Sweet Gum Tree Seed Balls

Sweet gum balls are the seeds that fall from sweet gum trees.

Sweet gum tree seed balls. It is best known for its thorny seed pods that are about the size and shape of a candy gum ball. A fast growing tree the sweetgum offers plenty of shade while growing well in a vast range of soils and moisture levels. The only difference is sweetgum balls drop all fall and winter. The balls of the trees are modified fruits that house the seeds until the balls ripen and release the seeds.

The sweet gum is a large tree that often grows up to 100 feet tall. It is theoretically possible to eliminate the balls each year but it is a difficult process. While these can be annoying to find around your yard or to step on there are quite a few crafts that can be made from the seed pods with a little creativity and a few supplies. These seeds are often called porcupine balls because they are covered in small barbs.

If you re up for some experimenting sweet gum balls can been used to make a tea from boiling the young green seeds. The chemical ethepon florel releases ethylene gas when it is sprayed onto the tree branches while sweetgum flowers are present in spring. The tradeoff for these perks is a source of aggravation for some gardeners. Just like leaves they must fall so the tree can prep for new growth.

By mid fall the balls are dead and seedless. Round spiny fruits or balls that litter the ground making a simple walk across the yard a precarious one. Many people think of sweet gum balls as a nuisance but they can be used to make many types of crafts. These compound seed capsules are often confused with the seed heads of the.

Don t cut down your sweet gum trees or spend a ton of money on a lawn vacuum. The spiky seed pods of the sweetgum tree are a nuisance to many gardeners. Finally bag a nut has your sweet gum ball removal solution. The spiky clusters are actually balls of fruit with tiny seeds inside that birds and squirrels snack on.

The infertile seeds of the sweet gum ball contain shikimic acid which is also contained in the same tree used to make tamiflu. Summer shade and vibrant fall leaf color are merits of the sweet gum tree liquidambar styraciflua. Chemical treatments however can stop a tree s fruit production which keeps the lawn free of that litter. The barbs are carried to new locations when they latch onto animals fur.

The one major flaw of this deciduous tree is the hundreds of spiny woody. Bag a nut plucks the sweet gum balls out of the grass like magic.