Is it Christmas time if there is n’t any mistletoe hanging on a door ? As plant buff , it ’s sometimes easy to forget that these vacation flora like mistletoe , Christmas cactus , and others are actual plant that grow in the natural state . And in the case of mistletoe , it ’s a unique plant with a rich history and a modern twist that ’s bound to make a few people blush each season .
So if you ’re here to get word more about this works and mayhap find out if you could produce it in your home , then you ’ve come to the right billet !
What is mistletoe?
First , countenance ’s talk about what variety of plant Loranthus europaeus is ; this holiday pet is actually a hemiparasitic industrial plant . This entail that it subsist off of other flora , often apple , unslaked lime , hawthorn , or poplar trees . However , it only scram its piss and nutrients from the boniface industrial plant since it can make its own food with its immature photosynthesizing leaves ; that ’s why it ’s hemiparasitic . The ejaculate are pollinated in a few style , but often what materialize is a bird will deplete the plant life , get a seed stuck on its honker , and will then fray it off on a arm where the seeded player will germinate and get down to spring up on the tree . Because of their parasitic nature , mistletoe can be a harmful plant , particularly to apple orchards . The industrial plant can get so big and take too much from the horde and kill the tree diagram . As you may imagine , this is devastating to an orchard .
The chronicle of mistletoe is long - bear and spreads across many countries , Nation , faith , and cultures . In Grecian mythology , it was used to get at the underworld , but it was a sign of the zodiac of passion , serenity , and understanding to the Romanic mass . The Gaelic people used to view it as a sacred plant , and pre - Christian Europeans considered mistletoe a symbol of romance , vitality , and fertility . But no matter what you believe , there ’s no abnegate this plant is gorgeous .
Care tips for mistletoe
To grow Old World mistletoe at home , you ’ll take a innkeeper plant life , and while this is n’t hard to do , it can be tricky to hone the host / leech balance require to keep both works live and goodish . So permit ’s go over what it needs to flourish so you’re able to test to mature this lovely plant yourself .
Water
The parasitic nature of mistletoe means it will take whatever water it ask from the legion plant that it ’s growing on . So to provide it with enough water , you ’ll have to be sure the innkeeper tree has enough weewee . This could leaven to be a tricky residuum . You ’ll want to give the tree more piddle than you typically would , so there ’s enough for both the tree diagram and the Loranthus europaeus , but you do n’t want to overwater it and risk root rot . So pay up tightlipped attending to your host plant to ensure you do n’t mess up the watering .
Light
For a goodish and glad mistletoe plant , you ’ll want to provide it with ample smart and direct sunlight . They ’re used to being high in trees and getting a draw of sunlight throughout the whole daytime . Be sure wherever you embed the host tree is cheery , and if growing indoors , find a bright , south - facing window to see it get enough sunshine .
Food
Since Old World mistletoe gets its nutrient from the host plant , you ’ll demand to verify the host gets muckle of plant food . To ensure both plants are well-chosen , reckon into what the tree needs to prosper and apply it a little more often than you usually would . take in out for signs of overfeeding , and keep checking on both plants to see if they ’re showing signs of needing more food . The legion plant will likely show star sign of suffering first since mistletoe will imbibe what they need from the tree .
Temperature
Mistletoe is very fearless and will survive in extreme weather condition even up to negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit ; you ’ll likely need to concern more about the innkeeper plant .
Toxicity
It ’s essential to observe that mistletoe is vicious to both humans and animate being . While it ’s improbable to induce death , it ’s not worth the risk . So even if you ’re not grow it in your home but plan to expend it in decoration , you ’ll want to be certain that no rummy child or pet will be capable to reach it . Some of the symptoms of ingested false mistletoe are blurred visual modality , febrility , hallucination , diarrhea , sickness , vomiting , slowing heart rate , and has even been known to cause miscarriage in pregnant women .
So mistletoe is n’t the easiest plant to grow , but it ’s a pretty plant with touchy berries , and if you could grow it yourself , you have free Christmas decorations ! Just be sure you ’re worry for the server plant as much as or even more than the mistletoe plant , and keep it out of the reaching of Kid and pets .
