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The Osage orange (Maclura pomifera), also called horse apple, hedge apple, bodark and bois d’arc, is a 35- to 70-foot tree that was often heavily pruned and planted in tight hedgerows to contain livestock. The tree has very dense, rot-resistant wood that excretes a milky sap. The branches are armed with thorns at leaf bases. Osage orange fruit is green, bumpy and inedible. The juices are a natural pesticide, and squirrels like to eat the seeds. Plant Osage orange hedgerows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9.

1 Sow seeds in the fall, spaced 1 inch apart and 3/8 inches deep in partly compacted soil. Add sand and mineral matter to the top few inches of soil before planting if it is low in mineral content. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of organic mulch. The cool winter weather will help the seeds germinate. You will transplant the seedlings to their permanent location after they sprout.

2 Water the seeds enough to keep the soil moist. The mulch will help preserve the moisture, but the soil should not be allowed to dry out. Do not flood the seeds, however. Muddy soil is too wet.

3 Keep the seed bed weed-free as the plants are forming. Weeds will steal nutrients from the growing plants. Allow the Osage orange to grow through the summer.

4 Dig up the seedlings in the fall after a summer's growth. Stack the plants together to transport to the hedgerow.

5 Add 4 to 6 inches of compost to the soil where the hedge will grow. Till the compost into the soil at the deepest setting. Osage orange will grow in clay, loam, sand, alkaline or acidic soils, as long as they are well-draining. Plant the hedge in full sun.

6 Dig a small hole with a trowel for each plant large enough to spread the roots. Space the plants 6 inches apart along the row. Backfill each hole with soil.

7 Cut back each Osage orange plant with pruning shears so it is level with the soil surface. In the beginning of spring, cut the plants back again to 2 inches above ground level. At the end of spring cut back the plants to 5 inches above ground level.

8 Repeat the two spring prunings for four years after planting or until the hedge is the height you want. Each time, add 3 to 5 inches to the height of the plant when you cut it back. The repeated pruning will force the trees to bush out and form a dense thicket. After the hedge gets to be the correct height, trim the Osage orange each spring to maintain the height.

9 Water to keep the soil moist. Once established, the trees are more tolerant of dry soil. Osage orange grows about 3 feet per year. Fertilizer is not necessary.

Things Needed Sand

Minerals

Organic mulch

Trowel

Compost

Tiller

Pruning shears

Hedge trimmer

Warnings The sap from the trees can irritate skin.

Wear heavy gloves and clothing when pruning the trees, as they have thorns.

Tips To plant a row of trees instead of pruning them into a hedge, space trees up to 5 feet apart and thin them as needed.