Maximum Yield USA December 2016 | Page 150

green thumb gardening Crop Focus: Mistletoe by Chris Bond Mistletoe, a holiday decorating staple for centuries, has reproduced itself without soil for millennia before anyone even knew hydroponics was a thing. Viscum album—the genus and species of mistletoe—is a parasite growing off of the nutrients and moisture of typically soft-barked trees. Its naturally sticky (viscin) seeds embed themselves easily onto trees and live for many years off of the host tree’s largesse. 148 Maximum Yield USA  |  December 2016