# What good is sweet gum?



## gweny (Feb 10, 2014)

In an attempt to learn all the plants on my property and learn/ assign useful purposes to each I am stumped on sweet gum. I have one and right now I really loath that tree. Unfortunately it is huge and would cost much to remove. As offensive as it is I am stingy, so I am instead trying to find a reason to love this tree.
Google search has turned up 2 purposes. One is a nasty tasting gum made from dried sap (blech!). The other is a treatment for flu (that's neat I guess?). 
Does anyone have any other ideas? I really hate the spiky seed pods! They take 2 years to decompose!!! Burning them is inefficient. 
Please help me learn to love this tree (and save me from having to remove it!)?


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## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

Those little ball make great targets.When you can hit them on a regular basis then start trying the in the wind.

WAde


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Sell the balls on Etsy.. I kid you not.. people sell them there.. and others buy them... around $10 for 150 of them.. .


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## gweny (Feb 10, 2014)

simi-steading said:


> Sell the balls on Etsy.. I kid you not.. people sell them there.. and others buy them... around $10 for 150 of them.. .


Why? What does one do with 150 spiky balls that is worth 10$?


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Make craft stuff I guess.. It's sold as craft supplies.. I guess people that don't have them like to fill bowls or something... Some of us are lucky to get to live in the outdoors and I guess others have to buy it to bring it in.. .

Seriously.. search around Etsy... Pine cones, pine cone petals, sticks, branches, acorns, acorn tops, pine needles... If you can find it in your yard, people are paying good money for it on Etsy... feathers off my bird sell all day for $2 each... Helps pay for his food...


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

A craft addict can make something out of anything. I bet if you Google it, you'll find them. I imagine that you could sell dried branches with their brilliant fall colors too. Maybe you could nibble that tree right back if you made it a regular business. 

But another good thing about any deciduous tree is leaf mulch. And birds nest there too.


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## handymama (Aug 22, 2014)

School art teachers jump all over that stuff


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## gweny (Feb 10, 2014)

Lol! Thanks all. Maybe I can live with that tree? I was thinking maybe I could spray paint them gold or silver and string them like popcorn for the Christmas tree?


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## handymama (Aug 22, 2014)

What a cute idea!


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

I have a whole schtik that they are porcupine eggs.


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## gweny (Feb 10, 2014)

Harry Chickpea said:


> I have a whole schtik that they are porcupine eggs.


Lol! Wonder if I can convince the kids? Hehe


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## Terry O (Mar 8, 2004)

I get great exercise from the endless raking of sweet gum balls in my yard.... GRRRRR.. Sorry I can't help you, I just endure it.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

gweny said:


> Please help me learn to love this tree (and save me from having to remove it!)?


This ones easy.... the sweet gum is a great tree! Without your gum tree your sky would surely fall all the way to the ground! Go out and check again... I bet you will find that beautiful old tree faithfully holding a huge section of sky up.


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## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

Yvonne's hubby said:


> This ones easy.... the sweet gum is a great tree! Without your gum tree your sky would surely fall all the way to the ground! Go out and check again... I bet you will find that beautiful old tree faithfully holding a huge section of sky up.



Ya! and they are great at keeping elephants away too!



Wade


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## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

I made a killing off my parents raking them up into bags and being paid per bag. My sister did it per sweetgum. Now that was a killing. :happy: they got smart when it was my turn. I see them used as vase fillers for artificial flowers and such. dh grandparents used to go into the forest and get the moss and sell it to crafters. pinecones too. I wish I could sell ragweed and grasshoppers.:nana:


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## zwarte (Apr 12, 2011)

http://library.rawlingsforestry.com/ncces/woodland_owner_notes/20/

http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/docs/Use%20of%20sweetgum%20logs%20in%20shiitake%20cultivation%20_2_.pdf


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## handymama (Aug 22, 2014)

I was just thinking the other day I'd like to have some sweet gum to spread peanut butter on and roll in birdseed. Instant suet feeder for my window.


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## DEKE01 (Jul 17, 2013)

There was an article in Grit magazine in the last year about making syrup from other than sugar maple trees. They claimed sweet gum and sycamore were both different than maple syrup but surprisingly good.


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## RebelDigger (Aug 5, 2010)

Toothbrush. I kid you not. My grandma told me that back in the day (she was born in 1891, country all her life) people used twigs from sweet gum trees to make toothbrushes. She showed me how, used your teeth to kind of chew up the end of the twig and then pick it apart and feather it out with your fingers. It gets fibrous and fluffy and actually does make a good little emergency toothbrush.


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## FarmFamily (Feb 12, 2014)

Sweet gum balls are great for using in your bee smoker. If you keep bees that is. I love our sweet gums. They are the only trees we have that are pretty in the fall.


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## FarmFamily (Feb 12, 2014)

Don't cut down. Just found this...
http://www.eattheweeds.com/sweet-gum-tree/

And this....
http://www.foragingtexas.com/2008/08/sweetgum.html

Awesome!


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