I pulled this maple tree seedling from one of my outdoor potted plants this morning and thought it might be of interest to those who might want to share it with their children, as it illustrates perfectly how seeds become plants.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I live in Brazil Campo Grande, MS (south central region) where the climate is equivalent to south Texas. Here the summers are warm and humid (19ºc 68ºf to 29ºc 84ºf) the winters are dry and cool (4ºc 38ºf to 25ºc 77ºf). The seasons are not so defined here. In late winter we can have very hot temperatures, reaching 36ºC degrees and 2 months without rain (August and September). I really love autumn leaf colors, but here we don't have these kind of trees. I have some maple tree seedlings Japanese, red, silver, and sugar maple. They're 1.5m (4ft) high. I heard that maples need snow to grow well. Is it true? Do you think they will survive here? Will the leaves change color?
Most of the folks on this site are in the US so we probably won't be able to help as much as we would like.
I can tell you from experience, maples, while lovely trees, have roots that can cause massive damage to homes and sidewalks, so be very, very careful where you plant these lovely trees.
When I moved into my home I had almost a dozen maples of various kinds and ages and all had to be removed by the 10th year as they had started pushing on my foundation, broke into my sewer line and totally uprooted my sidewalk. We spent thousands of dollars in repairs and tree removal.
I miss them. They were home to many birds, squirrels and such, but their roots are a nightmare and my home was suffering.
Just my two cents worth about the trees!
That all said, you may want to talk to your local agriculture school and see what they recommend for planting in your country.
Post back what you learn!! Thanks for asking. Sorry that I could not have been of more help!
Maple trees are suited for a climate in the northeast United States. They wont do well in a Texas climate.
I will try to answer your question. Maple trees will have a difficult time growing in your zone but some may survive if you grow them in partial shade (remember - may grow) as this is not the best climate for growing any kind of maple tree.
Maple trees can take full sunlight in my part of the world but I have been told that higher zones (like yours) need less sun but will still struggle.
If I find out anymore about growing them in your zone, I will post that information.
The colors are beautiful but they do not seem to last for very long.
Remember; nothing ventured nothing gained.
Since you already have the trees I would suggest planting them in 5 gallon containers (make sure of excellent drainage and very loose soil - mix good soil with perilite) to begin their growth so you can move them to different areas if necessary.
Ok I'll do it. It doesn't hurt to try. I'm gonna post some pictures of them later.
Thank you!
I hope you will see a flaming maple tree one day!
These do grow okay in containers as I have some Japanese trees in containers and they are doing well (I may plant them later).
If you read some information on the web sites about maple trees be sure to use your zone when asking for information (on Google) so you will be sure it might be of help.
But then just read about these trees so you will see how many different varieties there are in each category.
Last fall I was given little shoots of some red maple trees. They all have a great root base established now, however, they are very tiny, some are less than a foot tall. My concern is we live in a very open area with a lot of wind. Should I continue growing them in small flower pots until they grow a little more, or should I transplant them now.
Hardiness Zone: 5a
By kimberly from Monroe, MI
We bought some very small bare root trees last year and planted them then. I staked them because we get some high winds also. I tied them with strips of nylon net in several places. They're doing fine now and growing already.
Like Glenn's Mom said, I think you can plant them now as long as you stake them.
We have had no rain at all in Maryland for three weeks. I have a 25 year old maple tree that has bunches of leaves that are turning like they are going to die. I soaked the tree about two days ago, but it doesn't seem to have helped. I am worried I will lose the tree. Any suggestions would be welcome.
Hardiness Zone: 7a
By Betty from Abingdon, MD
Trees in a prolonged drought will be distressed and drop their leaves early. It helps them to conserve what water they can get. A 25 year old tree should have reasonably deep roots so it should be able to access deep water. It should be ok next year as long as the drought doesn't go on too long or happen too often. If you do water , really really soak it to avoid bringing the roots to the surface but I it sounds as if you know that anyway We're getting this problem too, it hurts to look at them. Best of luck.
Marg from England.
Marg.
Thank you so much for your answer. I really appreciate it. We have had 3 days of rain in the last 4 days so I think the worst is over. As you said it hurts to look at those bunches of brown leaves.
Betty from Abingdon, MD
Should I worry about the future full-grown tree trunk being weak and susceptible to splitting because of this situation? My mom has passed away and it would be difficult for me to get another seedling from the maple tree where she used to live, but if this one is ultimately doomed to have a weak trunk, should I not waste my time on it?
Hardiness Zone: 7a
By Harriett from northwest AR
I would leave it alone for a couple of years and let it recover and then prune some of the side branches. The new leader will become stronger. I would prune the broken part even so the tree can heal itself. Maples are tough.
When you prune it leave one branch. It will become a tree. I have done this with maples & other trees. I prune in the fall, good luck.
I have many maple trees around my house. A lot of the leaves have spores on the leaves and the leaves are very sticky. The sap is all over my deck and my house.
When we are outside our clothes get sticky. Why is this happening? It has never been like this before.When does a harlequin maple produce it's seeds?
Hardiness Zone: 5b
By Barbara from Fitchburg, MA
Harlequin maple is a form of Norway maple. But the source I checked said "plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed." Sorry! It doesn't sound like you can propagate this from seed.
Why is my sugar maple tree's leaves turning brown on the edge of the leaf?
By LF
We have 2 small Japanese maple trees in our front yard. One of them is mostly dead with a small amount of leaves on the bottom. the other did very well over the winter. I'm wondering if there's a way that I can trim the one and graft it or plant it with the one that didn't do so well. How would I go about doing that?
Check out these photos.
I had to cut down a small maple tree. It was growing too close to a retaining wall. I hadn't gotten around to removing the stump. After a hard rain, I noticed several water sprouts had grown up from the base of the stump. The leaves on the sprouts were alive with colors usually found in autumn rather than spring.
Maple leaves turning color is a sign of the arrival of autumn. However, if your maple's leaves are turning early, it may be a sign of distress. This is a page about maple tree losing its leaves early.
The sugar maple, red maple, and black maple trees are the source of the sap that is used to make delicious maple syrup. This is a page about which varieties of maple trees produce sap for making syrup?
