sweet gum balls

[big james]

O.K. fellows how do you handle thede darn things ,will one of those pull behind sweepers you see homeowners using work .I hate trying to bag they are real good at throwing belts off mowers.:(

[bob]

Theres a chemical called Snipper that you inject into the tree. This prevents flowers in the spring and ball in the fall. I haven't tried it yet.

[CSRA Landscaping]

I use my Little Wonder and blow them all off to one side. Then you may do as you choose with them.

[big james]

Thanks Bob .I wondered if you could essentially castrate one of these trees ,so I guess you can:D . Where dou you get this product?

[1stclasslawns]

Snipper works but you wont get any flowers.

Yes a sweeper works if you get the higher RPM one

I broke a 300.00 window 2 years ago with a sweet gum ball.


Jim

[weve]

I use a power broom or blower to pile them and then haul them away. Three of my customers got tired of the sweet gum balls and cut down the trees.

[keifer]

A billy goat vac works good.

[Richard Martin]

By clicking on the Search button (available at the top of every page) you can find past threads on this very subject. This thread was published in a national lawn magazine last year:
Gum Balls (http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?threadid=11698&highlight=gum+balls)

[thfireman]

Snipper is sold by Tree Tech. You can e-mail them at: info@treetech.net or call them at (352) 528-5335

[IBGreen]

I demoed a walker on a very leaf and gum ball rich environment and it got 'em up.

[walker-talker]

I run a Walker over one of my properties that have a few of these trees. It's get a lot up the first time, but usually takes about 3 times to get the majority of them up. I will totally quit mowing when there are people or cars around. What the GHS deck don't pick up, it throws and I mean throws them with some velocity.

As far as that Sniper goes, is that a one time application or just every spring?

MATT

[thfireman]

You have to apply the Snipper every spring. It would be well worth the money just to keep those balls from forming. You have to inject every four inches around the base of the tree. So if you had a 48" tree it would cost you approx. $40.00 to treat. Plus your time. Most people would pay more than that to avoid having gum balls.

[CSRA Landscaping]

Do you want to inject that before the flowers open or when they open?

[menchhofer]

I believe this process should be accomplished by arborist instead of a lawn care co. There is a narrow window in which this product becomes useful.

The injections are very invasive to the tree and repeated injections could potentially damage the tree. Drilling holes into the trunk opens the tree to many different types of organisms and should only be used as a last resort.

You could potentially, by not being qualified, become responsible for damage to the tree.

[Barkleymut]

I just did a cleanup for a customer with 2 large trees that produced the gumballs. The turf area they covered was approximately 60ft x 40ft. They were fairly dense and some of them had worked their way down into the soil about 1/2 inch or so due to traffic on the lawn. I used a BP blower and was able to get every last one into a pile. I then raked onto a tarp and dragged them back to a natural area and dumped them. It probably took an hour and 15 minutes to complete. Not fun work but what else am I going to in the middle of Feb? If you have a 10K sq ft lawn then this process could take 6-8 hours. Just inform the customer that this is not going to be cheap.

[HarryD]

What kind of tree or trees are we talking about here.

[thfireman]

Originally posted by menchhofer
I believe this process should be accomplished by arborist instead of a lawn care co. There is a narrow window in which this product becomes useful.

The injections are very invasive to the tree and repeated injections could potentially damage the tree. Drilling holes into the trunk opens the tree to many different types of organisms and should only be used as a last resort.

You could potentially, by not being qualified, become responsible for damage to the tree.

You may very well have a point about using an arborist. But if you get the proper training and instruction in the use of this product you should be OK. The process uses an 11/64" hole to inject the product. A bird taps larger holes. As with any treatment process there are risks. I agree that you should not take on this method unless you get proper instruction and I would hope that you would make sure your license would cover this type of activity before you treat a customers lawn. Otherwise it is just another service you would provide responsibly to your clients.

To answer when it is to be injected.... When the trees first flush of male flower buds reach approx. 1" tall the Snipper agent should be injected promptly.

[thfireman]

Originally posted by HarryD
What kind of tree or trees are we talking about here.

Harry,

Sweet Gum Trees!

menchhofer,

Are you an Arborist? I would consider subbing this type work out if the price were right.

[thfireman]

Hold the Press......

I was just accused in an e-mail that by stopping the flowering and reproduction process in a Sweet Gum Tree that I was in effect playing GOD. If that is the case then simply cutting grass would be wrong! Listen you weirdos.....GET A GRIP!!

