Chief among them, the sweet gum’s fragrant resin was used to flavor a pipe full of an unfamiliar plant called tobacco. Q: I have a huge 100-year-old sweet gum tree in my side yard and it endows us with sweet gum balls all year. ... (Tamiflu) for fighting bird flu and H1N1 flu. It seems to take longer for sweet gum to give up its properties than other plants. It's pretty simple, just gather up some Sweet Gum balls which are pretty readily available in the South. Sweet gum trees are beautiful, with spiky star-shaped ⦠Lay the balls out on sheets of newspaper and spray paint them red, gold or silver. A: The spiky seed pods of the sweetgum tree are a nuisance to many gardeners. They can often be found in great numbers at the bases of the trees’ trunks, as well as along walking paths where they amuse or annoy dogs and their walkers, runners, picnickers and bike riders alike. The tree is beautiful and offers lots of shade so I wouldnât mind keeping it, but we absolutely detest the spiny little balls that are covering our back yard. During the holidays, have your kids paint and decorate dried sweet gum balls while wearing protective gloves. Everything from a ¼â in diameter, all the way up to the diameter of a tennis ball wonât stand a chance. Many people think of sweet gum balls as a nuisance, but they can be used to make many types of crafts. It is only in winter, after the tree’s greenery has been shed, that the sweet gum’s finer points can truly be appreciated. CARBONDALE - Sweet gum trees often make a pleasing addition to a yard, but anyone who has such a tree knows its beauty comes with a price. The infertile seeds of the sweet gum ball contain shikimic acid, which is also contained in the same tree used to make Tamiflu. Next, tie a piece of ribbon, thread or colored string around to the stem to hang the colored balls on your tree branches. But did you know there may be a natural remedy in your backyard? Stored seed requires 1 - 3 months stratification and sometimes takes 2 years to germinate. Harvest the green, immature seed pods of sweet gum. But maybe this year will be different. The infertile seeds found in each of the sweet gum’s compound seed capsules have been found to be a good alternate source of shikimic acid, one of the main ingredients in Tamiflu. It is theoretically possible to eliminate the balls each year but it ⦠The sweetgum wood has many uses, particularly veneer, furniture, flooring, interior trim, woodenware, paper pulp and to make baskets. Sweet Gum Balls; Glue Gun; Wire to make a hanger; Steps to Make a Sweet Gum Wreath Cover Wreath Form with Fabric. Harvest the seed capsules at the end of October or November, dry in a warm place and extract the seed by shaking the capsule. The spiky gum balls of the sweet gum tree are annoying to anyone who steps on them. Sweet gum balls can become ornaments on your Christmas tree. The tree’s dark grayish brown twigs bear unusual, corky ridges that lend the tree a peculiar angularity. The Sweet Gum tree is the sand spur of the forest. It takes the sweet gum tree 20 to 30 years to mature enough to produce its fruit. I sat down in front of the TV and watched Live With Kelly when Josh Groban was the co-host, and I was in clipping heaven. The tree itself is also an important lumber crop in the American South, but because its wood is not strong, it is generally used in combination with other woods as a veneer or in the making of plywood. But the other day, spring was just too compelling, and we went to the old hood for a walk. Bake the gum balls in the oven at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes. Gather up a lot of gum balls. Get yourself a Bag-A-Nut Sweetgum Ball machine to get those pesky gum balls off your lawn. Sow it as early in the year as possible. I make sweetgum tincture with the unripe fruits like my ancestors did. ... Tamiflu, the drug of choice for Influenza, is made from the Star Anise plant and contains the chemical Shikimik acid. How to Get a Sweetgum Tree to Stop Producing Balls. You painfully find them with your feet. Turns out the Wiccans have some opinions/ideas on the gum balls from the sweet gum tree. Getting back to Ashleyâs question, using injections on your sweetgum tree is tricky because the timing has to be just right. These pods are all over the woods and we're always looking for more sweet gum ball crafts to make! Make a game of picking up sweet gum balls with your children by having a contest to see who can gather the most. Additionally, the sweet gum’s spiky “gum balls” hang conspicuously from the tree’s smaller branches, sometimes all winter. Is there a way to keep these balls from forming? Now, knowing all this please consider keeping that beautiful tree. At this time of year, sweet gums stand out. For a New World tree, it is interesting to note its Old World connections. The infertile seeds found in each of the sweet gum’s compound seed capsules are a naturally occurring source of shikimic acid, one of the main ingredients in the manufacture of Tamiflu. Sweet gum fruits are spiky green balls that turn brown through winter and fall to the ground November through May. The sweet gum resembles a maple tree, and in the summer, the star-shaped leaves and sturdy trunk are impressive, if