How can I keep my sweet gums from making balls?
By wyatt from Sallisaw, OK
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From Cleveland Ohio -
I have had Davey Tree come out and spray the tree to help relieve the amount of monkey balls. However, it by no stretch totally eliminates the quantity. It simply reduces the quantity. This procedure was mentioned to me by a friend who is a naturalist for the local metroparks. He said they spray the sweet gums on a few of the parks' golf courses each year.
Here are a few detals. I had a very tough time finding a party that does this stuff. Davey Tree happens to be a major player in our area. Cost was shy of $100 for a very large tree.
Also, I last had it sprayed a few years ago and that year my breathing (nose constantly blocked in the evening) was pathethic. It got to the point where I would walk around outside in the middle of the night hoping my nasal passages would open up. Was it the tree or not? I don't know. However, it just so happens that my breathing has not been that bad since then.
Best of luck ... to me, these balls are a major pain. Just can't afford to have the tree taken down, though.
We have four lovely sweet gums in our backyard. The thorny gumballs are worth putting up with for the beauty and joy of these magnificent trees. I do not know the age of these trees but they are huge, and as one poster has already commented, they hold up very well to high winds.
Here in Georgia, they are much a nuisance as an armadillo. They tear up your lawnmower, make your yard look trashy and sprout babies like cockroaches. I can't keep my pasture free from the saplings that continually come up no matter how many I cut down or spray. Cut a tree down and twenty more will sprout from the roots. If you want beauty, plant a maple.
Seriously? You navigate the frozen tundra your driveway has become for nearly 3 weeks, then nearly bust your butt on a spiney ball!
One word: free MULCH (Ok, two) doesn't break down, keeps out most tenderfooted critters, Mulch.
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