How does reproduction work in nature?
Some birds will eat the mostly white ones Berry mistletoe and excrete the indigestible seeds after a short time. The mistletoe thrush deserves a special mention here. Other birds, like the blackcap, only eat the pulp and strip the sticky seeds off their beaks. So they stay right on the tree.
also read
- Drying mistletoe - tips and tricks
- Interesting facts about mistletoe berries
- Is the mistletoe poisonous?
Once the seeds adhere to the tree, the embryos they contain can germinate. First suction cords are formed, later primary and sinker roots, which grow through the bark into the tree up to the ducts of the tree. Only then does the mistletoe begin to grow outward. However, it will take several years for it to be of a respectable size and the first flowers.
On which trees does the reproduction succeed best?
The three subspecies of mistletoe each have special host trees, as can be seen from the names of the species: fir mistletoe, pine or pine mistletoe and hardwood mistletoe. The hardwood mistletoe likes to grow on apple trees, linden, hornbeam, poplar, alder and birch.
Mistletoes can live up to 70 years and reach a diameter of about one meter. After about 30 years, the as poisonous applicable branches a length of approx. 50 centimeters. The next time you cut a mistletoe, keep that in mind.
The essentials in brief:
- breeding pretty easy
- grows only slowly, about one branch per year
- becomes up to 70 years old
- first bloom only after several years (6 to 7)
- not all trees are suitable for propagation
- “Good” host trees: apple, hornbeam, alder, poplar, linden
- slows down growth and diminishes the harvest of the host trees
Tips
As a rule, the host trees do not die from the mistletoe. If the infestation is very severe, however, damage can be so great that the host dies.