How to prepare and germinate Osage?

[Brad_bb]

I want to plant some Osage.  I have some of the fruits.  What do I need to do to make seedlings (starting late winter)?  Do I need to remove the seeds from the fruit now and dry them?  Refrigerate them?  My thought for starting the seeds is to plant them like I do grape vine cuttings.  I cut grow tubes the depth of a 5 gallon bucket and fit about 10 in a bucket.  The bucket has holes in the bottom.  Then I fill the tubes with potting soil to within 2 or 3 inches from the top.  Then do I just try to plant/germinate the seeds in there or is there another technique to get the highest germination percentage?  Thanks, Brad in IL

[wesdor]

There was a thread on that topic not too long ago -

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=22977.0


Once you get them started, do you plan to prune them to keep them growing straight?  I have a couple of 5 gallon buckets full of hedge apples and water sitting in the machine shed.  I'm hoping to plant them next spring and see if I can help them to grow straight.  We have some nice straight ones on the farm, and a lot of gnarled up messes on the farm as well.  It seems to me that if the osage gets growing in an area of high competition, they grow straighter.

[Brad_bb]

I think, as I've learned since frequenting the forestryforum, that this is true of any trees.  Competition causes trees to grow taller and straighter to find light.

[WDH]

Check out this thread...........

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=22977.0

[Riles]

Actually, competition makes trees grow skinnier and with fewer branches. Tree height is determined by genetics and soil productivity. Not all species self prune very well under competition. The rule of thumb is leafy green stuff grows where the light is. If the light is off to the side in a twisty manner, that's where the leaves that are already there will thrive and spread.