Sweet Gum Tree Spiky Balls

Fall color is variable but can be quite dramatic with a combination of yellows reds and purples.

Sweet gum tree spiky balls. Although they may look like prickly little seeds sweet gum tree balls are actually the fruit of the. Just like leaves they must fall so the tree can prep for new growth. It produces spiny brown balls of fruit that drop off the tree over an extended period. The only difference is sweetgum balls drop all fall and winter.

The tradeoff for these perks is a source of aggravation for some gardeners. The spiky seed pods from the sweetgum tree are not only fascinating to look at they can actually help out in the garden. The best method for removing sweetgum balls from the lawn. On this early spring day the tree is still a skeleton although leaf buds are just beginning to emerge and dozens of sweet gum balls dangle from its naked branches like shriveled christmas tree ornaments.

When do sweetgum tree balls fall. See more ideas about sweet gum crafts sweet gum tree crafts. Sweet gum has glossy green leaves with five lobes similar to a sugar maple. Go out with a bucket and fill it with seed pods and in the spring you may just use some.

Round spiny fruits or balls that litter the ground making a simple walk across the yard a precarious one. A forty foot tall sweet gum tree rises from the northeast corner of my back yard. Are sweet gum tree balls harmful to a dog s feet. Summer shade and vibrant fall leaf color are merits of the sweet gum tree liquidambar styraciflua.

By mid fall the balls are dead and seedless. Chemical treatments however can stop a tree s fruit production which keeps the lawn free of that litter. The spiky clusters are actually balls of fruit with tiny seeds inside that birds and squirrels snack on. The spiny fruit may be used in crafts projects or as mulch to deter rabbits in the.

Sweet gum trees are excellent shade trees. Hundreds more lie scattered throughout the grass and spill out onto the alleyway asphalt where most are flattened by car wheels. But in flu season they re also a source of homemade tamiflu. Six great things to use sweetgum balls for.

The spiky gum balls of the sweet gum tree are annoying to anyone who steps on them. The sweetgum liquidambar styracifua is a tall elegantly shaped tree that grows in u s. Dec 5 2015 explore paula searls s board sweet gum spiky balls crafts followed by 107 people on pinterest.