Mistletoe Money

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Cold cash really does grow on trees-but you have to be willing to go out on a limb for it.

by Melinda Allan

Last December, I earned $525 in just 12 days selling mistletoe here in Eugene, Oregon. And since this popular holiday symbol grows wild in many parts of the country and can usually be gathered for free, chances are you can do at least as well marketing mistletoe in your own community. Furthermore, now is the perfect time of year to lay the groundwork for your holiday business.

Of course, first you'll need to make sure there's enough mistletoe in your area. Drive around and look for the distinctive ball-like clusters of green or yellow-green foliage nestled among the bare branches of deciduous trees. Mistletoe (genus Phoradendron) is a semiparasite that prefers to freeload on oaks but also appears on such other hardwoods as sycamores, black gums, maples, walnuts, and elms. Botanists classify mistletoe as a semi parasite because, although it thrusts its roots into the host tree for water, it manufactures and uses its own chlorophyll.

Besides simply locating mistletoe, you'll need to consider its accessibility-the plant, you'll soon discover, has an annoying affinity for heights. Although you may have the extraordinary luck to find it growing in easytoclimb scrub oaks, the greater likelihood is that most clusters will be perched amidst the topmost branches of tall trees. So make a special note of any locations that offer particularly easy picking. And, of course, be sure to get permission to harvest any mistletoe that's on private property. (This is seldom a problem. In fact, because the parasite can, if present in large quantities, actually kill the tree it lives on, some landowners will pay to have the stuff removed!)

HARVESTING

Now comes the hard work. Wear appropriate clothes and shoes for climbing trees, and bring along a few trash bags or card board boxes for collecting your bounty.

The traditional southern method for harvesting mistletoe is to blast it out of the tree with a shotgun. I don't recommend this approach; not only are shotgun shells expensive, but the shot itself can damage both the tree and the plant. Mistletoe is fragile, and you'll sell more if the boughs you gather are intact.

The best tool I've found for collecting mistletoe is a long pole with a hook mounted on one end. Store-bought pruning poles work nicely, but you can make your own: Get several strips of 1"-wide lumber—wood that's light enough to handle, yet sturdy enough not to flop over when hoisted high. Drill a hole an inch or two in from one end of each of the strips, and then join the sections with 1/4" bolts and nuts. Assembled, the pole should be about 12 to 20 feet long-anything longer will be awkward to maneuver. You can make the hook, which of course is used to dislodge the mistletoe, by simply driving a long nail into one end of the pole and then bending the spike over. (The curved blade from a linoleum knife will work, too.) To transport the pole, just loosen the nuts and fold it down, like a carpenter's ruler.

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