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Sweetgum - One of the 100 Most Common North American Trees

By , About.com Guide

Insects and Diseases of Sweetgum
Sweetgum Leaf in Autumn with Gumballs

Sweetgum Leaf in Autumn with Gumballs

Used With Permission, Jane Kirkland/Take a Tree Walk
Pest information courtesy of Introduction to Sweetgum, USFS Fact Sheet ST358 :

"Although it grows at a moderate pace, Sweetgum is rarely attacked by pests, and tolerates wet soils, but chlorosis is often seen in alkaline soils. Trees grow well in deep soil, poorly in shallow, droughty soil.
Sweetgum is difficult to transplant and should be planted from containers or transplanted in the spring when young since it develops deep roots on well-drained soil. It is native to bottomlands and moist soils and tolerates only some (if any) drought. Existing trees often dieback near the top of the crown, apparently due to extreme sensitivity to construction injury to the root system, or drought injury. The tree leafs out early in the spring and is sometimes damage by frost..."

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