Washington hawthorne confirmation.

[Skelly]

I just wanted to confirm what I’m thinking. I have not found anymore of these on my property so far.

I thought it may have been a red mulberry in the beginning but then I noticed the thorns.

I’m reading that they are a pretty good deer browse?? Confirmation on that as well

 

[Native Hunter]

Yes, that's what it is. I can't confirm how much it is browsed, because I don't have it growing here.

 

[Skelly]

Yes, that's what it is. I can't confirm how much it is browsed, because I don't have it growing here.

Thank you sir.

 

[DrDirtNap]

Not sure how Deer browse Hawthorne with all the thorns but they sure do. Definitely a preferred browse species on my farm.


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[Skelly]

Not sure how Deer browse Hawthorne with all the thorns but they sure do. Definitely a preferred browse species on my farm.


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Thanks. Verdict is in.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Deer browse our Washington hawthorns at camp. But they only seem to browse the newer growth - the parts without thorns. I don't see evidence of them sticking their faces into the thorny spots to chew. I caged ours until they got to 7 to 8 ft. tall and the majority of the canopy was out of harm's way. They still nip the lowest limbs - at the tips for the new, tender growth, but it has no effect on the trees.

The red berries they produce are favorites of grouse & turkeys, as well as other birds in the fall & winter.

 

[Skelly]

Deer browse our Washington hawthorns at camp. But they only seem to browse the newer growth - the parts without thorns. I don't see evidence of them sticking their faces into the thorny spots to chew. I caged ours until they got to 7 to 8 ft. tall and the majority of the canopy was out of harm's way. They still nip the lowest limbs - at the tips for the new, tender growth, but it has no effect on the trees.

The red berries they produce are favorites of grouse & turkeys, as well as other birds in the fall & winter.

I’d love to have more turkey. I only occasionally see tracks. I have a back plot (1/3 acre) that I am planning on converting into more of a cover area. Small creek nearby drops sand on the sides during flooding and it’s where I occasionally see tracks. I can a few of them into the mix alone with chick plum and some conifer.

 

[chickenlittle]

I have some cute Bonsai washington hawthorn. Planted 5 years ago in short tubes. At some point i'll get around to putting a big tube on them and let them get above deer height.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Hawthorns need lots of sun to do well. 2 pines are starting to shade out a couple of our hawthorns and they don't make many berries anymore. The pines will be cut down - we have tons of those !! Haws are really tough trees though - nothing much bothers them & they're very adaptable.

 

[Skelly]

I just happened to find this one near my orchard. Should get 6+ hours.

 

[Tap]

I have a ton of hawthorn. Wildlife eat the berries and deer browse the buds. Birds like to nest in it...I guess the thorns provide a lot of protection from anything wanting to get into the nest.
It's often crowding and competing with wild crabs so I sometimes hinge it. It hinges well and the top usually stays alive and gets moderate browsing, but it also heavily sprouts just below the cut. Those sprouts get more browing pressure.
Mine will grow and produce a few berries in shade but they do much better in the sun.
The thorns are wicked and really a bit dangerous. They will penetrate a tractor tire, for sure. And I once stepped on a thorn that went through my heavy sole boots. It went deep into my foot and also broke off flush with my boot tread. I was afraid to walk because I didn't want the thorn to break inside my foot so I needed to sit down to try to remove my boot...but I was standing in a jungle of poison ivy. So I hopped on the good foot 20 yards to get out into the field where I could sit down to remove the boot. The only problem was the thorn was imbedded near my toes at the ball of my foot so I couldn't just slide my foot out. I was seriously wondering if the boot would need to be cut off (the thorn couldn't be grabbed from the outside, even with pliers.) I had to remove the laces and barely made my boots loose enough to pull my foot out. I still couldn't pull the thorn out of the boot even though I had almost an inch of it to grab inside my boot. I had to break it off and dig the remainder out later.
The thoughts of being poked in the eye by hawthorn scares me. Always wear safety glasses when working with the stuff.

 

[Skelly]

Dang that some serious thorns.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Tap's line above about hinging hawthorns & the sprouting of new growth brought to mind an accidental " yanking " of one of ours. A member was mowing with the big JD and he got too close with the PTO mower deck. The hawthorn was almost pulled entirely out of the ground, and it laid flat on the ground. The original top stayed green, and new shoots popped up all along the trunk. That was about 8 years ago & it is thriving yet today !! It looks like a hedge of sorts. The trunk is still horizontal, and all parts are growing. Tough trees.