattle readily consume these fruits, as do other live stock. The wood/ bark also yeilds a yellow dye which the Indians and settlers used for cloth dying. This tree is one of my favorites!

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), December 04, 2001.

My son and I picked up three Hedge Apples. We planted the three (whole apples)that fall in the garden. By mid spring all three had sprouted. It will take some digging to transplant them. The roots must have grown down three feet.

-- (beccaben@metc.net), December 04, 2001.

If you go to plant them, my experience is that they are not very shade tolerant, need to have them in an area that gets lots of sun. Sometimes they will compete with weeds, other times no. Most of mine grow in open pasture, they are the only tree the cattle leave alone due to the thorns. I love em!

-- fred (fred@mddc.com), December 06, 2001.

Check with your state conservation department nursery. The Missouri Dept of Conservation has a nursery that sells the seedlings for Osage orange, 25 seedlings for 6 dollars. MO Conservaton Nursery

-- Debbie Trimble (risingwind@socket.net), December 06, 2001.

Indians also used the wood to make hunting bows. It is a very strong wood and difficult to work with--but if you have an osage orange bow, you really have something! The sawdust will also make an orange-y yellow dye; and my Mom swears up and down that the fruits will help repel mice and cockroaches. I have an couple of the fruits under my sinks now; I don't know how well it repells the nastys (the mice still make an occassional appearance), but I figure the fruit isn't eating anything....so why not???

-- Leann banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), December 10, 2001.