Sugar maples are generally pest resistant but can still fall prey to unwanted bacteria, fungus, mammals, and insects, among other pests. The rest of this subsection covers basic sugar maple pest prevention strategies for optimal growth.Ĭlick here for a deer repellant from Amazon.įirst of all, it is essential to prevent deer from browsing while the tree is young. Sugar Maple Pest Prevention for Optimal Growth And finally, fertilize your sugar maple as needed. Third, monitor your sugar maple for pest infestations and treat those infestations as soon as you notice them. Second, do not tap your sugar maple until it has reached the required diameter. First, ensure that your sugar maple has the requirements described in the above section. To maximize sugar maple growth rate, take the following steps. How Do You Make Sugar Maples Grow Faster? Also, removing competing trees and shrubs as they sprout around the base of your sugar maple will ensure the best growing conditions. This means planting your sugar maple in a wide-open space away from other trees. Sugar maples prefer slightly acidic soil.įinally, sugar maples grow best when provided ample space to grow without competition. These trees will not grow well in overly compacted soil. Achieving this level of moisture may require infrequent summer watering even though sugar maples are drought tolerant. Ideally, the soil is moist at all times but never waterlogged. Plant your sugar maple in well-drained, deep, organic-rich soil for optimal growing. However, they will tolerate partial shade as long as they get at least four hours of unfiltered sun each day. First of all, they prefer a full sun area and will grow best when unshaded. In terms of localized growing climate, sugar maples have a few preferences. However, the best maple syrup is produced in regions that routinely freeze at night during the spring. In fact, they will grow in USDA plant hardiness zones 3 through 8a. While sugar maples are most closely associated with the eastern United States, they grow in a very wide range of environments. The sugar maple will reach nearly full height in approximately 40 years but will continue to add diameter, height and spread throughout its growing life. In terms of canopy diameter, the branches can reach a spread of 40-feet to 50-feet. How Big Do Sugar Maples Grow?Ī mature sugar maple can grow to a height of 60-feet to 80-feet with proper care and environment. Add a second tap at 15-inches, a third at 20-inches, and a fourth for 25-inches and larger. However, as the tree grows, you can tap the tree up to 4 times, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. When a tree first reaches maturity, at 10-inches in diameter, the method is only to tap the tree with one tap. In fact, some trees have been producing sap for over 100 years. Waiting for the tree to mature to this level might seem tedious, but it is important for the tree's health.Ī healthy sugar maple tree that is allowed to mature before being tapped will produce sap for many generations and will produce more and more sap per season as they grow bigger. Many sources agree, including the Penn State Extension office, that you should only tap a sugar maple that is 10-inches in diameter or larger. According to Hillsboro Sugarworks, a Vermont organic maple syrup producer, it takes 40 years or more before it is time to harvest sap from a sugar maple. Unfortunately, trees generally do not grow very fast. In addition, we answer several questions related to the topic of this post.įortunately, sugar maples grow faster than many other tree species. We include tips on how to grow sugar maple and how to make sugar maple grow faster. Read the rest of this post for details regarding the above answer. To reach this size, it takes a sugar maple approximately 40-years or more. It is recommended that you do not tap your maple until it is 10-inches in diameter at breast height. Sugar maples ( Acer saccharum) grow at a rate characterized as slow to medium, or 1-foot to 2-feet per year. So, you are wondering, how fast does a sugar maple grow, and when can you start tapping? In this post, we gather research from extension offices and other sources from around the web to thoroughly answer your question. Knowing this, you have planted or will plant some of your own trees or perhaps have noticed a wild sugar maple in your area. Some say that there is nothing sweeter than home-tapped maple syrup.
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