Six Great Things To Use Sweetgum Balls For:
- Lay the seed pods around young plants to deter snails and slugs who would rather not tangle with them.
- Put them around plants that you also want to protect from rabbits (press the spikes in the ground a bit so they don’t blow away)
What can you do with sweet gum tree seeds?
Sweet gum balls, the seed pods that fall in autumn, can be used as mulch. Because they are sharp and spiny, they are considered as snail and slug deterrents. Sweet gum trees are purported to have various medicinal uses.
What to do with sweetgum balls?
Our trip to the woods gave us many treasures, including a collection of five dozen balls from the native Sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styriciflua). Actually the fruit of the tree, these balls have been used decoratively for centuries. We found several holiday applications, like this modern spiky one from Kaboose.
How do you get rid of sweet gum balls on lawns?
Lawn Vacuums. Most lawn mower vacuum systems clog up with the sweetgum balls, and a standard mower shoots them out the sides of the mower deck, making them into fast-moving projectiles. Instead, use a pull-behind or self-propelled lawn vacuum or nut pickup system for cleaning up the spiky fruit.
Can You compost sweet gum balls?
The woody fruit, from all accounts, will require a hot compost pile with an internal temperature of over 100 degree F. (37 C.) You will need to maintain the pile, turning the compost and watering it religiously. Keep the compost pile hot and bring your patience. Sweetgum balls will take some time to break down.
What are gum tree balls good for?
Air and water easily pass through their hollow structure, and their spikey surface can even help deter slugs and other animals. With a slow decomposition rate, sweet gum balls provide long-lasting ground cover, blocking out sun and preventing weed germination.
Are sweet gum tree balls poisonous?
Sweet gum trees bloom with inconspicuous, yellowish-green flowers in the spring that turn to seedpods -- which are often called gumballs -- in the fall. The tree is not toxic to dogs and cats, but the seedpods do present a different type of health threat if your pet were to step on one.
What animal eats sweet gum balls?
Male red-winged blackbirds have distinctive red markings on their wings, called coverts, while the females are brown and very sparrow like. That day, I learned that blackbirds are more than willing to eat the fruit of the sweet gum tree, those annoying spiky balls you step on when you're barefoot in your backyard!
Does anything eat sweet gum balls?
Sweet gum balls start out plump and green, but they dry as they mature. The spines become even spinier, and holes open up to reveal seeds inside the balls. These seeds are food for about 25 species of birds, chipmunks and squirrels, says Texas Parks and Wildlife. The balls themselves are left to lie on the ground.
Do sweet gum balls decompose?
Wait for a good rain and roll this over your lawn, imbedding the balls in the soft earth, where they will decompose. Pulling a 270-pound roller over soft ground isn't child's play. Mulch them: Because sweet gum balls shoot out from lawnmowers, they should be confined to be mulched.
Are sweetgum trees good for anything?
Many of the medicinal properties of sweetgum are derived from the resinous sap that exudes when the outer bark of the tree has been damaged. The sap, known as storax, has been used for centuries to treat common ailments such as skin problems, coughs, and ulcers.
How do you get rid of sweet gum balls in your yard?
Raking or Blowing. Raking with a close-tined rake and bagging is an effective way of removing the balls, as well as for getting exercise. An additional method for removal is by blowing them into a pile with a power blower, ready for bagging. Tall grass interferes with the efficiency of both these methods.
Can you burn sweet gum balls?
Sweet gum balls do not catch fire very well by themselves and tend to smolder. However, this makes them a great fuel for hobo stoves as they burn hot enough to cook with, but with minimal flame. Tossed into an already hot fire, they'll burn just fine.
Is sweetgum good for firewood?
While sweetgum is not very popular, it burns well in the stove. It produces a decent amount of heat among the firewood species. It produces nearly 21.3 million BTUs per cord.
Will a lawn sweeper pick up sweet gum balls?
A: Yes. Ohio Steel Sweepers will pick up sweet gum balls. More than one pass may be needed due to the prickly nature of the material. Also it may be difficult to collect ones that are buried deep in long grass.
How do you dry sweet gum pods?
