GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - how do I stop a ginko tree from fruiting?

29-08-2003, 06:42 PM

(Jan Flora) wrote in
:

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

Gosh, I think ginko trees are the loveliest things to see! I didn't
realize that they had smelly fruit, I'll have to check the one I go by
everyday to see if it has any on it.