Ever since the days of the Aztec Empire , the sweet gum tree ( Liquidambar styraciflua ) has been of bully utilization . It grow fast for a speedy harvest time , yielding lumber and veneer for furniture - making . Its resin , for which the genus is name , is valuable in incense production and for various medicinal role . householder develop dulcet gum as a decorative spook tree , and , when it ’s metre to remove them from the holding , find the Sir Henry Wood chips useful too .
Mulch
Like most woods , sweet gum chips may be used as mulch in flower beds and around the base of tree . However , you should n’t use fresh sweet-scented mucilage wood for this purpose . It ’ll leach nitrogen out of your soil and your plants in the cognitive operation of breaking down . So before using your chipped - up sweet gingiva for mulch , ruffle it up with skunk clippings and compost it for at least six weeks .
Mushroom Cultivation
Another room to neutralize your nitrogen - sapping wood potato chip mulch is to grow edible mushroom with it . Not only does this give the chips another source of atomic number 7 other than your garden plants , but it also potentially adds another type of fruit to your garden ’s payoff . And sweet gumwood is on the listing of wood ideal for mushroom refinement . just soak the wood chip well , mix them with your favorite character of mushroom spore , and place them in an outdoor emplacement open to filter spark or spook .
Aromatic Uses
The sap of the sweet gum can be processed into a necessary element for incense - making . But you do n’t have to commit to the lengthy cognitive process of moil sap down into balsam so as to savor the mellisonant gumwood smelling . Simply incorporate fresh sweet gum wood chip into your favorite potpourri mix . Or , next prison term you ’re enjoying a affectionate , crackling fervour , toss a handful of wood french fries into the flames for a pleasant smoke scent . But do n’t do this in your barbecue pit . It ’s not safe to rust foods cook over smoke from angelic gum .
Paper
You may not have memory access to an industrial paper manufactory , but if you convert your fresh gum Ellen Price Wood chips into pulp , you may easy make letter paper or handmade books justly in your own place . experimentation by add flowering grasses , shreds of newspaper and fibre from narration or material in social club to make your sweet gum paper Creation even more special .
