Guest guest Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Osage Orange/HedgeApples are available in various forms on ebay. They grow naturally in the Midwest but can be cultivated almost anywhere. The seeds are also available on ebay, Check it out!!!>> Some I know call it by the frenchie name Bois d'arc which they pronounce Bo Dark. Tons of it had been planted in fence rows years ago as a "living hedge" because of the thorns. As I see it, it is only the young trees that are thorny, maybe trees less than 40 years old. And the Hedges I have seen generally dont produce the hedge apples until they maybe 80 or couple hundred years old. You will also see park plantings from about date of WW I "Armistice" planted 1918, rows of these will be seen casting off their abundant and troublesome "hedge apples" each about the size and appearance of a large cabbage (but very firm), rolling into the street and hit by park traffic. The wood of Hedge is very hard and also weather resistant, some is used for fence posts. Not quite on par with locust for long durability, but should outlast the lifetime of the average man. Folks who are fairly cagey will either not burn Hedge in their fireplace or will carefully "blend" this wood liberally with oak or pine. In a woodstove, hedge throws sparks (if the door is opened at all), and it burns VERY hot. You want to arrange your woodstove with a mix of lower btu woods say mulberry or cherry wood and only then burn some hedge with it. Lots of folks go overboard, load up their woodstove with hot burning wood, fall asleep and burn their houses down. Again, in an open fireplace, burning even well seasoned Hedge will unpredictably throw violent sparks a long ways. As for the original reason of placing Hedge Apples under your house to put spiders to flight, I have done work under many houses, observed lot of new and old spiders at work there (generally harmless web spiders, I just take a lighter to their webs and smash em if I'm doing plumbing under a house and if the spiders much in my way), and I will frequently notice old hedge apples down there gathering dust and dirt in the crawlspace. Unless you know what you are looking at, you will not then even recognize that they are old Hedge Apples, thrown down there years ago. .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 i have looked for the apples on ebay -- found them . seeds -- no way ... i wonder , if those with oodles of those apples might not be tempted to send seeds to those who are interested for a small fee / or postage ?? MARANATHA ! gabriele gcliburn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 Osage Orange trees: I love them. The wood is beautiful when used in crafts. I got seed from Bountiful Gardens last year and now have about a dozen trees about 2 ft tall. To some people they might be considered a pain, but to me, they are a thing of beauty. Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 I will be happy to send you some seeds as soon as they start dropping. I have found they don't germinate well if they don't drop first. I can send them to you and won't worry about postage unless you want a large amount, then I will let you know what the postage is. I have about 7 trees so it should not be a problem, Just let me know, Marsha Talk is cheap. Use Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 > Osage Orange trees: I love them. The wood is beautiful when used in crafts. I got seed from Bountiful Gardens last year and now have about a dozen trees about 2 ft tall. To some people they might be considered a pain, but to me, they are a thing of beauty. Here in Texas, we call them " horse apples " . The wood IS beautiful but the thorns will get huge and fallen branches are especially dangerous. They can puncture a tire in a heartbeat or cause a nasty scratch. Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Osage Orange trees: I love them. The wood is beautiful when used in crafts. I got seed from Bountiful Gardens last year and now have about a dozen trees about 2 ft tall. To some people they might be considered a pain, but to me, they are a thing of beauty. >> Most of the trees in my memory (some blown down, some cut down, many knocked down in clearing for home construction) most appear to be several hundred years old, muscular, thick, reddish yellowish appearing inner bark. But I think instead they are only about 100 years old. Each time I see one "down", I go over it and look for "cane material" and cut several straight (with a hook curved end) pieces that I use as walking sticks. The roots I had hoped would be useful as walking stick material, but they are strangely much softer and even spongy appearing wood, not much use that I could see for crafts or making something. They are as thick as your leg and yellowish with apparently some extractable dye material in the roots, but not any sort of firm wood material. Some very large "red mulberries" look a lot like Hedge Apples, with the twisted muscular trunks, I have noticed. .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 They also make good bow material as well. My boys and I made bows and arrows from several trees that got struck with lighting last year. It was a really neat homeschool project, Marsha Everyone is raving about the all-new Mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 Do the shoots grow straight with no lower branches in the lower half like Yew??? You sound like my wife Valorie and me. When we lived in New Mexico, we had all kinds of "natural" projects happening with our son including hatching our own eggs, raising our own chicks and bunnies. ;-) Love, Doc Doc Shillington727-447-5282Doc - Marsha McKellep herbal remedies Tuesday, September 12, 2006 4:14 PM Herbal Remedies - Re: Osage Orange - Bois D'arc They also make good bow material as well. My boys and I made bows and arrows from several trees that got struck with lighting last year. It was a really neat homeschool project, Marsha Everyone is raving about the all-new Mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 The shoots do grow very straight but will grow on the lower part of the tree if it has been damaged. I had a goat get out last year and she ate the bark off the tree all the way around the stem. The shoots produced below the damage and the top died out so now it resembles a bush. Actually we always have a lot of projects going on. From making drums to drying animal hides. I have two Boy scouts and a Cub scout and we homeschool so it is a regular adventure here daily. I had to run my youngest out earlier because he has been picking up tree frogs that got cold last night and bringing them in to thaw. Marsha How low will we go? Check out Messenger’s low PC-to-Phone call rates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2006 Report Share Posted September 18, 2006 Sounds like your youngest and I are kindred souls LOL. Wellllllll, this'll be interesting. Do you think they will grow well here in Florida??? In Health, Freedom, and Love, Doc Doc Shillington727-447-5282Doc - Marsha McKellep herbal remedies Thursday, September 14, 2006 3:36 PM Herbal Remedies - Re: Osage Orange - Bois D'arc The shoots do grow very straight but will grow on the lower part of the tree if it has been damaged. I had a goat get out last year and she ate the bark off the tree all the way around the stem. The shoots produced below the damage and the top died out so now it resembles a bush. Actually we always have a lot of projects going on. From making drums to drying animal hides. I have two Boy scouts and a Cub scout and we homeschool so it is a regular adventure here daily. I had to run my youngest out earlier because he has been picking up tree frogs that got cold last night and bringing them in to thaw. Marsha How low will we go? Check out Messenger’s low PC-to-Phone call rates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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