Grafting Multiple Maple Varieties

[jmbinventions]

If I were to graft a sugar maple branch on to the roots of a fast growing silver maple what are your thoughts on the outcome? My goal of doing this would be that the fast growing roots could feed more nutrients to the sugar and increase its growth rate, and the sugar maple crown would produce the high sugar content. Basically, could the fast growing roots make a faster growing sugar maple?

[gator330]

I don't see it working. I think people mess with nature to much. A sugar maple is a perfect tree as it is and should not be screwed with in this fashion!!!! My opinion only.

[Beweller]

I recently saw an old publication on grafting high sugar sugar maples on random root stock. It concluded that the high sugar characteristic was not retained in the grafted trees.

Sorry, I can't recall where on the web I ran into this.

[red maples]

I would think it might be the other way around. they splice many trees grapes especially to get them to grow in other regions. strong root with the type of grape you wan toto grow for a specific wine what ever the same for grafting other fruit trees ...apples peaches what ever. why not maple trees but I really don't know what the resuluts would be and as far as the sap is concerned because it isn't the fruit its the sap!!!

[KenWP]

But the roots of a silver maple are designed for a silver maple not a sugar maple. The roots store the sugar from the leaves untill its needed in the spring again. My one guestion is my silvers make more sugar then the sugars do like 3% to 1.7% . Of course they bud faster. That and you have to make sure that the root stock dosn't send up suckers and use up the sugar before it can go to the stock you want.

[Beweller]

Red Maple,

Check ME Demeritt, "Sap Sugar Content of Grafted Sugar Maple Trees", RM NE 328, 1985

[jmbinventions]

Thanks for the link, now I won't have to waste my time and money on that this summer.