How to Grow and Care for Silver Maple

The silver maple is a shade tree known for its fast growth, attractive foliage, and the production of samaras, otherwise known as "helicopters" that easily distribute silver maple seeds. Silver maple grows best in cooler regions with four seasons that have a range of moderate temperatures and produce a good amount of moisture during wet summers. Learn the pros and cons of silver maple so you can determine whether the tree is suitable for your own yard.

Silver Maple Care

Here are the main care requirements for growing a silver maple tree.

• Grow silver maple tree in full sun for best results, although it is tolerant of partial shade.
• Plant in moist, well-draining soil will not become too dry.
• Regularly water a young silver maple even in wet soil; it will tolerate some drought once established.
• Do not fertilize a silver maple, it will thrive on its own in moist soil. Fertilizing the tree makes it grow faster but weaker.
• Prune a young silver maple for shape and then only after any limbs have been damaged. The damaged limbs should be pruned back to the collar.

Light

Planting your silver maple in an area that gets plenty of sunlight will ensure you it has the best conditions to stay healthy and produce the lovely vibrant green foliage for which it's known. It can tolerate partial shade but will not thrive in full shade at all. Aim to give your tree at least six hours of light daily, either direct or indirect.

Soil

This tree is naturally accustomed to the silt of floodplains and needs moist, well-draining soil that is somewhat rich in organic material. Silver maples do not thrive in dry soil.

Water

If grown in the proper conditions and region, your silver maple should not require supplemental watering once it is established. Until then, water your young tree weekly for the first two seasons until it's established. Follow the rule of 2 to 3 gallons of water per caliper inch of trunk diameter. After the second year, let nature handle the watering needs.

Temperature and Humidity

Silver maple adapts to a wide range of climates and can handle humid conditions. However, silver maples prefer the eastern seaboard with its cool falls and springs, cold winters, and wet warm summers.

Fertilizer

Skip fertilizing a silver maple. Faster growth will produce weaker wood, and they already grow at a blistering rate without any fertilizer. You can test your soil and fertilize if there is a deficiency, but otherwise the tree with be happy with simple organic fertilizers like mulch.

Types of Silver Maple

The silver maple is not grown for its short-lived flowers but rather for its foliage. There are cultivars developed to accentuate certain attractive traits and to fix some of the tree's problems.

• Acer saccharinum 'Beebe': This silver maple offers semi-pendulous limbs.
• Acer saccharinum 'Blair': This tree was bred to have stronger wood to try fixing the chief drawback of silver maples. However, its branches are still easily damaged by storms.
• Acer saccharinum 'Silver Queen': This type is a good choice for those who do not want to be bothered with having to pull unwanted seedlings since it is seedless. It has bright chartreuse leaves with almost white leaf undersides.
• Acer saccharinum'Weiri': The tree's smaller, cut-leaved form has pendulous branches.
• Acer saccharinum'Skinneri': This silver maple has a large weeping, pyramidal form.
• Acer x fremanii: This hybrid is a cross between red maple (Acer rubrum) for color and silver maple for fast growth.
  

Pruning

A certified arborist should prune the tree when it's young to train it to grow in the correct shape. Once established, yearly pruning is required to develop a strong tree. It will need to be pruned so that major limbs remain smaller than half the trunk's diameter. Structural pruning also is a priority on your yearly to-do list to eliminate weak branch crotches. Also, the trunk may develop sprouts;remove these suckerswith hand clippers and apply a sprout suppressant.

Silver maples are particularly poor at recovering from wounds. If yours has a defect, it can be risky for an arborist to fix it without causing more rot or disease. Any pruning cuts must be kept very small, which is why it is critical to prune for the desired growth structure early on.

Propagating Silver Maple

You can propagate silver maple from seed but this method is unreliable. It's easiest to propagate silver maples through the volunteer method or with cuttings.

You will find at least a dozen volunteer seedlings around your landscape from scattered samaras every year. The seeds mature in late spring and may well sprout on their own. Simply dig the seedlings and transplant them to the desired location (silver maples transplant well). Or, dig them up and place the seedlings in a pot large enough for a good root system to develop, filled with peat, sand, vermiculite, perlite, orany good soilless mix, and watch your volunteer silver maple grow.

To propagate with cuttings:

1. Choose a branch with new growth in the mid-summer or mid-fall and using a sterilized, sharp knife, cut a shoot that's 4 to 6 inches long. Take off the leaves along the lower third of the cutting.
2. Fill a pot with potting soil and poke a hole into this soil.
3. Dip the bottom of the cutting in rooting hormone, then insert the end into the hole in the soil.
4. Water the potting soil and keep the pot in indirect sunlight.
5. Keep the potting soil moist until the cutting roots. This is most easily achieved if you create a plastic tent over the cutting. For a "tent pole," insert a small stake into the potting soil. For a "canvas," drape a clear plastic bag over the stake. Lift the bag to water.
6. Once the cutting has rooted, remove the bag but continue to keep the soil evenly moist.
7. Transplant the rooted cutting outdoors next spring after all danger of frost has passed.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Numerous insects bother the silver maple but none are serious enough to cause the tree problems if it is healthy. Treat most pests with a chemical management solution. Gall mites may appear on the tree if there are growths or galls on the leaves. These pests do not damage the tree and are not long-lasting, so no treatment is necessary.

Several diseases also attack silver maples but most are not very serious. Verticillium wilt, however, can cause some issues and lead to tree death. The symptoms include wilting, dead branches, and discolored sapwood that appears dark green. Treatment for lightly infected trees involves pruning dead and infected wood. Seriously infected trees cannot be saved.

Common Problems With Silver Maple

Silver maple can be a problematic tree to grow. Its roots and its seedlings can cause headaches.

Shallow Roots

Over time, a dense network of exposed roots may form. These roots can damage mower blades. Avoid growing silver maple as a lawn tree. Instead, grow it at the edge of your property in a woodland garden that receives some sun.

Unwanted Seedlings

Your silver maple may produce unwanted seedlings that you end up removing. To avoid this issue, grow the 'Silver Queen' cultivar. Failing that, stay ahead of the problem by pulling up seedlings whenever you see them.

From: thespruce