Boy! The only difference is sweetgum balls drop all fall and winter. Sign up for our newsletter. It'll leach nitrogen out of your soil and your plants in the process of breaking down. Okay, so I need something quicker. 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. They are an extremely prickly fruit– inedible by the way. 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. They can be spray painted for use in crafts of left natural for wreath making and woodland displays. In fact, sweetgum balls are anything but sweet. 4. Nut gatherers are often confounded by the stem on the pod. I'm planning on digging out the topsoil in the low spot (and use it for gardening elsewhere on my property), and I'll rake my plethora of sweet gum balls to fill the hole. If you buy 2 … With the spacers we include in every purchase the Cyclone Nut Rake is the only nut gatherer you’ll ever need again. The rough compost will be unpleasant to the undersides or feet of these animals and may deter them from romping through the garden. Otherwise any roaming, rambling vining type ground cover would work, and there are many to choose from. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! Spray the sweet gum flowers until they're wet but not to the point the spray runs off the flowers. They are 1-1.5 inches in diameter and covered with tiny spikes which give them ad unusual texture. The gum balls or monkey balls are said to have several capsule-like structures, wood-like in appearance. Quite a nuisance, they produce sweetgum balls (seed pods) that make for difficulty in walking and are difficult to collect and remove. Am I ever grateful for the big box of sweet gum Skeeter sent me. Use them as mulch (you can’t have too much mulch!) 3 Answers from these members: Posted by Terri P. from Sears Pasadena Town Square: Jun 19, 2015 - Sweetgum balls are anything but sweet but the prickly fruit of sweetgum trees. Report This by ROBERT WILLIAMS. The sweet gum wood is also used for fabricating veneers, flooring, and making decorative baskets. These trees and their little spiked balls of fruit (or “gumballs”) have been preventing Missourians from walking outside barefoot for centuries. 3. Sweetgum Tree Info: How To Grow Sweetgum Trees, Facts About Slugs And How To Kill Garden Slugs, Gardening With Bubble Wrap: DIY Bubble Wrap Garden Ideas, Hard-To-Shop-For Gardeners: Ideas For Unconventional Garden Gifts, Holiday Garden Giving: Ways To Help Others This Season, Gifting Seeds – Ways To Give Seeds As Presents, Pinching Basil Blooms: Should Basil Be Allowed To Flower, Moving Hibiscus Plants: Tips For Transplanting Hibiscus, Reducing Soil Erosion: Using Plants For Erosion Control, Holly Plant Fertilizer: How And When To Feed Holly Shrubs, The Act Of Giving – Crafty Ways To Give Back, Grateful To Give Back: Sharing The Garden With Others In Need, We’re All In This Together - Passing On Gratitude In The Garden, Recipes From The Garden: Pressure Cooking Root Vegetables. As to putting sweetgum in compost, there doesn’t seem to be any general consensus. plus they even fall on houses too with the high winds we get around here sometimes. won't do it. For an instantly elegant Christmas decoration, arrange a small string of white Christmas lights in a large glass vase filled with 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. We here in New England do not have too many of these trees. sheetmetalbabe $ 65.00 FREE shipping Favorite Add to Sweet Gum Tree Spiked Gum Balls Nuts Seed Pods Crafts Hobbies Ornaments Decoration Wedding Wreath supplies CJKEngraving The fruit was once used by the Cherokee Indian tribes as a medicinal tea for treatment of flu symptoms. Step 2 Rake the sweet gum balls into a pile with a standard leaf rake. Liquidambar styraciflua, commonly known as the sweet gum tree, is one of the most easily recognizable trees native to Missouri. Gather them up: . Yahoo is part of Verizon Media. Q. You can be creative and use them to form decorative balls for bowls or holiday trinkets. Place the balls in a plastic container. Read more articles about Compost Ingredients. The resulting dropped fruits become woody and are the bane of any wanderer, as they will pierce tender flesh. A full-grown sweet gum … While they aren’t edible, the balls function as mulch to keep animals away from young plants. Ever since the days of the Aztec Empire, the sweet gum … I did a little research on them and found there is a Northern Sweet gum tree that survives my zone, it takes mayyyyybe....20 to 25 years to flower and/or produce sweet gum balls! Additionally, if you leave the sweet gum balls in your yard and allow them to embed into the ground, they can be extremely difficult for any type of lawn sweeper to pick up. Bottom line: Push Lawn sweepers are nice if you prefer something that will pickup other debris like sweet gum balls and mulching is not a concern. The rough compost will be unpleasant to the undersides or feet of these animals and may deter them from romping through the garden. I gave up cleaning up all the seed balls from my huge sweet gum years ago. I live in the Southeast, in zone 7, where sweetgum trees are abundant. While they’re not edible, the balls can double as spiky mulch to keep animals away from young plants. 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 … If you want a smaller quantity of the spray, mix 3 fluid ounces of the chemical with 1 gallon of water. Use them in a fun craft project or use them as mulch. Natural sugar gum tree seeds are also know as Witches Burrs and Sweet Gum Balls They range from 3/4in - 1 1/2in in size Currently being sold in bags of 60. ... You can also use the monkey balls as mulch. As previously mentioned, sweetgum balls are the fruit of a medium to large size tree (65-155 feet tall) with a trunk up to 6 feet across that can live for an extremely long time — up to 400 years. Like Noah suggested, you can always throw them in your compost for some much needed brown material. