Autumn Olives- Misunderstood Healer

[@ChristophBalzar]

"They are here as healers." Beautiful, thank you!

[@Ripleyripper]

Another benefit of Autumn Olive is that their flowers in the Spring smell just like cookies.

[@peterellis4262]

On our site, a woodland that has been largely undisturbed for about 100 years, autumn olive is absent from the woods and is Only found along the side of the road, responding to disturbance and where there is sunlight at the edge of the woodland.

[@sixfive8840]

The other day, I was at a county park with my 4-year-old son, enjoying some silver berries. I noticed people giving us strange looks, almost as if we were doing something wrong.

[@maloneyjmatthew]

Thank you for the work you do! I’m not on board with the mainstream ‘invasive specie’ hysteria. I agree with you and think that non natives should be assessed on a case by case basis. You are sharing some beneficial and relevant wisdom and it appears on the videos that you are a badass parent as well. I live in the foothills of the eastern Catskills and would love to connect in person sometime. Keep up the good work friend 🙌🏼🌎

[@manabiker]

I work on mountain bike trails, these things grow so fast they overshadow any tree/plant trying to grow, they attack trails, covering them up, looking for open spaces, very hard to get rid of, trim, prune, or control, they stink, have thorns, pollen in spring that gags you, its hard to get to the center of the plant to cut it down, it has defences, then after cutting it has to be treated with chemicals, as soon as its cut down, or it won't kill the roots, the roots are hard to dig up, or it will come back in a short time, when cut, or if you don't get all the roots, these plants are on trails, not disturbed land, they grow fast, everywhere, along lake shores, rivers, streams, trails, paths, they flatten tires, hang in our faces, make us cough/gag, stick us, cut us, as we ride by or work on the trails, not a fun plant to have around recreation areas. If you disturb the plant when in bloom the flower shoots out stuff that gags you, the taste of the pollen is as nasty as the plant is ugly.

[@fredericklockard3854]

You ain’t lying. It’s taken us 2 years to wipe them out on our property. Multiple sprays, cuts, re-sprays, etc. But now the native plants are coming back.

[@clairez007]

Absolute Nonsense, it's a delicious and beneficial fruit ,yum.

[@karennale7292]

Love hate relationship. They are not native to the US. They have thorns, and will outgrow everything if allowed. Learning to use it's leaves and fruit, but there are so many on our property that their defense is the thorns. Deer won't/can't go near it. Livestock will eat some if the young shoots, but are hindered by the thorns.

[@johnstonj92]

Speaking the truth. These plants are amazing.

[@sishrac]

Much needed info, thank you! I had planted an autumn olive tree in my garden for its nitrogen-fixing property. I chop and drop a lot of its branches around my garden plot leaving some on the tree for its fruits. I've made jams and syrups in the past but his year am collecting the fruits every other day to make fruit roll-ups. It's delicious yet nutritious indeed.

[@carbrock.2854]

Great points. I haven't found a good one around here, but I did splurge on a select Goumi berry a couple years ago, which is doing well in what is otherwise pretty horrible post-lawn soil, and we really enjoy the berries.

[@ericwanderweg8525]

I just started foraging these this year. On a good bush, they’re out of this world. I made several jars of jelly with them.

[@Beamay-f4p]

Just bought one today at lowes wasn't sure what it was so glad I picked it up and planted it also has 2 in one container I shared one bush w my neighbor .... looking forward to seeing it grow ...

[@fredericklockard3854]

You bought a highly invasive plant at Lowe’s? I’m shocked they’re selling this crap. Please, please, please, get rid of it quickly. These things are a plague. They wipe out native species very quickly.

[@Rancorous_Redwood]

Autumn olive jelly is one of the best jellies I've ever had.

[@hilaryduffield2552]

Another good thing: autumn olive flowers very early in spring and so provides valuable nectar for pollinators.

[@inharmonywithearth9982]

One of the best early nectar plants in the world.

[@Ok-vj3dw]

one thing. from my observation they do not need full sun; there are plenty around me that set decent crops with little to no direct sun. theyre not in deep shade but they just get very filtered light through the mature canopy and ambient light from the opening made by the wide paved paths that they grow along.

[@oksanasum321]

Maybe avoid the ones growing along highway ...

[@yLeprechaun]

I was super excited to find them on the edge of the forest where it meets the field on our new property. Ours are not as laden with berries as those you are picking. And ours are hit n miss about great flavor. But none seem to taste bad. Ours are a bit smaller though. But none the less I love seeing the young ones growing. And I'm transplanting a bunch in the chicken yard. We have a lot more wild honeysuckle too. And I plan to promote them on the hedgeline along the road. I love this plant. It is not as beautiful as russian olive, but a russian olive is completely useless as a food fir humans. Although I miss them for their beauty and massive nitrogen fixation. Anyway, I talk a lot, sorry. Great video. Autumn olive is a fantastic plant!!! Edit: just a note. I am so thankful for you and Sean. I have learned so much from you two. Edit 2: is there a secret to growing them from seed? Should the seed be dried or kept moist? ( I really need to enroll in abundant propagation next year)

[@PeytonWind]

I like how your son sometimes snacks on the berries instead of placing them into the container. I'm the same way with cherry tomatoes. I wanted to buy autumn olive seeds from a seed company in NY where I get other landscape seeds but it's illegal for them to sell them so I'm still looking.

