Q. We have a Texas umbrella tree which is approximately 15-years old. In spring when it blossoms, it produces these peas/pods which drop on the lawn and are a pain to remove since we have synthetic grass. This also occurs in the fall when the leaves drop.
Is there a spray or solution we can use to eliminate these annoying peas/pods? I really don’t want to remove the tree (it’s my favorite) but it really hurts my husband’s back when he has to rake them and vacuum them with the indoor/outdoor vacuum. Can you help us?
Is there a spray or solution we can use to eliminate these annoying peas/pods? I really don’t want to remove the tree (it’s my favorite) but it really hurts my husband’s back when he has to rake them and vacuum them with the indoor/outdoor vacuum. Can you help us?
A. This is going to be a tough one. There are several products that are supposed to eliminate or remove flowers or fruit from trees and shrubs. The problem will be they’ve never been tested on Texas umbrella tree so the rate of application and timing might be difficult to establish without doing some experimentation.
Most likely any chemical that you use will have to be sprayed over the entire canopy of the tree at least once or possibly even twice depending on what the label tells you to do.
You can try Florel Fruit eliminator for example and follow the labels precisely if it is going to work. Missing an application by even a couple of days might mean it will not work. Let me know how it turns out.