Sweetgum - One of the 100 Most Common North American Trees

Insects and Diseases of Sweetgum

Sweetgum Leaf in Autumn with Gumballs

Used With Permission, Jane Kirkland/Take a Tree Walk

"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..."

More on Tree Insects and Disease

• Introduction To the Sweetgum
• Description and Identification of Sweetgum
• The Natural Range of Sweetgum
• The Silviculture and Management of Sweetgum
• Insects and Diseases of Sweetgum