Hedge apples can grow from seed

By ANNE B. ADAMS

and NANCY NASH-CUMMINGS

DEAR ANNE AND NAN: Is it possible to grow an Osage orange tree from seed? I live in the Pittsburgh area and put some of the fruit in my basement to discourage spiders. I am a little phobic about spiders, and this is a great, nonchemical way to handle this problem.

My problem: My son lives 125 miles north of me. Most people in his area use wood for heat and store wood in their basements, which are a haven for these creatures. He comes home every year and gathers as much of the fruit as he can for himself and several neighbors. Now, with much construction going on in our area, we may lose the trees. - -- BABS CARLY, CHARLEROI, PA.

DEAR BABS: The good news is that Osage orange (also known as hedge- apple) trees can be easily cultivated from seed. The bad news is that the construction around your house may have been completed and the damage done long before your son has trees mature enough to bear fruit. It might be better for him to visit a local nursery in the spring and buy a couple of established saplings.

Anyway, chop the ripe fruit into pieces, and plant each piece in the fall, using the same technique as you would to plant seed potatoes. You can also let the fruit freeze, and, when it thaws, pick the seeds from the sticky pulp and plant in small pots or flats in a growing mixture. Transplant to larger pots as necessary.

DEAR ANNE AND NAN: Do you know where I can order a catalog for handicapped people with one hand? --- J.S., LEESBURG, ALA.

DEAR J.S.: Though we don't know of a catalog devoted specifically to the needs of one-handed people, we have found two catalogs offering a wide variety of aids for the physically challenged. Both catalogs are free. Maxi-Aids (P.O. Box 3209, Farmingdale, N.Y. 11735; (800) 522-6294) carries thousands of items designed for the physically challenged, blind, hard-of-hearing, visually impaired, deaf, deaf-blind and arthritic.

The products carried by Sammons-Preston (P.O. Box 5071, Bolingbrook, Ill. 60440-5071; (800) 323-5547) are more oriented toward rehabilitation, but the catalog contains a section of products helpful in assisting physically challenged people in the activities of daily living.

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Copyright 2001
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