It's a Miracle!

[Meadowlark]

For many years, I have been trying to re-establish the Osage Orange aka Horse apple aka Bodark tree on this place where it once thrived. I tried to germinate seeds from many different vendors across the USA…none, absolutely none germinated. I ordered seedlings off E-Bay which were never delivered here but stolen in transit. I asked relatives in Missouri to dig up some seedlings that I could come get…nothing materialized.

My desire heightened with the purchase of the “back 35” property where I envisioned a fence made entirely of living Osage Orange trees much like our ancestors had. But it seemed it would never happen.

Along came @Martin Mikulcik with news that he had some Osage Orange seeds available for sale on the “Flyover Seeds” site. I ordered immediately. The seeds arrived in superb packaging just a few days ago.

I planted them directly in an available garden row space thinking if any germinated I would nurse them along until dormancy next fall and then begin transplanting them into what should be a stunning natural live fencerow.

The “miracle” happened today. While inspecting the damage from a recent storm that dumped about 4 much needed inches of rain on the garden, I counted no less than 30 seedlings popping through the garden soil in the Osage Orange row. I'm sure there will be many more over the next couple of days.

My thanks to @Martin Mikulcik for this great product. One that I had been unable to find anywhere in the USA.

Now, the rest will be up to me to grow them to a healthy transplant that can be moved this fall while in dormancy.

 

[oneeye]

For many years, I have been trying to re-establish the Osage Orange aka Horse apple aka Bodark tree on this place where it once thrived. I tried to germinate seeds from many different vendors across the USA…none, absolutely none germinated. I ordered seedlings off E-Bay which were never delivered here but stolen in transit. I asked relatives in Missouri to dig up some seedlings that I could come get…nothing materialized.

My desire heightened with the purchase of the “back 35” property where I envisioned a fence made entirely of living Osage Orange trees much like our ancestors had. But it seemed it would never happen.

Along came @Martin Mikulcik with news that he had some Osage Orange seeds available for sale on the “Flyover Seeds” site. I ordered immediately. The seeds arrived in superb packaging just a few days ago.

I planted them directly in an available garden row space thinking if any germinated I would nurse them along until dormancy next fall and then begin transplanting them into what should be a stunning natural live fencerow.

The “miracle” happened today. While inspecting the damage from a recent storm that dumped about 4 much needed inches of rain on the garden, I counted no less than 30 seedlings popping through the garden soil in the Osage Orange row. I'm sure there will be many more over the next couple of days.

My thanks to @Martin Mikulcik for this great product. One that I had been unable to find anywhere in the USA.

Now, the rest will be up to me to grow them to a healthy transplant that can be moved this fall while in dormancy.

What is good about horse apples?

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

What is good about horse apples?

You mean you don't eat horse apples? Lol

Actually the seeds taste pretty good but i think they're mostly grown for their extremely rot resistant wood used to make bows and fence posts

And to me they're ornamental, i like the "brainfruit"

They're also used as grafting understock for che berry for people that don't like thickets

Thank you Meadowlark for the kind words

 

[Meadowlark]

What is good about horse apples?

For me it's about restoring the land and nostalgia.

However, if you ever take a chain saw to one you will immediately see why the wood is prized...about the hardest wood of any. I'm thinking it will make a stunning natural live fence as it was used back in the days before barbed wire.

 

[DiggersJo]

I had never heard of these or seen such util coming across them in Italy. Pity we did not know at the time they would have been good for the wood stove when well seasoned.

 

[Meadowlark]

Yes, burns very hot.

 

[Sheal]

Great news Meadowlark, let's hope they thrive.