Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> Seeding and Propagation

Do Sycamore Seed Balls Repel Spiders?

Sycamore seed balls (buttonballs) have no proven spider-repellent properties. The folklore likely confuses them with hedge apples (Osage orange), which also lack scientific support for pest control.

Sycamore balls serve only as seed dispersal units. For spider management, focus on exclusion, reducing clutter, and targeted treatments if needed.

Seeding and Propagation: Premature Fruit Ripening and Drop in Plum Trees: Environmental Causes; Tiny Wingless Black Bugs in Basement Apartment: Fungus Gnats or Drain Flies?; Gala Apple Seedlings in Florida: Chill Hours Required; Plum and Peach Seed Handling: Don't Crack Pits, Embryo Shrivel Explained; Germinating Peach Seeds: Hybrid Warning and Cutting Alternative; Sycamore Seedlings Stalled at 2 Inches: Overwatering and Transplant Time; Ficus benjamina Fruit: Green Berries Are Normal; Passion Vine Slow Establishment: Patience & Light Feeding; Growing Star Fruit from Seed: Viability, Planting, and Early Care; Eliminating Fungus Gnats from New Houseplants: Systemic Soil Treatment and Repotting

Garden Articles

Fruit Fly-Like Insects in a Basement: Sources and Management

Shade Trees, Fruit/Vegetable Garden, and Tropical Plants in Overland Park, Kansas

Identifying Osage-Orange: The "Monkey Brain" Fruit Tree

Organic Codling Moth Control in Apple and Pear Orchards

Why Tomato Flowers Drop in Extreme Heat

Growing Fruit Plants: A Rewarding Home Garden Endeavor

Why Blueberries Didn’t Fruit This Year

Plants

Transplanting 15–20 Year Fruit Trees: Possible With Tree Spade

Yellow Balls in Houseplant Soil: Mealybugs or Fungus?

Harvesting Banana Fruit After Frost Damage

Wild Persimmon Tree Identification

Worms in Peppers & Cherry Trees: Organic Controls That Work

Pumpkin Delicata Fruit Abortion & Bean Leaf Curl: Pollination & Soil Fixes

Growing Fruit Trees and Bushes: Fresh Harvests from Your Own Yard