0:444:56Stabilizing Sweet Gum Pods In A Mason Jar - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd then after that I'll take them out I'll put them into a toaster oven at a certain degree whichMoreAnd then after that I'll take them out I'll put them into a toaster oven at a certain degree which is 200 degrees Fahrenheit. And then that is when the resin will cure it it's it's cured by heat.
Can you burn sweet gum balls?
Sweet gum balls do not catch fire very well by themselves and tend to smolder. However, this makes them a great fuel for hobo stoves as they burn hot enough to cook with, but with minimal flame. Tossed into an already hot fire, they'll burn just fine.
How do you get rid of sweet gum balls in your yard?
Raking or Blowing. Raking with a close-tined rake and bagging is an effective way of removing the balls, as well as for getting exercise. An additional method for removal is by blowing them into a pile with a power blower, ready for bagging. Tall grass interferes with the efficiency of both these methods.
How do you make Tamiflu from sweet gum balls?
2:074:19Sweet Gum Ball Processing...home made Tamiflu - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipI've got my jar here and I'm filling up the little sweet gum balls inside the jar.MoreI've got my jar here and I'm filling up the little sweet gum balls inside the jar.
Can dogs eat gumballs?
Xylitol is so toxic to dogs that just 1 stick of gum may contain enough of the ingredient to poison a small dog. Generally speaking, the dose of xylitol required to cause poisoning in dogs is about 0.05 grams per pound of body weight. Chewing gum typically contains about 0.22-1.0 gram of xylitol per piece!
Why are sweet gum trees important?
They are used to reclaim former zinc and phosphorous mines. Sweet gum trees also fix nitrogen in the soil and improve its fertility. av-override. ‒‒:‒‒. /. ‒‒:‒‒. Replay. Skip.
What is the bark of a gum tree used for?
Gum resin from the trees has anti-inflammatory and expectorant properties and has been used to treat bedsores, topical herpes and angina. Boiled and cooled sap from sweet gum trees makes a balm that is rich in cinnamic acid, benzyl, ethyl and cinnamyl cinnamate.
What are the colors of sweet gum trees?
Their foliage takes on a range of fall colors, including orange, to yellow, red and purple, livening up the landscape. Sweet gum trees also serve as privacy barriers and provide seclusion in ...
What is sweet gum wood?
Timber from the sweet gum tree is a finely textured, moderately heavy white colored sapwood with a light pink tint. Its heartwood is variable and ranges from dark brown to a lighter, reddish brown. Sweet gum wood is valued for its attractive, interlocked grain. It easily takes on staining, painting and is moderately easy to shape and bore. Sweet gum wood is commercially used for electronic cabinetry, furniture, doors, millwork and paneling. It is also used to make baskets, railroad ties, crates and pallets. Sweet gum wood is also used to make plywood, veneer and upholstered furniture frames.
How tall is a sweet gum tree?
This stately tree, reaching heights up to 150 feet, makes an imposing sight in the outdoors.
What is a sweetgum tree?
The sweetgum tree ( Liquidambar styraciflua) produces an extremely spiked capsule containing one or two seeds in the summer. The resulting dropped fruits become woody and are the bane of any wanderer, as they will pierce tender flesh.
How big are sweetgum balls?
What are Sweetgum Balls? As previously mentioned, sweetgum balls are the fruit of a medium to large size tree (65-155 feet or 20-47 m. tall) with a trunk up to 6 feet (1.8 m.) across that can live for an extremely long time — up to 400 years.
What temperature do you need to compost sweetgum?
The woody fruit, from all accounts, will require a hot compost pile with an internal temperature of over 100 degree F. (37 C.) You will need to maintain the pile, turning the compost and watering it religiously. Keep the compost pile hot and bring your patience. Sweetgum balls will take some time to break down.
What is the fruit used for in Tamiflu?
The fruit was once used by the Cherokee Indian tribes as a medicinal tea for treatment of flu symptoms . Today, the active ingredient of the infertile sweetgum seeds, which contain high amounts of shikimic acid, is used in the preparation of Tamiflu, but other than that is more of a bane in the landscape.
Can you put sweetgum in compost?
As to putting sweetgum in compost, there doesn’t seem to be any general consensus. If you are a purist and believe that you should attempt to compost everything, then the best bet is to run a “hot” compost pile. If you run a cool pile, sweetgum in compost will likely not break down and very possibly you will end up with volunteers sprouting from the pile.
