The American sweetgum tree, Liquidambar styraciflua, is prized for its star-shaped leaves and vibrant fall color, but it produces a significant annual cleanup challenge for homeowners. This challenge comes from the tree’s spiky, spherical seed pods, commonly called sweet gum balls, which are typically 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter and drop from late winter through spring. These bristly clusters create an uneven, hazardous ground surface, making walking difficult and impeding routine lawn maintenance. Successfully clearing this debris requires different approaches, ranging from manual effort to specialized machinery, depending on the yard size and the volume of balls.
Using Standard Yard Tools
Manual collection with standard tools is the most accessible method for managing sweet gum balls in smaller areas. The effectiveness of raking depends heavily on the tool type and technique used to gather the debris. A flexible leaf rake is often ineffective as the tines simply pass over or around the heavy, spiky pods, pushing them into the turf.
A landscape or garden rake with stiff, closely spaced tines provides the necessary rigidity to lift the balls from the grass and soil surface. These rakes are designed to handle heavier material and can successfully push the balls into manageable piles. Once concentrated, a flat-edged shovel or large dustpan can be used to scoop the debris directly into a yard waste container or bag. This two-step process minimizes direct contact with the bristly surface and reduces the strain of bending over repeatedly.
Specialized Collection Devices
For property owners dealing with large quantities of sweet gum balls, specialized tools engineered for nut and seed collection offer a significant advantage over simple raking. The most popular solution is the rolling nut gatherer, which uses a rotating, flexible wire cage attached to a long handle. As the user pushes the device across the lawn, the wires flex outward, allowing the sweet gum balls to enter the cage.
These devices are highly efficient at isolating the balls from grass and leaves, operating best on lawns cut to a short height to allow the cage’s tines to reach the ground effectively. Different models are available, some designed for push operation and others that can be towed behind a riding mower or ATV for wide-area coverage. The collected balls are easily emptied by lifting the cage and ejecting the contents into a collection bin, providing a faster and less labor-intensive alternative.
Employing Power Equipment
Motorized equipment can significantly expedite the removal process in yards with a high volume of dropped balls. A high-powered leaf blower, ideally a backpack model, can be used to move the balls into a consolidated pile for collection. This technique works best when the balls are loose on the surface and have not been pressed deep into the turf by foot traffic or mowing.
Yard vacuums can be highly effective, but they must be rated for heavy debris. Standard residential leaf vacuums may clog or suffer damage to the impeller when processing the hard, woody sweet gum balls. Alternatively, a lawnmower with a high-lift blade and a bagging system can be used to collect and finely mulch the balls. Setting the mower deck to a higher height helps prevent clogging while the suction lifts the balls into the collection bag.