Re: [gardeners] A primer on sweetgum trees
Billie (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 16 Sep 2002 13:09:36 -0400
>1. The wood is no good for firewood as it can't be split, the grain is
>not straight.
>2. A sweetgum ball going through a side discharge lawnmower is moving at
>750 rpm when it exits and can travel 50 feet before it a)breaks a
>window, b)bruises the neighbor.
>3. They are one of the few trees in SW Louisiana that the leaves
>actually turn color in the fall. The other two are the tallow tree and
>the soft maple, all are useless.
>4. You can hardly kill a sweetgum tree short of a nuclear detonation.
>Salt doesn't work, ringing the bark doesn't work. You can cut them down
>and they will arise from the roots to haunt you.
>5. They make nice shade trees but you can never walk barefoot on your
>lawn again (sweetgum balls hurt when stepped on).
>6. My neighbor loves sweetgum and magnolia trees, both of which hang
>over my yard and drop their unwanted sweetgum balls and magnolia seed
>pods everywhere.
>7. My neighbor is going away for a month and their trees may
>mysteriously die while they are gone. <BSEG>
>
>George
Our neighbor just this summer had two giant sweetgum trees removed. I
was not sad to see them go as their little porcupine balls made their
way into our yard even though they were on the far side of her lot
from us... those things manage to travel!
billie, just back from a 2-week trip to New Mexico, Colorado, Utah,
and Arizona and instead of cleaning this neglected house I am sitting
here contemplating putting in a new and big flower bed in the front
yard. WHAT AM I THINKING? I can't keep up with what we've got!!! :)