Planting red maples.

[Revi]

I just planted about 6 red maples (Acer Rubrum) with my high school students. I think they will do better with wet feet. I got them at the FEDCO sale.

We planted 10 reds and 20 sugars last year in the field by the MSAD 54 superintendent's office and the sugars did better. We just re-planted six of the reds and I hope they take this time. I think if these don't make it we'll plant some silvers in the wettest spot. They don't mind the wet. I don't like their weak branching and the sap isn't nearly as sweet, but they may be the only thing that takes in the wettest area.

They will grow into field trees, so in about 50 years they will be tappable.

I'm not going to be around to see it unless I am 101, but the kids will!

[red maples]

I am surprised the red seed pods should be falling soon. those things come up everywhere wet, dry, stones, rocks, moss, even a deep crotch of a big old white pine tree about 30 feet in the air has to about 15 feet high sapling growing out of it. they must have been over stressed before you planted them!!!!

[driske]

Open planted maple can be coaxed to grow relatively fast with the judicious application of lime, fertilizer, and mulch to reduce grass competition.
Scouts honor; there's Reds in our yard at 32" circumference;25 years old. That's 10"DBH and ready for a single tap.
On the other side of the coin I tried to push some Sugars faster than that and had 3 of 7 snap off in a wind storm. They apparently were too soft and weak to hang in there. Too much TLC in the formative years ,I'm afraid. The survivors range between 22" and 11" circumference and are 15 years old. Not bad, and certainly far larger than my unfertilized controls, or a woods grown sapling of similar age.
Your post has inspired me to google some research on the topic.
Dr.Tim probably can add some useful insights a well.

[Revi]

We re-planted the reds that were dead, and we'll see what happens. I think they will take some wet, since I planted some in really wet areas in our woodlot and they seem to be doing fine. The soil is really clayey, but there is a little loam around the roots. We'll see...

[markcasper]

Revi, I am no expert, but I think you would have better results if you tried it in the fall, just before the ground freezes. I have done it both times of the year, and the fall planted trees survival rate is always several times better than spring planted trees, at least for me.

[Rich Berg]

Just was reading your post about taking 50 yrs. to tap. A new
patented method called the RPM (root production method) is
available now and they are amazing. The roots look like a big
beard compared to regular seedlings.. they say sugar maples
can be tapped in as little as 10 years....

[220 maple]

West Virginia Folklore,
Do not transplant or plant any tree in any month with out an "R" in it, May, June, July and August. The other months you will have much better luck.

Mark 220 Maple

[DrTimPerkins]

Just was reading your post about taking 50 yrs. to tap. A new
patented method called the RPM (root production method) is
available now and they are amazing. The roots look like a big
beard compared to regular seedlings.. they say sugar maples
can be tapped in as little as 10 years....

Given that RPM maples haven't been around long enough for this to be assessed, only time will tell for sure. It has been a very successful method of rapidly growing other tree species, so the potential is certainly there.

[caseyssugarshack93]

i got a rpm tree for winning the nys young sugarmaker of the year award and i been keeping and eye on it and its doing really well, getting alot taller by the day

[Randy Brutkoski]

where can i buy these rpm trees?

[caseyssugarshack93]

Cornell, im pretty sure has them now.