How Far Away Do I Need to Live From a Sweet Gum Tree?

Size

• A mature sweetgum tree matures 60 to 80 feet tall and 40 to 60 feet wide. If in close proximity to other woodland trees, the sweetgum develops a much narrower width but readily towers as tall as 100 feet. When the tree's branches are full of round seed capsules, they drop anywhere from the trunk outward at least as wide as the farthest reach of the branches. Wind tosses the seed balls far from the tree and they can roll to travel farther.

Avoiding Dropping Seed Balls

• You can avoid the dropping of the prickly seed balls from a sweetgum if your property is no closer than 100 feet from the tree. Younger, smaller trees will not pose as much of a litter threat, but as the tree ages over several decades, the seed balls drop and roll closer and closer. Trees begin to form seed balls when 20 to 30 years old and continue until trees are large and at least 150 years of age. Seed balls can still find their way into your yard because of the chute projectile from neighbor's lawn mowers. Mower blades do not pulverize the sweetgum balls, but toss them as the lawn is mowed anytime from late September through the winter.

Root Issues

• Sweetgum trees can grow quite tall and broad, but a liability is their shallow root systems, according to the University of Connecticut Plant Database. Wet soils or light-textured soils may cause the trees to more readily topple during fierce windstorms. While roots are not as surface-dwelling and tripping hazards as those of the red maple, any cutting damage on roots from digging with a shovel or tiller results in suckering shoots. Surface roots from a nearby sweetgum may cause young weedy sprouts 10 to 50 feet away from the trunk, the larger the tree, the greater the distance the roots extend and can sucker.

Seedless Tree

• If you enjoy the architectural stature, leaf shape and fall foliage color of sweetgum trees but not the seed balls, plant the sterile cultivar called Rotundiloba. Sometimes referred to as the fruitless sweetgum, Rotundifolia matures only 50 to 70 feet tall and 20 to 25 feet wide. It is less tolerant of winter cold that regular sweetgum; plant Rotundiloba only in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through 9. Other sweetgums grow in zones 5 through 10a.