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Put the spiny balls to good use by using them as a mulch to keep pests like slugs, snails and rabbits out of your garden. I did not find it useful because it did not handle small sticks or sweet gum balls that might be in my leaves well. Sweet Gum Balls for Scenting Banishing Cleansing Protection Wiccan Pagan Altar Ritual Nature Woodland Seed Pods ... wreaths, ornament making, mulching, etc. The English are ever so practical and resourceful, so mulching with sweetgum balls seems appropriate, if not normal. Mulching mower obvs. January 5th, 2015. So before using your chipped-up sweet gum for mulch, mix it up with grass clippings and compost it for at least six weeks. My arborist said that the sweet gum tree is one of the best air scrubbers in the Houston, Texas area. Use them in the bottom of planters as the drainage filler instead of stones. To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select 'I agree', or select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. 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. Keep the compost pile hot and bring your patience. 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. Some people use the dried sweet gum balls as mulch in garden beds to keep cats (either their own or roaming neighborhood cats) from using the beds as a litter box. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. However, they will take a long time to compost. Sweet Gum Balls In The Garden/Compost - I got some bags of leaves from a neighbor and then realized that they had alot of spiney sweet gum… Q. Gardenia - I would like to know when and how to prune a gardenia. Can you put sweetgum balls in compost? ► The uses of the tree extend from structuring furniture to using it as an ornamental tree for the purpose of landscaping. Typically, 1 quart of the chemical needs to be mixed with 10 gallons of water to make a spray. Sweetgum balls will take some time to break down. Roll them under: . Buy a lawn roller and mash them into the soil. Water the sweetgum seeds weekly to a 1-inch depth. They are also a great non toxic animal - I have had an onion growing in my house for about 3 weeks now, and it has just gotten bigger… 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. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. The yard is covered with them. Add water only if it feels almost dry. 8. Maybe we’ll save them for our summer vegetable … why would people want a tree in their yard especially trees that are 50-250ft tall. How to Get a Sweetgum Tree to Stop Producing Balls Tags . Most people want to know how to get rid of the tree from which they come, how to prevent it from fruiting, or if you can compost sweetgum balls. A gas mower with a catch bag was what used to get them off my lawn, back when I had a lawn with a big sweetgum tree in the middle of it. Read on for information about composting gumballs. These gum balls are, however: a valuable food source for wildlife, a great fire-starter, a garden mulch, a drainage source (add a layer to the bottom of a pot/container), a slug deterrent (circle them around plants), a craft staple (crafty people love them to make ornaments or wreaths), an easy bird feeder (coat them in peanut butter and birdseed) and-- Mar 9, 2012 - Sweet gum trees are a wonderful shade tree that grows quite tall, but their spiky seed balls are a nuisance, often causing you to slip or twist your ankle. The tree prefers moist bottomland and plenty of sun and, as such, is found from southern New England to Florida and west into the nation’s interior states. Probe beneath the sand or pine straw mulch to test the moisture level of the peat mixture. My Onion Is Growing! Sweet gum balls are the seed pods of the sweet gum tree. Once the Sweet Gum Balls are off your property the possibilities are endless. This is what’s driving Mark crazy at the moment. Keep the compost pile hot and bring your patience. You can even get creative and use them to make holiday trinkets or decorative balls for bowls. You've got to rake them up by hand. Can I vacuum and mulch sweet gum tree BALLS with my GAS BLOWER/VAC 25cc. Anything, just get rid of the darn things! You can't mulch gum balls very well at all, nor can you suck them up into the bag attachment of your lawnmower. Stopping Sweet Gum Balls from Reproducing. 5. I think the commelina would suit your purpose just fine. This is a spikey ball. The sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) produces an extremely spiked capsule containing one or two seeds in the summer. Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps. I started consolidating them every spring around the exposed roots, stamp them into the ground and then just cover them over with shredded mulch and plant vinca. The solution is to be diligent about keeping them picked up from your yard so that you do not end up with an abundance of them in your grass and landscaping. They can be used as mulch as well as a defense for plants. every time a storm comes through limbs, pinecones, pinestraw, sweet gum balls, etc. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. For your best chance of stopping sweetgum balls, get in touch with a certified arborist from Orchard Park Tree Service. Q. Share it! Get more answers from the people in your networks. No, I am not talking about the sweet gumballs that we blow bubbles with. Most people want to know how to get rid of the tree, keep it from fruiting, or if you can compost sweetgum balls. They stick together and work great in holding the soil on my erosion prone sloping yard. Are sweetgum tree balls edible? Might there be an appropriate eco-friendly use for these balls, say, as a mulch or in some other capacity within the landscape? In sharp contrast is the chorus of condemnations that those awful sweetgum trees are a menace, with their dropping-gum-balls habit. see less I purchased a mulching leaf blower by Toro about 5 years ago. The writer was praising sweetgum balls as mulch beneath trees and shrubs. Plus, you end up with a nice mulch also which you can use for other purposes. Find out about composting gumballs here. A mulching mower or dedicated mulcher is my next goal. 6. Sweetgum balls will take some time to break down. Spikey Balls, Monkey Balls & Sweet Gum Balls. etc. I'll let you know how the "sweet gum ball hugelkultur" works out.
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