Where can Hedge trees be bought as saplings?

[Doc]

Looked at arborday.org, and several online nurseries, and can't seem to find hedgeapple or osage orange trees anywhere.

Any suggestions as to where to look?

Doc

[wesdor]

Can't help you this season, but if you are interested I'd be happy to work out how to send you some "hedge apples" in the fall.  We have a pretty good crop of hedge trees, but don't have any sapplings.

Some days I think I should cut out all the hedge and then other days I think I should plant some and try to train them to grow straight.  One thing for sure - hedge isn't worth much.  HOWEVER, Osage Orange can be worth a lot of money to the right people.  :D

[populus]

Musser Forests carries Osage-orange seedlings.   If you want to produce timber, you'll have to prune them regularly. Wesdor is right - straight Osage-orange is a prized but rare item.

[Doc]

How slow growing is Osage?

I wanted it for a natural fence line, but timber money sounds good too if i don't have to wait 5 lifetimes to get it.

Doc

[populus]

Osage-orange is a fast growing tree. Height growth of 12-18 inches per year is common.  Time to timber maturity varies with site but I would guess that you could produce harvestable trees in 30-40 years, maybe a little faster.  You can hold me to that - post on this thread when your trees are ready to harvest. I'll only be in my 90's  ;)

[Doc]

In your 90's huh? By then we may have frozen you or found a way to keep you around to 200.

Will make a nice looking fence line anyway, and I will hit you up on those hedge apples.

Doc

[Part_Timer]

there are normally a few osage listings on ebay from nurseries.  It is real easy to get started from seed.  I planted some two seasons ago and it is 14" tall right now.  The hard clay it is growing in probably is slowing it down a bit.  We get real good money for it if we cut it down to 2x2x7 and 1x1x6 pieces for turning pen blanks and call blanks.  normally .75 each sometimes $1.25 depending on color.  Bow blanks also sell good.

[Doc]

That sounds good, but I don't think I am going to see much of it in my neck of the woods. North Alabama is not littered with a wide variety of trees that I am aware of. Occassionally anything that will grow here can be found, but some are just few and far between.

Doc

[Robert R]

If you truly want to make a fence out of your hedge, it will never make lumber.  You plant them in 2 rows on 2 foot centers with the rows 1 foot apart and so the tree in one row is halfway between 2 trees in the other row (does that make since?).  When they are just over head high, you "lay the row"--working in between the rows at half way up the tree you cut a wedge out of each one so the trees will lean into one another.  This also encourages sucker branches and will make your fence tight enough that man nor beast will not cross it.  It takes about 5 to 10 years to make a truly effective fence and it will last indefinitely but requires regular pruning--you want to keep your trees short and branchy. 

You can order them from the Missouri Department of Conservation (but I don't know about non-Missouri residents).

For the record, I have never done this myself.  The above information comes a book entitled "Husbandry" by Nathan Griffith (I think).  I highly recommend it as a good reference on just about all things country.  I'd like to have a natural hedge fence but want to make sure I am planted in my final place before I go to all that trouble.  While you are waiting on your hedge fence, electric would work nice and remove easily at the right time.  Make sure to leave gaps where you want gates.

[Bro. Noble]

I would think that hedge would be easy to start by cuttings.  If you install a freshly cut hedge post it will often start growing.  I would reccomend looking at a hedge row before you plant one.  They are a mess in my opinion, and one little gap and it is ineffective for livestock.