What to do about unthrifty red maples.

10 years ago

Early this spring I planted some 30 odd trees, among them 6 sugar maples and 6 red maples. These bare rooted maples were all approx. 3 feet tall.

The sugar maples (along with a large number of evergreens and two crabapples, planted at the same time) seem to be doing well, but the red maples have lost all their leaves. I guess I should say they have lost all their leaf buds; they never leafed out as the sugar maples did.

We faithfully watered all these new trees on the handful of days last month that it did not rain. So I'm wondering if too much rain water might be responsible for the red maples' seeming demise. All our other trees were planted on a slope with excellent drainage, except for two crabapples and my experience is that apples of any kind can thrive in the wettest of conditions.

The area where I planted the maples has some drainage, but not as much as the spruce trees on the hill. I'm beginning to wish I had planted apples and crabapples in this spot instead of the maples.

I have also developed concerns about the safety of growing these red maples where they will overhang the neighbors' pasture. Since purchasing and planting the red and sugar maples I have learned that the leaves and branches of red maples are toxic to horses, and sugar maples are suspected of also being poisonous. Apparently most horses on good pasture will not browse on maples, but those with limited food resources will. Our own horses' meadow was surrounded by sugar maples, but because they never lacked for pasture grass and/or hay, they had no interest in eating maple leaves or browsing on branches. The neighbors have an agreement with a less than stellar horse owner to pasture his horses on their land, and he leaves his animals in the pasture long after the grass has been eaten, so I worry about their safety. (I would be more upset with this person except for the fact that when he finally does remove the horses to their winter home they come back the next spring in apparent good health and looking well fed.) Additionally the summer pasture bordering our land is also ringed by sugar maples, so these horses already have access to maples, sugar maples at least.

So I'm wondering if I should just pluck out the seemingly dead red maples and replace them with sugar maples. I'm open to all suggestions.

This post was edited by spedigrees on Thu, Jul 4, 13 at 15:40

Comments (5)

drrich2
10 years ago
I imagine fear of harming the horses is going to stress you enough that even if it never happens, it'll be a 'cost' of keeping the reds. With that in mind, I'd consider replacing them.

Do you like oaks? That's give you some variety, and nice, big trees. Oaks could provide some wildlife food.

Richard.
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
10 years ago
"So I'm wondering if too much rain water might be responsible for the red maples' seeming demise."

I would doubt it. Swamp maple is one of the slang names listed for Acer rubrum.

Maybe a late cold snap caught the buds while sugar was still dormant or perhaps the rubrums sat in the sun longer while out of the ground in transit or something.

If out of all them red maples not a one resprouts from down on the trunk I would be surprised.

Regardless it gives you a chance to plant more variety. That way whenever whatever maple/elm/ash bug comes through you won't lose everything.

Good luck. This is a neat chance to make an impact.
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nurseryman33
10 years ago
It could be that you did nothing wrong, and the trees were dead when you got them. I've had this experience before with bare root trees, especially if they were all of one variety and all tied together in a bundle. I once ordered a bundle of 25 hickory seedlings, bare root, and lost 20 of them. My success rate with bare root is about 95% and that includes many trees rejected for poor roots, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't me. The bundle probably dried out before I ever got it.
spedigrees z4VT
Original Author
10 years ago
Richard, your insightful reply about anxiety itself being a negative factor hit the nail on the head. If I had allowed the trees to stay and they made a comeback, the worry would have continued to eat at me.

I also appreciate your reminder, Toronado, that red maples thrive in wet conditions, along with your optimism that one or more of these trees might still re-sprout.
I think it is likely that this particular bunch of maples was somehow stressed before shipping, as you suggested, Nurseryman. The other trees from this same place arrived in perfect condition.

In any event, I have solved the problem by relocating the "swamp maples" to the swamp! (I had once known that red maples had this nickname but had forgotten.)
I hated the idea of throwing these trees on the fire if they might regenerate, so the transplantation solution suggested itself. I plucked all six of them, donned mud boots, ventured out across the wetland area on the other side of the brook, and planted a little red maple grove in a corner of our property, far away from the horse pasture where they can harm no one. Perhaps one day they will raise their heads above the willow bushes and provide some nice autumn color that can be seen from the house. Or not. But whatever their fate, I feel like a burden is lifted from my shoulders.

Considering the diversity aspect, I have decided to replace the red maples with white (paper) birch trees next spring, and I'm now much happier about the situation for both horses and trees! Thank you again everyone for the replies.
ghostlyvision
10 years ago
What a nice outcome! :)