Sweetgum isn't an ideal food source for deer, but they'll still eat it as a 3rd choice browse plant.
The list of birds that eat sweetgum seeds also includes the likes of the purple finch, eastern towhee, evening grosbeak, pine siskin, yellow-bellied sapsucker, white-throated and white-crowned sparrow. Sweetgum seeds are also eaten by mammals such as gray squirrels and eastern chipmunks.
If you're up for some experimenting, sweet gum balls can be used to make a tea from boiling the young green seeds. The resulting decoction is known for its antiviral properties and can be used as a preventative measure against sickness, or as a remedy for the flu (consult your doctor if symptoms persist).
The top 20 deer foods are: acorns, alfalfa, apples, beechnuts, brassicas, cereal grains, clover, corn, cowpeas, fall leaves, fir needles, forbs, milo, northern white cedar, persimmons, pears, saplings and shrubs, soybeans, and treetops (felled or fallen).
I use a strong backpack blower. Blow them into a pile, then rake them onto a tarp and haul them off.
Prices vary, but you can get as much as $20 for 100 sweet gum balls. Hopefully, this has given you some ideas on how to make a little extra money, easily maintain a clean yard, and put those sweet gum balls to good use.
While they're not edible, the balls can double as spiky mulch to keep animals away from young plants. You can even get creative and use them to make holiday trinkets or decorative balls for bowls.
Once again, do not feed corn to the deer; however, they may eat it if very hungry. Corn is a complex food source for deer as it contains a low quantity of proteins, and they may have trouble digesting it. That said, eating corn does not bring any harm to a deer herd.
Learn More About Five Well-Known Deer Foods
Just about every hunter knows that deer devoir acorns, alfalfa, apples, corn, and soybeans.
Of course he is, because squirrels apparently do find these sweet gum spiky balls to be a delicacy….
Not only does the tree produce massive amounts of the gum balls, but they are notorious for being impossible to compost, mulch, or even rake up in their large quantities. Ridding your property of Sweetgum balls with a lawn vacuum or mower is a challenge.
Each sweetgum tree annually drops hundreds of round, prickly seed capsules that can be easy to slip on when walking and are difficult to clean up.
Despite their tough exterior, Sweetgum trees are not inherently toxic to dogs. The tree's components, including the bark, leaves, and seeds, do not contain substances that are known to be lethal to canines.
The Cherokee and other tribes used the resin to calm nervousness. For this it was taken as an infusion (tea). The Cherokee and Choctaw also combined the resin with strawberrybush to make a beverage of unknown appeal, and the resin, when hardened and sticky, was chewed as a gum.
Sweetgum isn't an ideal food source for deer, but they'll still eat it as a 3rd choice browse plant.
By incorporating natural scents they dislike, such as garlic, lavender, mint, and cinnamon, and applying them strategically around your garden, you can create an invisible barrier that protects your plants without harming the deer.
For many deer hunters, Tink's #69 is the OG of deer attractants, and as such, it has been a staple at deer camps across the country for generations. Made with a blend of concentrated doe estrus urine, “#69” is the product number, although plenty of rut innuendo has accompanied its use.
Mineral salt also has a potent scent to attract deer, particularly when wet. And in taste tests, most prefer salt rocks over manufactured blocks. Deer will lick mineral rocks year-round and seek the nutrients they provide during every life phase.
Providing supplemental food for deer is not in their best interest, as their activity, movement, and feeding naturally decrease in the winter. Deer utilize their body fat and browse on natural available vegetation.
Certain plants, such as rhubarb, are toxic to deer. Deer usually also avoid root vegetables (which require digging) and prickly vegetables such as cucumbers and squashes with hairy leaves. Cultivars with strong odors such as onions, garlic and fennel are not palatable to deer.
What is the cheapest thing to feed deer? Corn and grains are cost-effective options that are rich in carbohydrates, while soybeans provide a good balance of carbohydrates and fat. These are particularly beneficial for deer during the winter months when they need extra energy.
Sweetgum balls can be run through a chipper for mulch, but should not be composted as they take years to decompose.
Many of the medicinal properties of sweetgum are derived from the resinous sap that exudes when the outer bark of the tree has been damaged. The sap, known as storax, has been used for centuries to treat common ailments such as skin problems, coughs, and ulcers.
Unfortunately, the entire tree must be sprayed each year and spraying at the right flower stage is critical. Most people find the effort too difficult. If you decide to try, you can purchase ethepon (click for sources) . Snipper is an injectable product that de-balls a sweetgum.