Maple Tree Propagation Methods
A maple tree is one of those great looking trees that will add a great deal of character to any landscape. Maple trees are classified in a family of their own but are still a deciduous species. There are more than 120 different varieties of the maple tree that can be found all across the planet.
A maple tree is an anchor to any landscape. They can grow to heights of 120 feet and have a large diameter canopy for providing cool shade in the summer. There are also varieties that grow as a shrub, with a height of about 10 feet. Growing a maple tree can be done is several different ways. Once mature, they're very easy to take care of with some basic yearly pruning. Here are two different ways to propagate a maple tree for your landscape.
Propagating from Seed
Growing a maple tree from a seed will vary depending on the actual variety of maple tree that you're going to plant.
When propagating from seed, they need to be stored in a cool place for a period of 90 to 120 days. This starts the process of seed germination that creates the seedling. Break off the small wings on the maple tree seed and place in a jar of warm water. Let the seeds soak for a full day before transplanting to another container.
After the full day of soaking in warm water, place the seeds in a container with peat moss, or loose soil. Space the seeds out at least 6 inches and place a plastic bag over them. Poke a few small holes in the plastic bag and then place the whole thing in the refrigerator, or a cool, damp place.
Leave the seeds there until they begin to sprout. This can take 90 days or more. Once you see the sprouts you can take them out and then transplant to the soil where you want to plant the maple tree. This should be done in the spring.
Propagating from Cuttings
In the spring, just before the buds come out, you can take cuttings to propagate the maple tree. Take an 8 inch length of green wood and strip off all the leaves except for a few near the top. Dab the cutting end into some rooting hormone.
Get a planting pot ready with some moist soil and stick the cutting into the center of it. Keep the soil warm and moist, and store where it will receive some sunlight. After about 8 weeks the cutting will begin to establish some roots. Check for this by carefully probing around in the soil for the roots.
Once the roots have a pretty good system under the soil, you can transplant to some bigger pots. Transplant the entire contents of the small pot into a larger one that already has soil in it. Keep the soil moist and place outside in an area protected from direct sunlight, rain, wind and hail. After about 10 days you can then transplant the sapling into the soil directly. Keep it watered and spread fertilizer around the trunk of the sapling.
