planting osage oranges

[Use Less]

I gathered these bags full of osage orange fruits, as mentioned in a previous post. I might like to try planting some out in the back acres, and groom for wood if they take. We've had reasonable sucess w/EnCon spruces. We put 'em in and failed to tend, and have a little forest now. Lots of crabapple, some ash, a little sugar maple. Many black walnuts surround the property, but there's room to plant well away from those. Has anybody put in osage orange from fruits? Do you have suggestions, preferred locations/conditions? Would I try to start some in pots? Now? Spring? Thanks! Sue

[Toads tool]

So you got a sack of Hedge balls?

Cut one in half and you'll see the ring of seeds half way between the core and the skin.
Squirrels love 'em.
There are several seeds in one Hedge Ball, or Osage Orange Fruit ( never heard of them called that before).
Since you have a sack or so full I would just take a whole ball, half ball, whatever and bury it about 4 to 6" in the ground however far apart you desire.
They prefer deep fertile soil is what the books say. We live in red clay and have way to many volenteering so they should grow where you want them to.

Since you have so many seeds, you'll see; why not plant some now, in the field and the pot indoors also?
Plant half, save half. Some planted now and some allowed to dry and planted later..

Dried Hedge balls are pretty cool and will come apart like a big cattail when tore up.

[Batt]

Let them rot, smoosh them up, put them in a 5 gal. bucket with enough water to make a slurry. Just pour a little slurry out where ever you want trees. Used to do this along a fence line to make a living fence. Hog tight, horse high and bull strong once it all grew together..

[Ozarkquilter46]

dido what Adron said I live in the Ozarks and that is what they do here

[Vashti]

My dad did the same thing with the slurry. He turns Osage on his lathe, and loves the orange color.

[ksfarmer]

Originally Posted by Adron

Let them rot, smoosh them up, put them in a 5 gal. bucket with enough water to make a slurry. Just pour a little slurry out where ever you want trees. Used to do this along a fence line to make a living fence. Hog tight, horse high and bull strong once it all grew together..

Yes, this is the way it was done. I think some used a plow or lister to make a furrow for the slurry, cover with dirt, and stand back. Just be aware that once you have osage orange trees, you can never get rid of them., you can cut and bulldoze them out and they will come back from broken pieces of roots.

[Old Vet]

To get them all to sprout you must use a acid on them. Like using a bird digestive system to get them to sprout. Call Your local state forestry commission nursery and they will tell you how to do it. You pay for it so why not get some good out of them.

[tamsam]

I did some a few years ago by leaving them sit out all winter in enough water to cover about 3/4 of the apple. Let freeze and thaw all winter keeping the water level constant. In the spring do as above add water to make slurry and plant. There has to be hundreds of seeds in every apple. Good luck and the deer and goats got mine. Sam

[ibcnya]

Originally Posted by ksfarmer

Yes, this is the way it was done. I think some used a plow or lister to make a furrow for the slurry, cover with dirt, and stand back. Just be aware that once you have osage orange trees, you can never get rid of them., you can cut and bulldoze them out and they will come back from broken pieces of roots.

Yep they sure do and so do them d*mn blasted black locust trees. I am slowly losing ground to them but as money goes plan to check them next year. The stuff burns almost like coal but when they takeover your ground there worthless because you can't eat coal. Hehe