easily overlooked. Quite a few people have posted different methods to use/extract this acid for taking advantage of the shikimic acid. Once the Sweet Gum Balls are off your property the possibilities are endless. I called our local agricultural extension but they've never gotten back to me on their answer. Well…..there are some benefits to those pesky gumballs. To use it, I take 1 teaspoon every 3-4 hours when I know I have a virus. This same acid is also found in Sweetgum tree seeds and explains why Sweetgum has always worked so well as an anti-viral. This is to make sure there isnât anything living in the holes. This is the same active ingredient that's in our most powerful flu treatments known as Tamiflu. But in flu season, theyâre also a source of homemade Tamiflu. Receive product updates, specials and more. Author Topic: Sweet Gum Balls ~ an antiviral (Read 11642 times) hi_itsgwen. To tincture sweet gum, simply gather green (unripe) sweet gum balls, cut them up (with a skill saw⦠Iâm just kidding, but DAMN) and place them in a quart jar. In a year when an aggressive strain of influenza has gripped the nation, the sweet gum holds out its fruit-laden limbs with its own humble contribution to humanity. Then, spray paint and while the paint is still wet sprinkle glitter on top to make them sparkle⦠Rhonda Stark Stuff I want to make © 2020. Use your Sweetgum balls for some amazing crafts! Fill to the top with alcohol and let it steep for 6 weeks. Where conditions suit it, the tree can grow to mighty dimensions: nearly 75 feet tall with a spreading canopy. This past Election Day, my sister and I decided to take advantage of our kids having the day off. After 6 weeks you can strain it and put it in dark amber bottles. They get all over the ground, your pets can damage their paws by walking on them, you can’t walk barefoot in your plush green grass – they are just a nuisance! Find out about composting gumballs here. Make sure to work outside with a face mask on while painting. The vicious seed pods have impaled many a forager and has done much to ruin the Sweet Gums reputation. In optimum conditions Sweet Gum trees will grow up to 2â² per year, making them a potentially fast growing shade tree. These seeds are often called porcupine balls because they are covered in small barbs. Any fabric will work, but I liked the flannel like feel of this fabric and I had plenty of scrap pieces on-hand. Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. They get all over the ground, your pets can damage their paws by walking on them, you canât walk barefoot in your plush green grass â they are just a nuisance! Sweet Gum trees will grow large and can make excellent shade trees for a home. I have four stunted (on purpose) sweetgum trees on my farm, I harvest the green stickerballs and chop them in halves. Commonly planted as street trees, the primary drawback is the seed balls ⦠Let this sit in a cool, dark place for about 6 weeks. We all know that sweet gum balls are a pesky part of the sweetgum ball tree (also know as Liquidambar). Among these, Wolfe’s Pond and Blue Heron parks on Staten Island are among the best. But in New York City, the sweet gum is a fairly common sight, growing best where there is rich, loamy soil with good moisture. The forsythia was the big story this week â such an extrovert that forsythia! 10601 Theresa Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32246. Stick toothpicks with glue into the little holes, and let dry. All rights reserved. While you wait, the tree has much to offer. Generally considered a southern tree, the sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) reaches the northernmost limits of its natural range along the coast not far north of New York City. Come to find out, the seeds inside that sweetgum balls contain shikimic acid, which is what is needed to make the flu-fighting drug Tamiflu®. You might notice the solution turning red or burgundy. To make the treatment you need to harvest the green "monkey balls" from the tree and open them up exposing the seeds. â but looking down I spotted these Sweet Gum Balls, which Iâd walked past a million times during my 30 years in town, always meaning to take some home and coat them in paint. Shikimic acid was discovered to be in pine needles and infertile Sweet Gum seed. You can even get creative and use them to make holiday trinkets or decorative balls for bowls. For instance, yesterday I finally looked up âtree with spiky balls.â The internet is full of homegrown techniques to extract this valuable chemical from the tree’s seeds. The sweet gum got its name for the resinous sap that results when you score its bark. Cover them with vodka (or Pure Grain Alcohol), seal the jar, and allow them to sit in a dark area for a while. Don’t cut it down! You know, the super magical thing about the internet is that it can make you the bearer of almost instant knowledge on just about anything. Some years, fall foliage in Mississippi can be somewhat lackluster, but there is one tree, the Sweet Gum, that never fails to sport vibrant, autumnal color. We all know that sweet gum balls are a pesky part of the sweetgum ball tree (also know as Liquidambar). 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