Sweet gum trees bloom with inconspicuous, yellowish-green flowers in the spring that turn to seedpods — which are often called gumballs — in the fall. The tree is not toxic to dogs and cats, but the seedpods do present a different type of health threat if your pet were to step on one.

Are sweet gum balls poisonous to humans?

Despite the enticing aroma, eucalyptus leaves and bark are poisonous to humans and most animals (though not to koalas, which feast on them). They don’t ever try to eat them & I usually pick them up & throw them out of the pen. I think my dog has eaten some sweet gum balls from a sweet gum tree.

Can you eat sweet gum balls?

Are sweetgum tree balls edible? While they’re not edible, the balls can double as spiky mulch to keep animals away from young plants. You can even get creative and use them to make holiday trinkets or decorative balls for bowls.

Is sweet gum toxic to dogs?

Many sugarless gums (including some Trident, Orbit, and Ice Breaker brands) and candies contain xylitol, a sweetener which is toxic to dogs. Beware of those desserts or baked goods that could also be made with xylitol!

What are sweet gum balls good for?

Tulsa Master Gardener Brian Jervis said sweet gum balls make a good, loose garden mulch, allowing air and water to pass into the soil below but blocking sunlight from reaching germinating weeds at ground level.

Is sweetgum poisonous?

Sweet gum trees are excellent shade trees, which is why many people add them to their landscape. The tree is not toxic to dogs and cats, but the seedpods do present a different type of health threat if your pet were to step on one.

What are the spiky balls that fall off trees?

Trees With Spiked Seed Pods. If you’ve encountered some round, spiny balls under a tree or maybe still on the plant, and you’re wondering what it could be, it’s likely one of several options: buckeye/horsechestnut (Aesculus), chestnut (Castanea), or sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua).

How do you use sweet gum balls?

Six Great Things To Use Sweetgum Balls For:

1. Lay the seed pods around young plants to deter snails and slugs who would rather not tangle with them.
2. Put them around plants that you also want to protect from rabbits (press the spikes in the ground a bit so they don’t blow away)

How do you clean sweet gum balls?

Lawn Vacuums Most lawn mower vacuum systems clog up with the sweetgum balls, and a standard mower shoots them out the sides of the mower deck, making them into fast-moving projectiles. Instead, use a pull-behind or self-propelled lawn vacuum or nut pickup system for cleaning up the spiky fruit.

What are sweet gum balls called?

Sweet Gum Tree Spiky Balls 12. The spiky gumballs the sweetgum tree produces are the containers for its seeds. These spiked seed balls are often referred to as gum balls, spiky nuts, sweet gum fruit, burr balls, sticker balls and sweet gumballs.

Can a dog survive xylitol?

Xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs. Even small amounts of xylitol can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), seizures, liver failure, or even death in dogs.

What to do if a dog eats chewing gum?

If your dogs eats gum, you should immediately determine whether it contained Xylitol; if so, rush your dog to an emergency vet as soon as possible. Even a small amount of Xylitol is toxic to dogs which in some brands can mean just two or three pieces.

How much xylitol is toxic to dogs?

What is a toxic dose of xylitol for dogs? According to the Pet Poison Helpline, the dose needed to cause poisoning is at least 0.05 grams per pound of body weight (0.1 grams per kilogram of body weight). Gums and breath mints typically contain 0.22-1.0 gram of xylitol per piece of gum or per mint.

Will sweet gum balls compost?

As to putting sweetgum in compost, there doesn’t seem to be any general consensus. If you run a cool pile, sweetgum in compost will likely not break down and very possibly you will end up with volunteers sprouting from the pile.

Do sweet gum balls burn?

Sweet gum balls do not catch fire very well by themselves and tend to smolder. However, this makes them a great fuel for hobo stoves as they burn hot enough to cook with, but with minimal flame. Tossed into an already hot fire, they’ll burn just fine.

Does sweetgum make good firewood?

While sweetgum is not very popular, it burns well in the stove. It produces a decent amount of heat among the firewood species. It produces nearly 21.3 million BTUs per cord. It is hardwood but it burns fast so it is recommended to burn with better quality firewood like oak.