Can You Stop Flowering Plants From Setting Seed Altogether?

Question

I’ve just finished my yearly task of cutting the flowers off from several flowering vines (sweet almond) that camouflage an unsightly area beautifully. The vines have millions of flowers and each flower sets 6-8 seeds. So, in order to keep it from overrunning the Western Hemisphere, I spend several days and several large trash bags cutting off all the flowers when they are spent and before they can set seed. The process is rather like shearing a sheep, only wet, heavy and hard to stuff into the bag. Is there something that would prevent the seed formation, a spray or dust?

Answer 1

This is a complicated subject. If you seek to do this without much risk, then you are doing the best that you can. If you choose a chemical means to do this, you can be subject to highly carcinogenic chemicals, or compounds that have negative effects on wildlife, and will need to follow strict laws when applying these chemicals. Not all plant growth regulators, and sterilizer are created equal! Some are safer than others.

There may be people in your area that can do this for you, so you will want to contact your local extension for more information:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/extension-search

This article will give you more information on auxin inhibitors:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/fruit-tree-sterilization.htm