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Sugar maples (Acer saccharum) are a beautiful hardwood tree native to central and eastern North America. In addition to providing sap that is boiled down to make syrup or sugar, sugar maples have stunning orange and red foliage in the fall. In fact, sugar maples are so stunning that there are guided fall tours to see them all over New England in the fall.
General Description
Sugar maples can reach 50 to 120 feet tall with a dense, spreading canopy. The trees are deciduous, so they lose their leaves in the fall. Leaves are five lobed with coarsely toothed edges. The leaves are green during the spring and summer. In the fall, leaves turn red and orange before they fall off the tree. Sugar maples have yellow flowers that are arranged in drooping racemes. These turn into winged seeds that are dispersed by the wind in late summer.
Optimal Growing Conditions
Sugar maples grow best in cooler climates. They do best in the sun but can tolerate some shade. Sugar maples need moist, well-drained soil that is slightly acidic. Alkaline soil, high heat, road salt, air pollution, and compacted soil pose challenges to a sugar maple. Sugar maples grow in dense hardwood and mixed forests in the wild.
Uses In The Landscape
Sugar maples are often planted in yards and parks as a large shade tree. They are the only maple tree grown commercially for their syrup. Syrup is gathered when the nights are cold and below freezing and the days are over 41 degrees. The syrup season is very short. It takes 35-40 liters of sap to make one liter of syrup. Most trees produce 5-60 liters of sap a year, depending on the variety and the age of the tree.
Sugar maples have very hard wood that is used commercially to build furniture, bats, veneer, tool handles, and other products that see hard use. The tree supports insect pollinators, game birds, songbirds, small and game mammals.
Common Pests And Diseases
Sugar maples are hardy and do not have a lot of pest and disease problems. They can get verticillium wilt, anthracnose, leaf spot, cankers, and tar spot if the trees are unhealthy. Aphids, borers, and scales can infest weakened trees. During a drought, sugar maples may develop leaf scorch. When planting sugar maples in a yard, make sure the tree is far enough from septic systems, pipes, and foundations or the roots will cause problems.
Sugar Maple Care
Most established sugar maples will not need any special care. The tree needs to be watered deeply throughout the area under the canopy during droughts. Sugar maples grow slowly but they are hardy, healthy trees. Trees do not start showing the beautiful red and orange leaves in the fall until they are sexually mature, which takes about 20 years.
Planting A Sugar Maple
Proper planting will set your sugar maple up for years of enjoyment. Dig a hole twice as wide and a foot deeper than the roots of the tree. Do not put fertilizer in the hole or it will burn the new, fragile root hairs and can void the warranty on a tree. It is best to have someone hold the tree even with the top of the soil while you plant it.
Fill the bottom of the hole with lose soil up to the roots. Use the soil that came out of the hole for this. Fill in loose soil around the roots so the tree stays upright. When the hole is filled, water the soil. This will make the soil contract as the air spaces are filled. Put more soil around the tree. Use any leftover soil to form a small berm about three inches tall around the tree. This keeps the water over the root zone when you water the tree. Apply three inches of hardwood mulch around the base of the tree. Keep the mulch three inches from the trunk of the tree and extending out about two or three feet. This will help reduce weeds and keep the tree roots moist.
You will need to water the tree every day for two weeks to allow the roots to get established. After that, gradually reduce watering until you water twice a week. You should continue this for the first year of the tree’s life. Gradually reduce watering until you only water during a drought after the tree is at least two years old.
Can’t Grow Sugar Maples? Try These Instead
Some people live in areas that are too hot for sugar maples to grow well. Two substitutes that can also be used to make syrup are red maples and silver maples. These trees grow in a wide range of temperatures and soil types. The sap is less concentrated, so boiling the sap takes longer. Be careful not to scorch it, or the batch is ruined.
As landscape trees, both red maples and silver maples look nice in the landscape. They both turn brilliant colors in the fall, as well. Plant one for shade in the back yard or for curb appeal in the front yard. You win either way.
Order Now
You can place your order for a sugar maple now. We ship in the fall or in the spring, whichever you prefer. We sell trees that are 1-2 inches in diameter, 2-3 inches in diameter, and 3-4 inches in diameter. Every tree is guaranteed for one year after purchase. Still have questions? Call us at 931.692.7325 to talk to our knowledgeable sales staff.