[HarryD]

I have never heard of them. have never seen them here in Nebraska not saying there isn't any here. the seeds do look pretty nasty to deal with. my pops has two huge black walnut trees in his yard, as a kid we could not play in the yard bare foot because the squirrels would chew the nuts up leaving sharp shell shards :mad: some years those things would be bigger then golf balls

[HarryD]

well how about all the other trees that have been bred to not drop seeds. sounds like a green peace nut job:D

[thfireman]

Yea and black walnuts will stain the **** out of you and your clothes. The Gum balls have a prickly surface and hurt your feet if you go barefoot also. I hated them as a child and still do. My dad used to give me 50 cents a bucket load to pick them up. I carried on this tradition in my lawn with my son. He gets a doller for each bucket. He loves doing it.....Little odd at times! LOL Just Kidding, Great boy.

[Premo Services]

[Barkleymut]I just did a cleanup for a customer with 2 large trees that produced the gumballs. The turf area they covered was approximately 60ft x 40ft. They were fairly dense and some of them had worked their way down into the soil about 1/2 inch or so due to traffic on the lawn. I used a BP blower and was able to get every last one into a pile. I then raked onto a tarp and dragged them back to a natural area and dumped them. It probably took an hour and 15 minutes to complete. Not fun work

I do it the same way and it goes pretty well, I used a stihlbr400. This spring, I have a eb7000, the job should be a whole lot easier to do, and take less time to do. I am all for less time and ease of labor while doing jobs. Less time = more money for me

[thfireman]

I always wanted to build a gum ball picker upper like they use for golf balls. Then they would be trapped and placed in baskets to be disposed of. If I figure it out how many people will buy one from me?

:D

[HarryD]

thfireman
someone beat ya to it. not sure if it would pick them up. but you never no.

got this from the thread richard posted
http://www.baganut.com/

[thfireman]

Dad gum it all, They worked fast with my idea!! LOL!:cry: :cry:

[IBGreen]

I'll be, people can think of anything. I'd kinda like to have one.

[Gravely_Man]

Man you come up with an idea and someone has beaten you to the punch! I wonder if you could use that for picking up children's toys?
:D

Gum Balls don't sound all that fun at all.


Gravely_Man

[thfireman]

LOL :D

OK, My new project is an automatic doggie do collector. It will attach to the front of the mower and deoderize as it collects.
:confused:

[IBGreen]

This may have been covered already but, does anyone have to deal with percimmons? I'm sure I misspelled that. I wish I was intellegent enough to find the spellcheck.

[jamesday]

Playing God? I wish I had enough time during the day to sit around and worry about stupid S*&% like that. I guess when we dig ditches to funnel water in different directions we're playing God as well? Maybe when we get our big toys and move dirt we're playing God?

Some people really p*** me off.

[thfireman]

I cant stand persimmon trees. You run over the ones that fall off the tree and they gum up your tires and get flung off all over your legs. They also attract yellow jackets and bees.

On the other hand my Grandmother used to make some killer persimmon pudding. Actually it was a pie, and pretty good.:D

[SMenasco]

I have three sweet gum trees, planted by a friend that used to own the lot. They were planted about 20 years ago. This is the first year they produced the spiny balls. I raked the entire yard several times and considered cutting the trees down, but they are really large and pretty. I finally saw an ad in the paper for a lawn sweeper, one that is pulled behind a tractor. I bought one and it really works great. One of two passes and they are all in the hopper, big yard, takes less than 10 minutes. I am really pleased. However, today, all three trees are now dropping a cluster of soft pods that look like a cluster of grapes, yellowish green in color. However, the sweeper picks them up great. Just thought you professionals might use the idea as a marketing tool: a flier or ad directed to those poor homeowners that fight the balls.

[thfireman]

Originally posted by SMenasco
I have three sweet gum trees, planted by a friend that used to own the lot. They were planted about 20 years ago. This is the first year they produced the spiny balls. I raked the entire yard several times and considered cutting the trees down, but they are really large and pretty. I finally saw an ad in the paper for a lawn sweeper, one that is pulled behind a tractor. I bought one and it really works great. One of two passes and they are all in the hopper, big yard, takes less than 10 minutes. I am really pleased. However, today, all three trees are now dropping a cluster of soft pods that look like a cluster of grapes, yellowish green in color. However, the sweeper picks them up great. Just thought you professionals might use the idea as a marketing tool: a flier or ad directed to those poor homeowners that fight the balls.

I wondered if those yard sweepers would pick them up. I thought about getting one and giving it a try. Now I think I will. Even if I don't use it commercially I will get good use in my lawn.

[CSRA Landscaping]

thfireman - what brand are you thinking of getting? Believe it or not, Craftsman actually has a good one. I had one when I started out. Those things pick up everything!

[CSRA Landscaping]

ThFireman - check your PMs.