Maclura Pomifera (Osage Orange) #32a & 32b

[Orion_metalhead]

Started this one a few years back. Can dig up some older photos later. Here it is tonight after unwiring. The thorns are brutal on these guys. I have two other smaller ones of no importance.

 

[19Mateo83]

Started this one a few years back. Can dig up some older photos later. Here it is tonight after unwiring. The thorns are brutal on these guys. I have two other smaller ones of no importance.

View attachment 401808

Nice! I have plans to start training some seedlings in this spring. How old are the ones in the photos?

 

[Orion_metalhead]

The two here were germinated in 2019, repotted in 2020, and turned (2) years old this spring. This year I wired them and did some apical pruning to get branching started. Next year they will be heavily fertilized, wired, unwired, and pruned again in mid summer.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

I repotted this planting this spring. Before repot and current. Has nice small leaves. Roots grow rather slim so do not thicken particularly quickly. Have a style in mind so we will see how it develops.

 

[19Mateo83]

Looking good!

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Leafing out. Needs a rewire later this season. Hoping it puts on a bunch of branching, which it seems primed for. Planned repot next year. Have a great pot for it.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Wired. Probably most painful wiring job ive done. Love this little planting though. Once the main trunk and root structure is set, I may let it grow out for a few years to thicken up.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Done well this year. Fertilized it and will keep happy for rest of year.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

End of year. Not much thickening happening but that's ok. All in good time. Will be repotting next year into the @vancehanna pot shown two posts up. Also, will get heavy fertilization and maybe some end of year wire on young branches. Osage holds wire VERY well. They don't seem to thicken a great deal so there was no scarring but the hard wood held its shape extremely well. When I repot, The most forward trunk needs a slightly tilt left to create more dynamic and angularity.

Before clean up and unwiring:


After unwiring and cleanup:

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Repotted at a slight angle to accentuate a nice bend near the right tree's nebari. Used some temporary wire to hold tree in position. Not a huge amount of roots on either tree to tie down. Pot by @vancehanna

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Cleaned up for end of summer. pulled one branch forward - it was a bit too close to the other trunk. Fertilized.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

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Looks good to start the season. Will definitely try to give this a bit of a prune after the first flush completes. Applied two baskets of fertilizer. I may try hardwood cuttings this coming winter. Dirr states hardwood cuttings in january rooted readily in 6 weeks and grew 3ft in one season while softwood cuttings labored a bit.

Background track in video from: Deiphago - Satanik Eon

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Got a chance to work on this the other day a little so I gave it a decent prune and touch up before my kids started throwing sand at each other. I fertilized as well. Needs a repot probably next year or year after.

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[MrFancyPlants]

It is thickening up a bit. Slow going, but worth it I think for the trunk and bark that develops. Does it back bud at all?

Maybe set some sacrifice branches ?

 

[Orion_metalhead]

They backbud no problem. Chopped a smaller one and it launched new growth shortly after. Honestly, its a great native NA species. I have some cuttings rooted as well no issue. No pests, nice yellow fall color. Small leaves... gonna ground grow a few as well.

 

[hemmy]

Got a chance to work on this the other day a little so I gave it a decent prune and touch up before my kids started throwing sand at each other. I fertilized as well. Needs a repot probably next year or year after.

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The last couple pics look kinda yellow. Is that just lighting or maybe they are in need of iron, nitrogen, something else? I have a couple with compromised roots/substrate that are slightly yellow compared to my other darker green ones.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

I think just a little lack of fertilization.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

They backbud no problem. Chopped a smaller one and it launched new growth shortly after. Honestly, it’s a great native NA species. I have some cuttings rooted as well no issue. No pests, nice yellow fall color. Small leaves... gonna ground grow a few as well.

It looks like they extend through the SouthEast far enough they might do ok in my climate. The deadwood would probably hold up pretty well? I’ve heard of 100+ year old fence posts on FHC.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

There are some exceptional specimens here in NJ at Alaire State Park. That is where I collected the fruit these seeds came from. It would be amazing to get some tiny "hedge apples" years down the road.

Yeah, expect deadwood would last with proper treatment.

 

[hemmy]

It looks like they extend through the SouthEast far enough they might do ok in my climate. The deadwood would probably hold up pretty well?

I grew them from seed for 5yrs in coastal SoCal, zone 10a before moving. I bet you can grow them.