Can sweetgum balls be composted?
Keep the compost pile hot and bring your patience. Sweetgum balls will take some time to break down. Composting gumballs may not result in the most attractive mulch, but the resulting compost is useful as a barrier against rabbits , slugs and other pests.
When to spray sweet gum?
Timing is everything when you spray a sweet gum to prevent its fruits from forming. When the flowers appear in spring -- typically in April and May -- spray all the blooms with an ethylene growth regulator, such as ethephon. Typically, 1 quart of the chemical needs to be mixed with 10 gallons of water to make a spray.
How much water to mix to make sweet gum spray?
Typically, 1 quart of the chemical needs to be mixed with 10 gallons of water to make a spray. If you want a smaller quantity of the spray, mix 3 fluid ounces of the chemical with 1 gallon of water. Spray the sweet gum flowers until they're wet but not to the point the spray runs off the flowers.
Why does sweet gum abort?
If a sweet gum is flowering when the chemical induces ethylene production, it responds by aborting the flowers.
How to stop fruit production from gum?
If your sweet gum is too tall to spray, or if you don't want to attempt spraying a small tree, you can stop fruit production by having a certified arborist administer a trunk injection. A tree that is a candidate for the injection must have a trunk at least 2 inches in diameter, and the tree cannot have received a spray or soil treatment within two ...
How tall does a sweet gum tree grow?
Because a sweet gum tree may grow 80 feet tall and hose-end sprayers typically have a maximum good-pressure range of up to 30 feet, spraying a mature sweet gum adequately is difficult for a homeowner. Advertisement.
Can sweet gum trees produce spiky fruit?
As a monoecious plant, a sweet gum bears male and female flowers. This means that only one tree is needed for the flowers to be pollinated, and a single tree can produce the spiky fruits even when another sweet gum tree is not in sight. A notable exception is "Rotundiloba" ...
Is sweet gum hardy?
Chemical treatments, however, can stop a tree's fruit production , which keeps the lawn free of that litter. Sweet gum is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. Advertisement.
What is a sweetgum tree?
The sweetgum (Liquidambar styracifua) is a tall, elegantly shaped tree that grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. The tree is graced with glossy dark green leaves during the growing season, which turn to shades of yellow, red and purple in the fall.
How to get balls out of grass?
Raking with a close-tined rake and bagging is an effective way of removing the balls, as well as for getting exercise. An additional method for removal is by blowing them into a pile with a power blower, ready for bagging. Tall grass interferes with the efficiency of both these methods.
What is the best way to clean spiky fruit off a lawn mower?
Instead, use a pull-behind or self-propelled lawn vacuum or nut pickup system for cleaning up the spiky fruit.
What is the chemical used to neuter a tree?
The first chemical contains the active ingredient ethephon, a form of ethylene gas that is sprayed over the entire tree at the rate of 1 quart per 10 gallons of water.
Can you spray sweetgum on a 50 foot tree?
Although this treatment is effective, spraying a 50-foot or taller full-grown tree poses challenges for many homeowners and would be better applied by a professional. The injectable indole-3-butyric acid also causes the sweetgum to drop its flowers but can be applied only by a certified tree arborist.
Is sweetgum a deciduous tree?
A fast-growing tree, the sweetgum offers plenty of shade, while growing well in a vast range of soils and moisture levels. The one major flaw of this deciduous tree is the hundreds of spiny, woody balls it drops onto lawns and gardens across the United States, starting in early winter until spring.
Is round leaf sweetgum hardy?
Although the roundleaf sweetgum is listed as hardy in USDA zones 5b through 10a, the tree is not considered reliably hardy throughout zone 5 and should be planted in sheltered locations without northern exposure.
What is a sweet gum tree?
Sweet gum trees (Liquidambar styraciflua; U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 to 9) are tall, hardy trees that produce profuse green foliage in spring and summer. The leaves turn red and purple in fall, and it is a very common street tree in areas of the United States.
What is the zone for sweet gum?
The extension also suggests planting a fruitless cultivar of sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua rotundiloba; USDA zones 5 to 9) instead. Suzanne S. Wiley is an editor and writer in Southern California. She has been editing since 1989 and began writing in 2009.
