Tis The Season To Remove Mistletoe
Mistletoe may be a favorite romantic sight during the Christmas season, but it will harm or even kill your tree. If you’re unfortunate enough to have a mistletoe infestation in your trees, getting rid of this plant parasite can be a real challenge.
Mistletoe is a parasitic, evergreen plant that draws its nutrients from a host tree. Soft-barked trees, such as Hackberries, Maples and Elms, are favorite hosts.
Mistletoe blooms in the early Spring. The blooms ripen into sticky berries that appear in late November or early December. Some species simply let the wind blow the berries to nearby trees. Others rely on birds to carry the berries to new homes.
Once a berry finds itself on a tree, it sticks there, sending roots through the bark to tap into the tree’s veins. If allowed to grow, mistletoe can kill branches, stunt a tree’s growth or even kill the tree itself. The areas where roots bore through the bark are also prone to fungal and insect invasions.
Mistletoe needs to be eradicated from your property as soon as you spot it. This plant spreads and grows rapidly, often extending its roots deep into the trunks of trees. Once a tree has been invaded it can spread rapidly.
