On Sat, 20 Aug 2005 18:46:25 +0100, "Brian" ---
'flayb' to respond wrote:
"missymaisymoo" wrote in message
...
We have recently moved house and have a beautiful apple tree in our
garden that is absolutely covered in mistletoe!
I've read that mistletoe is a parasite but is it draining the nutrients
from the tree or just using it as a host to attach to?
How do I go about pruning/removing some of it as at the moment I can
hardly see the apple tree for mistletoe? (and it might bring in some
extra money at christmas!!)

Thanks in advance.
__________________-
Mistletoe is only a partial parasite and only penetrates the xylem
for water and minerals~~ of which there is seldom a shortage. It has green
leaves and is thus able to photosynthesise for itself.
I really envy having such a tree. The mistletoe will certainly be of
value and a great talking point. It will do no harm and will not diminish
the apple crop~~ though the tree must be quite ancient anyway.
Best Wishes Brian.

Interesting, thank you Brian.
I also have an old apple (Bramley) with a fair crop of mistletoe on
it.
I was thinking of removing most of it just in case it was damaging the
tree, however, now you have got me thinking ,,,
How would one go about selling this 'valuable' crop !
I dont think I have enought to interest Tesco though !!

There is another tree on our patch that has a lot of it high up (way
out of reach even with a long ladder), I think I was once told it was
some sort of poplar ? Not the sort of poplar that I knew in my youth,
not the tall thin (Lombardy ?), a much more um open rounded fluttery
leaved thing, a 'tree' like tree ! (That sounds stoopid dont it !)
with a habbit of dropping the odd 2ft dia. stem onto the unwary from
time to time.
What trees are commonly adopted by mistletoe ?