Mistletoe in Trees
A holiday favorite… just looking for a home.
Mistletoe is a parasite. It lives off trees by stealing some of the water and nutrients that would normally nourish the tree. Oaks, hack berries, elms and pecan trees seem to be favorites of mistletoe.
Mistletoe may be nice to have for decorating around Christmas, but it's not very good for the tree on which it's growing.
Mistletoe is a parasite. It lives off trees by stealing some of the water and nutrients that would normally nourish the tree. Oaks, hack berries, elms and pecan trees seem to be favorites of mistletoe.
Controlling the parasite.
Controlling mistletoe is hard, because it attaches itself to the tree's vascular system, the part which carries water and nutrients to all parts of the tree. If you simply break off the mistletoe, it'll just grow back. To remove mistletoe permanently you have to remove the chip of the tree's vascular system that it's attached to.
Paint the cut with tree wound paint. This will keep wood rotting organisms from getting into the cut.
If mistletoe is on small limbs, cut the limb about a foot ahead of the spot where the mistletoe is growing. Again, you should paint the cut.
Mistletoe is spread primarily by birds, which carry the seeds on their beaks after eating the white berries of the mistletoe. When birds wipe their beaks on a tree, the seed finds a home.
Cutting out the mistletoe is the only way to control it. Chemicals that kill mistletoe also hurt the tree.
For more information on mistletoe in trees; contact your local County Extension Office.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||