Sugar Maple

Growing & care

• Sun: full sun to part shade. Tolerates more shade than most large shade trees, especially as a young tree.
• Water: average. Established trees withstand short droughts but suffer in prolonged dry spells.
• Soil: deep, fertile, well-drained loam. Tolerates a wide pH range but performs best in slightly acidic to neutral soil.
• Hardiness: USDA zones 3–8. Native range does not extend into the hot southeastern lowlands.
• Mature size: 60–80 feet tall, 40–50 feet wide. Plan accordingly — these are not small-yard trees.
• Salt sensitivity: intolerant of road salt and de-icers; not a street-tree choice in northern cities.

Propagation

Fresh seed sown in fall (after the helicopter samaras drop) and cold-stratified through winter germinates the following spring. Patience required — saplings grow 12–24 inches per year and take decades to reach syrup-tap size. Cultivars like 'Bonfire' and 'Green Mountain' must be propagated by grafting to keep their selected fall color and form.

Common problems

Verticillium wilt causes scattered branch dieback and is essentially untreatable — plant resistant cultivars in soils with disease history. Anthracnose appears as brown blotches on leaves in wet springs. Tar spot makes large black spots on leaves in late summer; cosmetic only. The greatest urban-stress symptom is leaf scorch from compacted soil, drought, and reflected pavement heat — water deeply during dry summers. Sugar maple foliage is non-toxic to dogs and cats; wilted leaves of the related red maple (Acer rubrum) are toxic to horses, but sugar maple is generally considered safer.