Ok, let's not try to cut down a perfectly good ginkgo...
The city should have an arborist who can apply a hormone to the tree that
will essentially trick it into 'believing' its fruited already. If not, a
commercial arborist can be hired to do the same.
From
http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/2001/102001.html:
"There is a product called a fruit eliminator which is labeled to prevent or
at least reduce fruit production on a large number of ornamental trees. It
functions by producing ethylene gas, a naturally occurring plant hormone
that can cause immature fruit to drop if applied when the fruit are very
small (just following flowering). It will not be effective if applied later.
I have seen it promoted by some horticultural supply retailers in New
Mexico, so I suspect you can find this product in the state. Be sure to read
the label to determine if it is labeled for your types of fruit trees. Then
be certain to follow the directions when using the fruit eliminator."
and from
http://www.hirts.com/cgi-local/catal...32,&item=1762:
"FlorelŪ brand Fruit Eliminator is registered to reduce or eliminate
undesirable fruit development on many ornamental trees and shrubs such as:
apple, buckeye, carob, cottonwood, crabapple, elm, flowering pear, horse
chestnut, maple, oak, olive, pine, sour orange, sweet gum (liquidambar) and
sycamore. It also works on many other species that produce nuisance fruit.
Application must be made prior to fruit set; apply at the mid to full-bloom
stage in sufficient water to wet (do not spray to run off). Good spray
coverage is essential for complete fruit elimination. Application made too
early or too late will also not be effective. Apply at 1 quart per 10
gallons of water (3 oz./gallon). The amount of spray used will depend upon
the size of the tree. Temperatures at the time of application should be
between 65 degrees Fahrenheit and 95 degrees Fahrenheit for the best
results. Do not apply to trees that are under stress from disease, high
temperatures, drought, etc.
In university tests, we have received 95-100 percent control of undesirable
fruit on many species. However, timing is extremely critical!"
Dave
"Jan Flora" wrote in message
...
In article ,
wrote:
Hi - hope someone her can help me, I have a female Ginko tree thats
going to
fruit out in front of my building.
Its a nice looking tree, problem is, the fruit smells like VOMIT. And no
matter what i do to clean it up, it stinks in front of MY building and
the
neighbors give me the stink-eye in return (which can be dangerous in
brooklyn...)
i can't kill the tree (and don' really want to), its in front of my
house but
technically belongs to the city.
any suggestions on how to stop the tree from fruiting?
the only info i could find was a reference giberellic acid retarding
budding.
if nobody knows how to stop the fruiting, I'd settle for an idea on
something
to clean the sidewalk that could stop the stench...powerwashing is out
because i would splash the rotting fruit onto the neighbors cars...even
more
dangerous.
please help, stink season is fast approaching!!
Well, if the tree "technically" belongs to the city, it's their problem.
You could enlist your neighbors to petition the city to remove the
offending
tree and replace it with something less offensive. (Hell, hang a sign on
the
tree saying, "ask the city council to replace this tree with something
that
doesn't stink. Inquire within.")
You have my condolences, since you live in Brooklyn, but I've heard that
if
you have to live in a crowded place, that ain't a bad place to live. At
least
you probably know all of your neighbors, which is more than most folks in
the suburbs can say...)
Jan, former denizen of "Little Italy" in San Francisco, now in Alaska