How can you grow mistletoe

A note on pre-infected trees: There are some suppliers who sell pre-infected trees — i. Whilst this might seem tempting it is often not a good idea as the trees will be too young and the mistletoe will distort growth and over-dominate the tree within a few years — which is not good for the tree or the mistletoe as the mistletoe needs a healthy tree.

Establishing mistletoe yourself from seed on a more mature tree is much more sustainable and easy to do. Germination can be divided into non-parasitic and parasitic phases.

In the first the seed extends a green hypocotyl which bends towards the host surface. Once this is contacted it flattens to a sucker-shaped holdfast adhering to the host surface. Once the holdfast is established the parasitic phase begins as the seedling begins to penetrate the host tissue stimulating the growth of a connecting organ or haustorium. The haustorium, which will appear as a swelling where the mistletoe is attached, is a mix of both host and mistletoe woody tissue.

This is unnecessary and counter-productive — mistletoe seeds need intact healthy host bark, and light, to grow. Your host tree should ideally be at least 15 years old and well established. Bear in mind that it will suck some of the nutrients out of the branch and can reduce fruit yields. Choose a branch on your host tree that is at least 10cm thick and very high up, so it gets lots of light. Make a shallow slice in the branch to lift up the bark.

Remove the seed from the berry and place it underneath the bark flap. Sow several seeds in each cut, as roughly only 1 in 10 seeds will germinate. The branch will swell if the seeds germinate, but it can be a few years before it reaches a large size. Bridgewater Greater Manchester. Science research ». Environmentally friendly gardening. Plant health. Take part in our research.

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In fact, most trees and shrubs of the rose family Rosaceae may be suitable. The seeds may have dried out too much and may not be viable. Also, if it was picked early, the seeds may not have ripened adequately. If the mistletoe berry has dried out, remove the seeds and soak them in tepid water overnight. Gently squeeze the seeds out of the berry. They come out enclosed in a ball of the sticky, jelly-like viscin. You then need to choose a suitable tree to sow them on. Choose branches about cm in in diameter and push the seed into nooks and crannies in the bark on the underside of the branch.

Not all the seeds will germinate, some will fall off and some will be eaten, so the more you sow, the better your chance of success.