Harvesting requires tapping the tree and allowing the sap to drip out into a bucket attached to the tree’s trunk. It usually takes about 30 to 50 gallons of Sugar Maple sap to cook up one gallon of pure maple sugar. Chicken wire or hardware cloth encircling the truck will help protect your young tree during its sapling stage. Physical barriers are the easiest way to deter most of these animals and keep the peace. A single porcupine will girdle a tree by devouring much of the bark. One of the most destructive pests is not necessarily the largest. Flying, gray, and red squirrels all enjoy munching on the buds, leaves, seeds, and twigs of the Sugar Maple. These browsers include moose, snowshoe hares, and white-tailed deer. Several animal species will take more than their fair share from your maple tree. It’s also a good idea to do a fall cleanup to get rid of overwintering fungal spores on fallen leaves. Close monitoring and regular inspections of your trees can help keep many of these pests at bay. Cankers, rots, sapstream, and wilts are the most common diseases affecting maple trees. Sapsuckers, and leaf miners, can also cause minor damage. These include a variety of aphids, caterpillars, and moths. Many insect pests like to call Sugar Maple Trees home. This entails removing any crossing, dead, or diseased branches. Mature trees will benefit from maintenance pruning. Pruning then will cause the least amount of stress and sap “bleeding.” Do an initial shaping on young trees under five years old. The sap under the tree’s bark is usually lowest in the hot summer months. Pruning Sugar Maple Trees is best undertaken by a professional for safety reasons and for the health of the tree. The flowers grow pairs of winged seeds that mature in early fall. It is believed that the wind pollinates the trees, not the bees. Bees visit Sugar Maple blossoms as soon as the first greenish-yellow flower appears. The Sugar Maple Trees flower in April and May. Soil tests can determine any deficiencies your soil may have. Young Sugar Maples enjoy light fertilizer feedings, while mature trees rarely need them. Many maple tree farmers set up regular irrigation systems. Mulch can help retain moisture during dry periods. Form a ring of mulch around the base of the tree, but not touching the trunk. They want their soil moist but never soaking wet. Young trees do not like heat or being thirsty, so water well until established. Sugar Maple Trees are fairly drought tolerant, but like regular watering during the dry months. Once you have backfilled to a level that’s equal to the top of the root ball thoroughly water the tree. Tamp the soil down to remove air pockets as you go. Place the tree in the hole while backfilling with the original, or amended, soil. On a cool day in early fall or winter, dig a hole two to three times bigger than the root ball’s diameter, and deep enough so that the root flare is level with the ground. It is not a good candidate along streets or roads where salt is used as a deicer in the winter. Slightly acidic to alkaline soil is tolerated, but any salt in the soil will destroy your maple tree. By Mary Van Keuren | Gardener (30+ Years Experience) – last update on December 2, 2021Ĭhoose a wide-open space with plenty of sunshine and fertile, well-drained soil.
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