Caring For Blackgum Trees
Spring
It is not necessary to fertilize Black Tulepo in the spring, that is an optional job best done in the fall. Blackgum flowers from April through June. The flowers are small and greenish white. All trees living in turf are stressed because the turf wins out in the battle for food and for water. Ground cover plants or mulch around the base of the tree helps reduce this stress.

Summer
In periods of drought, this tree should be watered just as much as other plants in the landscape.

Fall
The fruit of Blackgum ripens in September and October and drops from September through November. The fruit, an oblong drupe, is about 0.5 in long and is blue-black, the pit is indistinctly ribbed. Some folks consider these blue fruits a nuisance but they wash away easily. Many birds and mammals adore them.
The tree is relatively slow growing but will respond well to applications of fertilizer in the fall. . Sprinkle the fertilizer on the soil under each tree out to1 1/2 times the distance from the trunk to the tips of its branches (its drip line). The general rule is two cups of slow release granular fertilizer for every inch of diameter of the trunk measured four feet above the soil surface.

Winter
Lower limbs can droop as the tree grows, and need to be pruned if you wish to walk under the tree’s canopy. Remove any storm damaged limbs as soon as is feasible.