Hedge Apples & Products?

[GardenGeisha]

I was reading that the oil of the Hedge Apple fruit really helps repel insects. I wonder whether it would work on earwigs, and does anyone know of any good cleaning products containing it that I could buy locally, without having to send off an order?

l

 

[CountryGirl]

Hi Garden,

I don't know of any manufactured products that contains hedge apple. I know of individuals that will put hedge apple fruit in dishes on window sills or in cupboards. I have many hedge apple trees on my property but I don't use them for anything except the wood for burning in the winter. It's great firewood. Burns slow and hot. As a footnote, the american indians used the wood for bows.

 

[GardenGeisha]

Thanks for the info. Have you ever seen hedge apples for sale at Farmer's Markets in your area? I wonder whether Osage Orange grows here in dry Utah? I doubt it.

 

[CountryGirl]

Hi Garden,

I've heard the hedge apple or Osage Orange was originally from Texas. It's hot and dry there so maybe they do grow in Utah. Check with you county ag dept.

Nope. I googled it and according to eHow it doesn't grow in Utah. Sorry

 

[hoodat]

Its native area was Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas but it has been naturalized in many other states. Wickipedia has a good article on it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera
Apparently it has very good insect repellant properties, actually superior to DEET for repelling mosquitos and other pest insects.

 

[GardenGeisha]

Good find there, Hoodat! That was exactly what I was looking for. Yippee. I found out they do grow here in Utah and are water-wise to boot. I really want to plant one.

Do you know what those puff balls are called that were in the fields that one stepped on and they sent up a puffy looking cloud? For a long time I had them mixed up with osage orange. Were they a fungus or something? We had them in Northeastern Missouri fields and forests. Not really common, but once in a while you'd step on one, and pooofff! I don't remember which time of year they sent up their puffs?

 

[Carol Dee]

Good find there, Hoodat! That was exactly what I was looking for. Yippee. I found out they do grow here in Utah and are water-wise to boot. I really want to plant one.

Do you know what those puff balls are called that were in the fields that one stepped on and they sent up a puffy looking cloud? For a long time I had them mixed up with osage orange. Were they a fungus or something? We had them in Northeastern Missouri fields and forests. Not really common, but once in a while you'd step on one, and pooofff! I don't remember which time of year they sent up their puffs?

gardengeisha YES those Puff Balls are called Puff Balls and are a fungus, the smoke you see is a cloud of spores they release when stepped on.

 

[GardenGeisha]

Thanks, Carol. Do you know what fungus they are? I'd like to look them up on Wikipedia?

 

[GardenGeisha]

Here we go. Good ole puff balls:

http://www.naturealmanac.com/natural_events/p/puffballs.html

 

[Carol Dee]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffball

here is the wikipedia article