Sweet Gum - what to go under or near
sommer
18 years ago
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enchantedplace
18 years agoRelated Discussions
Ideas for groundcover under sweet gum w/exposed roots?
Comments (1)Commelina is native to moist woodlands - I think you need to be looking at plants tolerant of dry shade. And off the top of my head, I can't think of any that would grow under those extremely minimal soil conditions. And adding soil is not exactly an option. As little as a couple of inches of soil added over the root system/dripline of established trees can effectively smother the roots and eventually kill the tree. I'd stick with a thin layer of some sort of mulch and call it good. The more textural the mulch - gravel, bark nuggets, wood chips - the less of an issue it is for the tree. If you want color, place a couple of planted containers around the base....See MoreHELP!! Non-Oz gardener! What grows under gums?
Comments (5)I grow lots under my Gum trees, a couple have a Bougainvillea climbing under them, I wont let it go no higher than say 8ft or 2.4 mts, another one has Ferns, Agapanthus, a native orchid, and a climber called Stephanotis Floribunda with a white flower. Other side of the driveway has a Gum tree with a Allamander climber, it has yellow trumpet flowers, beneath them are more Agapanthus and Gazania,there are also two red/purple coloured Cordyline. But my favourite Gum under it, it has a White Wisteria, Federation Daisy, Bromeliad, Canna lilys Jonquill,Fressia Begonia, ferns, it is big wide tree, There are also hanging baskets on the lower branches with Zygocactus. But you have got to water them I gave up on the raised garden beds under the trees, same trouble too many roots so now they are just planted in the soil around the base of the trees and they have about 6ins or 15cms of mulch on them. I live in Brisbane the Capital of Queensland it is sub tropical a bit dry the past few years so a lot of hand watering is needed, So Good Luck with your Gardening. MM....See MoreDo Sweet Gum Trees have a low life expectancy?
Comments (14)I would get rid of it. Trying to restore a declining/struggling tree in this type of situation is more often than not a losing battle, and it is rarely worth the effort. And sweetgums don't have the most attractive structure to begin with IMO. So if you are talking about one that is already struggling and losing branches, it likely will never be a beauty. Throw in the fact that it is a probably a wild tree in a less-than-ideal location for the seeds, and I cannot imagine justifying $$ on arborist consulting and rehab work. People on this board will often recommend calling in an arborist for various issues, but bear in mind that they are not cheap consultants, and they are pretty limited in what they can do for bigger shade trees. If you are bringing out someone to cut down the redbud, the incremental cost for removing this tree and planting a more suitable one will be minimal. If you really like the tree, you can always just wait a year and gauge whether it is continuing to decline or bouncing back, before spending any $$ on it. Just another opinion for you......See MoreSweet Gum Tree Leaves Black at Edges
Comments (8)Yes, foliar chlorosis is almost always associated with one or more mineral nutrient deficiencies, often to iron and/or manganese. Sometimes nitrogen itself. The black leaf edges are a separate issue, most likely a bacterial or fungal leaf scorch syndrome. So, two different things going on with those leaves. OP, while your soil may be low in iron and/or manganese, it is at least just as likely that the actual genesis of the problem (of the chlorotic foliage) is a too-high soil pH. You can have that checked. So, if in fact, the soil pH is too high for the species, soil sulfur can be applied rather liberally around the root zone of the tree. In time, that will drive down the pH and the tree will be able to better access the nutrients it needs. However-and this is especially true in fine-textured soils (clay-based), in time, the pH will tend to drift right back to where it was via soil buffering capacity. Just something to be aware of-you can easily reapply the acidifying agent. +oM...See Moresommer
18 years agorazorback33
18 years agojaceysgranny
18 years agotfriedlob_yahoo_com
18 years agoMarian_2
18 years agoAngela Bahling
4 years agoPJ
4 years ago
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