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Cahenry
My Favorite Photo
My Garden Journal
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My Garden
| | Posted on Monday, March 15, 2004 - 07:53 pm EST : |   
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What do you think?
This is an experiment. I usually mulch with mini nuggets but was hoping to come up with some easily accessible mulch materials - besides leaves and purchased barks.
There are some really good reasons why this might work.
I have mountains of them. They will deter slugs (I've read this) and probably larger critters (dogs, for instance) from the bed because they are quite sharp and unpleasant to walk on. They allow air to get to the roots while shading them. They stick together so they will probably stay put. They don't break down for several seasons (more like years).
On the other hand, I will be pulling sweet gum seedlings out - but that's not too difficult when they are small. And the birds have done a good job of eating the seeds so far and will no doubt continue to work on them.
Well, its an idea. When you have many mature sweet gum trees, there just seems there has to be something you can do with these things.
cahenry (Cathy) GA Zone 7
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Ladybugkaren
| | Posted on Monday, March 15, 2004 - 08:01 pm EST : |
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Hi Cathy,
What a great looking mulch. I love the texture. And it deters slugs??? Maybe you can start a new business :)
Karen
Ladybugkaren,NB,Canada,4b |
Kniceone
My Garden Journal
My Weather
| | Posted on Monday, March 15, 2004 - 08:43 pm EST : |
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Cathy they do look very novel but what are they? I am not familiar with sweet gum tree so is this like a pine cone? They almost look like teasels.
Jodi, ONT, Z4, Great White North
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Cahenry
My Favorite Photo
My Garden Journal
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My Garden
| | Posted on Monday, March 15, 2004 - 09:16 pm EST : |
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They're sweet gum balls. LOL. The tree they fall from is Liquidambar styraciflua. The fruit is about a 1" round prickly ball. They are very sturdy and last a remarkably long time.
cahenry (Cathy) GA Zone 7
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Gardenshowlady
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 16, 2004 - 09:15 pm EST : |
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And they hurt real bad when you step on them with barefeet!!
I think this is a great idea. I have a boatload of them too...
I think I will try this on a bed or 2. The mulch looks very nice.
Gardenshowlady |
Caracol
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 16, 2004 - 09:57 pm EST : |
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AMAZING IDEA, Cathy!!
And the colour looks great as contrast for green leaves.
Maybe chestnuts would do, too. Well, the squirrels would have moved them into storage by now. ;->>
Or the the fruit of the Platanus, which is quite similar to the Liquidambar fruit and more common here in our environment, as we don't get so many big liquidambars here (still a bit of a novelty) but lots of huge Plane trees.
Caracol - Southern UK - Zone 8 |
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