Is this true.

I heard that if you hit a tree some how it will make it think its going to die and it will produced fruit and seed. If you do this to a tree will it kill it.

Depends on what you hit it with! If you hit it with an axe, yes you could kill it. If you just go out there and punch it with your fist, it'll hurt you a lot more than it'll hurt the tree! LOL

Thankyou. But does it really make it make more blooms and fruit and seed.

A long time ago i read that a plant actually undergoes a chemical change when you approach it with intent to do harm. No kidding. I couldn't tell you which book, because I have so many about gardening, trees, nature, etc., but it is true.

I have never heard any "folklore" toward's the outcome of hitting a tree other than what Ecrane3 wrote;-) Good early morning chuckle for me.

Rachel

I went out and threatened the tomatoes. I got about the same kind of response as I get from the cat.

Surely no one is taking this seriously.

I think Landscaping92 asked the question in honest interest. Me, however, I'm in a goofy mood this morning so nothing is serious :)

I was in a goofy mood last night too! But to provide a more serious answer--this sounds like an old wives tale. It is true that if a tree is under stress sometimes it will bloom prolifically in a last ditch attempt to set seeds and reproduce itself before it dies, but hitting it is unlikely to cause that level of stress. If you want lots of flowers and fruits, a better course of action is to make sure your tree has what it needs in terms of water, sun, fertilizer, etc and encourage it to bloom that way vs purposely trying to stress it hoping for a lot of flowers--if you take good care of it you can expect good flowers year after year, but if you stress it and get a good bloom one year, the tree's likely to die or decline to the point where you'll never get that type of display again.

I actually DID read an article a few years ago, concerning "waking up" a young tree in the spring by "slapping" it, up and down the trunk with a folded magazine or newspaper.

I actually did it to a few young saplings, and got caught by my neighbor. He was a card, anyway, and had a good laugh over it.

What the hay, figured it couldn't hurt to try. :-) I believe I read it in one of Jerry Bakers freebie pamphlets-but don't quote me on that!

BTW...I didn't notice any difference in the growth of those saplings and the others that I didn't "slap". oy vey!

Sasha

It is an remedy for old hidebound trees. The layer under the rough bark contains the transport system for the tree. It works for older apple trees, don't know about any others. In the old days, folks would prune and then beat an old tree from ground level to shoulder high with a hickory pole 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter. I believe Jerry baker picked up on that and recommended a rubber hose. Some folks would take a sharp kife and split the bark vertically. Also works. Stimulates development of the inner bark, which contains the transport system.

Thankyou.

These messages are for entertainment purposes only, I guess.