Tried growing sugar maples 3 times

[caters]

I have sugar maples nearby(like in feet and not miles). 3 times I tried growing maples.

Attempt 1:
I put 4 seeds in a big pot. They all sprouted but none formed bark and so didn't survive the winter.

Attempt 2:
1 year later I planted 2 and they survived for 3 years. There was often moist soil because in another pot at the bottom there was groundwater. I thought this would enhance the trees but I found out that sugar maples don't like groundwater. Why did I think it would enhance the trees? That is because the soil would be moist all the time, even in a drought.

Attempt 3:
I planted 3 seeds. only 1 sprouted and even then it was close to summer when it sprouted. The tree is forming bark from the top down which is weird. I don't know if this tree will survive because even this late in fall it still has its summer leaves and part of the tree trunk still doesn't have any bark.

I am growing maples so that when my momma, my dad, and I move, we would already have at least 1 maple. My maples are growing in dappled sunlight and I know that anything from 100% to 0% sunlight is okay for a maple.

My nanny asked me if I want my maples to be bonsai and I said "No. I want them to grow naturally meaning any branch growth and leaf growth I am okay with and I want it to grow big and tall so that I can tap it and climb it."

I planted my maples in all attempts during the spring, when it was cold and moist, not in the winter when it is cold and dry.

 

[Chuck]

Maples need a specific soil and climate. They don't just grow anywhere you plant them

 

[caters]

If my maples survived for 3 years during my second attempt in the same place I planted them the first and 3rd times than I am pretty sure that is the right soil for them. I am in an area where there is a freeze-thaw cycle which is good for maples

 

[Chuck]

If my maples survived for 3 years during my second attempt in the same place I planted them the first and 3rd times than I am pretty sure that is the right soil for them. I am in an area where there is a freeze-thaw cycle which is good for maples

I have no idea where you are located. If there are any other maples in the surrounding area thriving then it is something in your immediate area which is the problem such as thin soil and/or a soil which is alkaline. Possibly in the past where you are trying to grow these trees it was a place where gray water or something similar was dumped like ashes or something was burned was in that area and changed the soil makeup? Maple aren't the easiest trees to grow anyway

 

[caters]

No It was the groundwater causing the roots to ball up.

 

[Chuck]

No It was the groundwater causing the roots to ball up.

Ground water? Do you mean to tell us that you have a water table about 2 feet deep? Or, are you saying that where you planted the trees that water stands when it rains? What do you mean by the roots to "ball up"?

 

[caters]

The water drains through the soil and then stands in the bottom pot. What I mean by the roots balling up is that the trees don't get as much water and nutrients because of sugar maples not liking groundwater whether it is a water table 2 feet deep or standing water a few inches deep.

 

[Chuck]

The water drains through the soil and then stands in the bottom pot. What I mean by the roots balling up is that the trees don't get as much water and nutrients because of sugar maples not liking groundwater whether it is a water table 2 feet deep or standing water a few inches deep.

I suppose these sugar maple trees that do not like water are on New Earth in the goldilocks zone? Maybe you should grow bamboo instead

 

[caters]

No, these are on the old earth.

 

[Chuck]

No, these are on the old earth.

Drill some holes in the bottom of the container, You cant grow a maple seedling in standing water or wet soil. If you do the roots will rot

 

[caters]

Drill some holes in the bottom of the container, You cant grow a maple seedling in standing water or wet soil. If you do the roots will rot

The reason I had the standing water was so the soil would constantly be moist, even in a drought(which here in Ohio usually lasts about a week or so when it is sunny several days in a row). Summer is the time of year with the most sunny days in Ohio and also the most thunderstorms.

When my trees were 1 or 2 years old on my second attempt there was a thunderstorm at least once a month except for December with 0 thunderstorms.

 

[Chuck]

The reason I had the standing water was so the soil would constantly be moist, even in a drought(which here in Ohio usually lasts about a week or so when it is sunny several days in a row). Summer is the time of year with the most sunny days in Ohio and also the most thunderstorms.

When my trees were 1 or 2 years old on my second attempt there was a thunderstorm at least once a month except for December with 0 thunderstorms.

You must have adequate drainage. You cannot overwater a plant but you can and will kill a plant by watering too often. Roots need oxygen just like people and by being soaking wet the roots cannot breath and just like us they will drown and the plant will die

 

[caters]

I thought all the oxygen in the plant or most of it was put back into the air during photosynthesis and it is during the day but at night most of the oxygen that gets into the plant is used for cellular respiration. Water is needed for that too.

Couldn't the O2 go through the leaves and then whatever is left into the stem and roots? And O2 does dissolve to some degree in water so that would also give O2 to the roots. This is probably why my trees died at 3 years and not earlier was that the O2 was going through the leaves at night and the roots got their O2 that way.

 

[Chuck]

I am going to try to simply explain how a plant grows. There are 3 things a plant must have. Transpiration, respiration and photosynthesis. Simply put transpiration is the movement of water throughout the plant which leads to eventual evaporation and release into the atmosphere. This movement of water throughout the plant, which is loaded with nutrients and oxygen, comes from the roots by osmosis.

Respiration is basically how energy, in the form of glucose, is released for the actual growth of the plant. Respiration breaks down the glucose and if there is oxygen present the plant grows. If no oxygen is present then fermentation will start, the roots will be in what is called an anaerobic environment and they will rot and the plant will die

Photosynthesis is the process to release the energy from the sun and is dependent on nutrient rich water from the roots, light and carbon dioxide. Photosynthesis, when proper moisture, nutrients, light and temperature are available will enable the plant to produce glucose which will then enable the plant to produce oxygen

 

[AbundantBlooms]

Acer saccharum is pretty "textbook" when it comes to starting it from seed and growing it on. Here in the US, they grow everywhere. I pull up seedlings like weeds around here. The only maple worse about that on my property are the silver maples. Weedy!

When I say textbook, you generally treat and grow seeds like you would any normal uncomplicated seed and plant. Sometimes maple seeds need some amount of cold stratification but it's not always necessary if you plant them right away after they fall. The seeds should be removed from their wing (or not, doesn't seem to matter) and planted a half an inch down into good seed starting mix, in a container that allows water to drain away when you water. Keep the soil moist but drained in a warm spot and they'll sprout.

Once they sprout, wait for a pair of true leaves (or some say two sets of leaves to make it less complicated) before you transplant the seedlings into larger containers. Plain old nursery pots work well. Keep them watered as usual but not soggy, and harden them off before you set them outside to grow on. They can be planted out at any time, but it's easier to keep an eye on them if you keep them in a pot and protected until they're a good size before planting them out- otherwise you might do what I did once and run over them with your lawnmower (don't ask! LOL).

You don't need to know anything about transpiration or any of that if you simply practice basic good husbandry. It doesn't have to be complicated. Like I said, sugar maples run amok around here and they don't need anything special other than good basic care.