Getting Rid of Gum Balls

LeafLimb

LeafLimb

Location
Raleigh, NC
Does anybody know of a product or technique that will inhibit the production of gum balls on a sweetgum tree (liquidambar styraciflua)?

I have a client who runs a day care where there are 10 huge sweetgums that drop gum balls all over the children's play ground each year. He does not want to get rid of the trees, but the gum balls are dangerous for the children to play on when they drop.

I found a product called Florel, but I do not know much about it....

Does anybody have any thoughts or input regarding the gum balls and/or Florel?

Thanks in advance!
 
I have tried Florel on Sweetgums and Ginkgos. Timing of application is crucial. Effects have been less than satisfactory. A growth regulator may have some effect.
We had one client that set up netting over the entire yard to catch the fruit.
 
I heard that topping them stops the production of gumballs. I hear this second hand from some one who works at a golf course. Apparently they top all the gum trees that drop the balls on their turf. Has anyone else heard of this?

I know that structurally topping is not good for trees.
 
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...the gum balls are dangerous for the children to play on when they drop...

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Is there a real danger, or a perceived danger? Is there a record of serious injury from them?

Re topping/reduction, yes, the tree will sprout more vegetative rather than reproductive growth. Any pruning will reduce the fruiting -- short-term.

Is the playground in North Hills? Brier Creek? I know it's not in Chavis Heights...
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I also have issues with gum balls and am happy to report that I was told at the U of North Carolina Arboretum that they have a fruitless Sweet Gum. It has everything we like about the tree but no balls. A neat thing is that the ends of each leaves points are rounded instead of pointy and I like it.

If chopping is the next step then would this be the only case to top it instead? Once topped it looks amputated anyway so go ahead and take it out.

Dan
 
I did Florel (called a growth regulator) on a sweetgum that used to produce tons of gum balls. located right over the driveway.

did it two different years for them.

reduced the balls maybe 80-90% reduction. P I T A though, trying to keep in mind what stage the flowers or lack of flowers were in and what that tree in that location might be doing compared to other ones i was observing.

i thought successful, customer thought successful, but expensive to do every year.

so customer let it go a year or two with no treatment, then had us remove the tree and be done with it.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I also have issues with gum balls and am happy to report that I was told at the U of North Carolina Arboretum that they have a fruitless Sweet Gum. It has everything we like about the tree but no balls. A neat thing is that the ends of each leaves points are rounded instead of pointy and I like it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well to each his own; I like the points.

I used to work on that tree, a couple decades ago. Next to the Psych building, so it got nutritious runoff from the dumpster, from cleaning out rat cages, and who knows what.
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Fall color is kinda muddy most years imo, compared to the species.
They do revert (de-mutate) now and then, so ya gotta clip any pointy-leafed branches.
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Anyway it's nuts to talk about whacking and replacing and copper dowels (old arborist's tale?). Gumballs are harmless. Schoolmarm needs to worry more about grades! That, or you could bid a high pollard, taking off everything <3", repeat annually.
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X didn't they own a blower?
 
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copper dowels. do your research.

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I recommend copper dowels for sweetgum trees, and my doctor recommends leeches to remove some of the bad blood from my system. I did the research.

SZ
 
they cut fruit production by 1/3 the first year, by 1/2 the second year, and they are cheap. what is the problem? don't make as much money on expensive cutter apps? to much trouble to drill a 5/32 hole and knock in a 3/16 dowel in a couple spots on the trunk for a couple hundred on a sales call? beats expensive azz cutter agents, imho. i may not be a certified master arborist, but i know a guy who did this ten years ago on 14 sweetgums and all are healthy and most produce a third of the fruit according to him. he thought it was a neat experiment, turned out well for him.
 
In higher than trace concentrations copper ions are poisonous to stuff that's alive. It makes sense that it would reduce fruiting because it reduces the health of the tree.
 
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