Mistletoe: Tree Thief, Holiday Tradition

Once autumn leaves have fallen, mistletoe becomes highly visible on large trees throughout Kentucky. Phoradendron, the scientific name for this parasitic plant, means tree thief. You can commonly find these small leafy plants on twigs and branches of many hardwood species in the southern two-thirds of the United States. Mistletoes extract water, mineral elements and food from their host tree by way of a parasite nutrient-uptake organ; hence the name, tree thief.


Mistletoes’ use in holiday traditions has roots in pagan times. Its parasitic nature and the fact that it appears to be alive while the host tree appears dead, led some to believe mistletoe mysteriously held the life of the tree during winter. Druids harvested mistletoe in a special rite, never letting the plant touch the ground, then hung it in their homes for good luck.


Our modern-day mistletoe holiday tradition likely originates with a mythological Norse goddess of love and beauty. Frigga, whose son was restored from possible death by mistletoe, was thought to bestow a kiss on anyone walking beneath one. Today, when two people meet under the mistletoe, tradition suggests they must exchange a kiss for good luck.


Phoradendron, the most common mistletoe growing in Kentucky, resembles another species that grows in Europe. It has simple, fleshy green leaves arranged oppositely on the stem. Stems are short and more branched than the host tree, so mistletoe often appears as a spherical bunch of dense vegetation. These bunches may be a foot or two in diameter and are located high in the tree for better sunlight exposure. Mistletoe berries range from white to straw-colored to light red. Birds eat the fruits, reportedly toxic to human and animals, then deposit the seeds onto branches where they germinate and penetrate the host tree.


Since birds tend to roost in open-grown trees, mistletoes do not appear as frequently in forest trees. Generally, they do not cause much damage, although they can be harmful to a tree already under stress. If mistletoe appears on landscape trees or other trees in the urban forest, you can control it through pruning.


For more information about tree parasites and diseases, contact the Hardin County Cooperative Extension Service by phone: 270.765.4121, email: Amy.Aldenderfer@uky.edu or on the web: www.hardinhort.org. Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

Autumn in the KY Garden

Autumn in the Kentucky Garden

Autumn is a beautiful time in Kentucky gardens, but it can also be a messy time. The season brings piles of leaves from our trees and spent shoots from our flower beds.


The way we address this yard waste can have a significant impact on our gardens and the environment. Gardeners commonly rake up and bag leaves to be hauled away to yard waste dumps.


This option, while tidy, uses a lot of energy, both yours and the energy to transport the leaves and mixed garden waste.


Mulching leaves and yard waste is another option. Why not use this bountiful resource to enrich your lawn and garden and create less waste and air pollution?


A very simple technique with leaves is to rake them into a line and mow over them with your lawn mower.


The mower will chop the leaves into pieces small enough to fall between the blades of grass in your lawn. The chopped leaves will break down out of sight and provide nutrients to your lawn and improve the quality of your soil.


For larger items like spent flower stalks, composting is a simple, easy and environmentally friendly option. Proper composting produces no odor and provides you with a generous amount of nutrient-rich organic compost for your garden which reduces or eliminates the need to buy fertilizer.


Composting also eliminates the need to transport garden waste, making composting a triple-win situation for your garden, wallet and the environment.


The speed of compost production is influenced by the size of the material placed in the bin, so the more you can chop up the garden debris, the quicker you will have usable compost. Many options for compost bin design and construction are well suited to any location and budget.


Turning leaves into mulch has many benefits. The mulch helps retain moisture in the soil and insulates plants from extreme winter temperatures. The decomposed leaves become an excellent conditioner for warming spring soil helping to attract worms and other beneficial microorganisms.


For more information on mulching and composting, contact the Hardin County Cooperative Extension Service via email: Amy.Aldenderfer@uky.edu, webpage: www.hardinhort.org. or phone: 270.765.4121