[@PeytonWind]

Well, I found some seeds so hopefully I can get something nice to grow. ^ ^

[@brianpalmer967]

I'll be planting my first three bushes here in California this week. Started them from cuttings last year. Interestingly, they're not considered invasive here. I think it's the soul-crushingly dry summers. What qualities does the wood have?

[@Rancorous_Redwood]

They snap pretty easily when green, and tend to be very bushy. I don't think it would be a good wood for any building or crafting.

[@cobococreek1224]

There are 2 large ones at my place, several accres apart. I've been keeping an eye on the "evil spread" for 4 years now and haven't noticed much of anything to worry about across the property in my opinion. Bush and vining honeysuckle along with garlic mustard and winter creeper are what I work on removing until I learn more.

[@pokeweed10k15]

Man I do like their nitrogen fixing capabilities but natives need more love we gotta bring them back. It's not philosophical it's biology. Native plants are great and they're getting wrecked

[@Gongall]

One philosophical argument may be the idea that invasive species being introduced and out competing natives can be considered a natural phenomenon. For the same reason you can find certain plants and animals spanning multiple continents or sometimes most of them.

[@libbywells5499]

@@Gongall But then if you understand biology AND Capitalism, you realize it's not natural at all bc those plants were brought here to sell for agricultural and ornamental uses. They didn't just "appear" naturally, they escaped cultivation bc they have no predators or other plants from their native range to compete with them, which makes the Autumn Olive in particular highly invasive. They exude chemicals so that other plants can't grow around or under them (called allelopathy). The nitrogen they fix really only benefits them, bc most native plants require poor soil. Oh and the nitrogen that it makes, when they line river ways or any bodies of water, leaches into the water killing the biota and produced a nitrogen run-off similar to that of conventional farms applying nitrogen and it polluting local streams and rivers. So no, not a "natural phenomenon" it's 100% a human-made mess, made worse by people who think it's all good bc they like the berries it gives them.

[@inharmonywithearth9982]

​@@GongallYou are sure right about that. I read about that in The New Wild by Fred Pearce. I learned alot about the truth about diversity being much more important than isolating natives of the world.

[@Gongall]

@@inharmonywithearth9982 The problem at its heart is that often these invasives reduce diversity, at least in the relative (to humans) short term.

[@nicoledoucet6125]

Thank you for all you do and all you are Akiva, a ray of light in dark times. Question...Do they spray along the road sides there for weed control and do you have to worry since the fruit is high in trees? It breaks my heart when I'm foraging in the bush then hear that the trains spray along the tracks to keep weeds down, same along power lines, roadways, mining/tailings, and forestry practices spraying over forests here in BC Canada (I guess this happens everywhere around the world) 😭. I just came back from mushroom picking (left the berries for wildlife, devastating wildfires here) and don't pick around the above obvious places but worry about the poison spreading wind born or the fungi accumulating the toxins (some mushrooms used for soil remediation), any thoughts? Forever plastics in almost everything too. Our fish, animals, plant populations declining with the floods/droughts/fires/mis practices. Sorry again, just came back from the bush and seeing so much devastation around is disheartening. I guess all we can do is keep growing our own food in the healthiest way possible and continue our permaculture practices and support each other in our learning and kindness. Sorry, I'm usually much more positive but it's hard to be upbeat and optimistic sometimes....but there's always things we can do and keep on keeping on what we're doing and share knowledge and support 💚 Thank you deeply for your wisdom.You teach in such a great way and a good example for our world. I'm really enjoying your propagation course right now!

[@nicoledoucet6125]

Gratitude everyday helps me, lots to be grateful for 💚

[@wilderfarmstead]

I want my next 30 years to be as regenerative as an autumn olive is.

[@blackwolf073]

Thankyou for the great information in this plant ans your perspective. Very helpful.

[@cacmang42]

Love it thank you!!

[@lorabaldwin6892]

Good job. Thanks man!!

[@AndrewCastellanoReal]

Thanks

[@Brainsteve]

De är för nära motorvägen....😢

[@Jessilyn211]

Thank you 🙏

[@Crina-LudmilaCristeaAuthor]

Beautiful

[@josephf7720]

Highly invasive!

[@inharmonywithearth9982]

In your opinion

[@kriswhite1344]

Beware don't plant it!!

[@inharmonywithearth9982]

Planted all of mine 25 years ago. They haven't spread at all. They feed all the wildlife and with droughts and ever shrinking habitats that's a life saver these days.