Osage farm

[Pat B]

    Wade gave me two osage saplings at the 2008 camp-o-rama. I planted both but only one survived.    That one has done well this first year after it's transplanting and I expect it to do well from now on...right next to the creek in well drained soil. It better hurry up if I'm gonna make a bow in my lifetime. I don't believe I can make 20 years but probably 10!

[El Destructo]

Eddie.....they grow here in the 120 degree heat....but they grow very slow also...can't barely distinguish the Rings in Panhandle Osage! Hey you want to talk about slow growing....that Boo that you sent Me....grew two new Shoots this Year....it's a whole of 29 inches tall....and I now have 7 shoots....I don't believe I will be making Arrows from it in My Lifetime......

[broad_head]

Hi Bob
          Long time no see!!!!!
                                           I have one of Marks original sapling growing in my garden it is about 6 feet to the tip of the tallest branch, trunk/stem is about 1 inch. Looks to be growing quite, well so have high hopes that Osage will do well here.
                                  Hows the bow making going? Hope to see you at a shoot some day.
                                                                                                                                    Peter (UK)

[PaulN/KS]

Hedge trees are overunning my neighbor's pastures.
Most are pretty shrubby tho... I find the best ones for bows grow in the woods where they need to be straight to get the sun light.

[Eric Krewson]

I planted a lot of osage years ago. I would first sprout the seeds in a planter box, transfer the seedlings to a gallon pot and let the seedlings grow for a year. The crooked and twisted seedlings would be pretty obvious after a year of growth. I would keep the straight saplings and discard the rest. I sold and gave away a lot of saplings while I was interested in producing seedlings, but I burned out on the process after a few years.

[bobnewboy]

Hi Bob
          Long time no see!!!!!
                                           I have one of Marks original sapling growing in my garden it is about 6 feet to the tip of the tallest branch, trunk/stem is about 1 inch. Looks to be growing quite, well so have high hopes that Osage will do well here.
                                  Hows the bow making going? Hope to see you at a shoot some day.
                                                                                                                                    Peter (UK)

Hi Peter,

Yes, its been a while, hope you are well. Sounds like your osage is doing better than mine then, but I kept mine in a container for the first couple of years to avoid the frosts of winter.  It has been planted out for 3 years or so now, and is flourishing.  I think I'll give it a few years yet then    I havent made a lot of bows, but my latest is a BBO recurve, my first non-straight limbed bow.  You can see it over on the "Build Alongs and How-Tos" section, see:

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,14045.0.html

[Justin Snyder]

Eddie, it grows here with super hot temps and no rain so it should grow there. Try it in different soil. Or maybe it is too young for Florida. Its too bad it wont grow old up north then migrate down to see you like the people do.