Question
Can the growth of gumballs be stopped? I have a tulip poplar that the bark is peeling off. I have heard every response from scale to thrips. Pleasemhelp

Answer
There is now a product available to stop the fruiting of sweetgum trees.
The material is Florel Fruit Eliminator, made by Monterey Chemical Company. It is available through normal wholesale distribution channels and is becoming more common in retail garden stores. The product is also sold retail via the Monterey Chemical web site at http://www.montereylawngarden.com/info/florel.html where it is listed at $20.15 per pint, $27.75 per quart or $67.50 per gallon. It is also available in a 2.5 gallon size.

Florel?Fruit Eliminator is used at a rate of 1 quart per 10 gallons of spray and must be sprayed to runoff on the flowers when the flower clusters begin to separate and the leaves are about half expanded. There is a narrow time window (2 weeks at most) when it will be effective and it should only be applied when the temperature is between 65 and 95 degrees F. The label also cautions against spraying trees that are under stress from disease, drought, or other causes. It may be challenging to spray to the top of a large tree. A retail nursery operator tells me that he carries a hose-end sprayer that can be adjusted to siphon 1 quart per 10 gallons (set to deliver 6 tablespoons [3 ounces] of concentrate per gallon of spray) and will spray up to 30 feet with good hose pressure. If one gets good coverage at the proper time, my sources tell me that the product is usually effective in preventing fruit development. For large trees or when multiple trees must be treated, it is best to retain the services of a firm with the proper equipment to do the job.