how do I stop a ginko tree from fruiting?

[Jonathan Johnson]

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!!

[Jan Flora]

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

[David J Bockman]

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

"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

"Florel® 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

[Salty Thumb]

I bet if that's the case then a nicely gift wrapped package of gingko 'apples' to some city officials will get fast results. Or will get your face plastered on the news, depending what things are like in NYC these days.

-- Salty

[dr-solo]

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[Hope Munro Smith]

[e-mail] (Jan Flora) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

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.

[S]

Gingko Biloba is the genus/species name of the tree. The dietary supplement is basically the fruit. There is no substance on earth more akin to the smell of canine feces than that fruit. Having said that, the fruit is a delicacy in SE Asia and I remember 15 yrs ago in high school a japanese exchange student being quite shocked that we did not eat the berries (we were equally shocked that anyone would get closer to them than strictly necessary). Gingkos are dioescious-whole trees are a single gender. Most commercial plantings will unsurprisingly be males, which bear no fruit. God bless you if you are brave enough to suffer a female. The breed can't live forever on cuttings.