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November 20, 2006
Is there a way to sterilize a Sweet Gum tree so it does not produce the balls?
Unfortunately there isn't anything that we can do to prevent your sweetgum from producing the balls. Awhile ago we were applying a product that would prevent the balls from forming, but we discovered it took paint off of cars. Needless to say, we do not do it any longer. Some companies do an injection to prevent the balls from forming, but our experience has been that the injection didn't give reliable results, so we do not do that either.
Some garden centers or nurseries may have a product that you can spray on the tree. To be successful at your venture, you would have to get the timing just right and have excellent coverage to get it to work. It may not be worth all of the effort.