In one of two ways: a growth regulator spray each spring, which keeps that year's flowers from setting fruit on trees such as crabapple, flowering pear, and sweet gum, or replacing the tree with a sterile or low seed cultivar. The spray has to be repeated every year, while a fruitless cultivar removes the need to spray at all.

Why does a fruit spray only work for one season?

Because it acts on the flowers, not the tree's future growth. The spray interrupts the hormonal signals that turn each spring's flowers into fruit, so a tree left unsprayed the next year returns to its normal flowering and fruiting.

How is a yearly fruit spray applied?

At bloom, before any fruit sets. Where raking and sweeping deal with fruit after it falls, Florel Fruit Eliminator reduces or eliminates it at the flower stage: applied at mid to full bloom, while temperatures sit between 65 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit, it wets the canopy without running off, and good coverage matters for complete results.

Which trees can be replaced with fruitless cultivars?

Sweet gum is the clearest example. Its spiky gumballs hang on through winter and leave lawns lumpy, but the cultivar 'Rotundiloba' is sterile, and 'Firehouse' produces little to no seed.

When is replacing the tree the better choice?

When a yearly spray is not practical. A tree that is too large to cover well at bloom, or one planted where its fruit lands on a walk or street, is often better replaced with a cultivar that sets little or no fruit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are sweet gum balls such a nuisance?

Spikes and staying power. Each hard ball carries 80 to 120 spikes, and fallen ones last a long time and are unpleasant to walk on.

When does a sweet gum flower?

In spring, which is when a fruit spray has to be applied to stop that year's gumballs.

Is a low seed cultivar completely free of fruit?

Not always. 'Rotundiloba' is described as sterile, while 'Firehouse' produces little to no seed.

Is a sweet gum a good street tree?

No. It is not recommended as a street tree, in part because of its fruit and its surface roots.