Growing Silver Maples

[Bill]

A squirrel could hardly fit through these silver maples. I mowed just so I still have access to the field. This is from leaving a field go fallow with one huge mother maple dumping thousands of helicopters.

Not saying their bad. These may eventually thin out as they outcompete each other.

 

[FarmerDan]

Here we go. The OP asks about what to do with a potted silver maple. Leave it out or take it in. And what do we do? Offer all kinds of advice that wasn't asked for. You sound like my mother! And, by the way, surely there's something, anything better than a silver maple in "habitat!" To the question, maybe it was a question from the previous century - sometimes I get nuttered - leave them outside. Dig a hole in the ground and put your pots in the hole or pile lots of mulch around them. The last thing you want is for the ground in the pot to freeze solid. The tree's little roots have no access to air or water if they are in a frozen block of ice. Dormancy is not the same as dead. How about some oak trees? Anybody have any oak tree seedlings they want to share? Ooops. More advice....

 

[Bill]

From OP

“I do have a large opening on my hunting land that I am working on putting stuff into. Silver maples would be good for me there. I have bags of the helicopters I just plan to spread there. Of course, if I want some to take hold, I bet they don't.”

Just a pic of what bags of helicopters can do.

 

[MojoRisin]

Thanks for the all the feedback everyone. Yeah, I hate silver maples too and just cleaned out my gutters again as I had thousands of trees growing in them.

This opening will be diverse but it won't happen overnight and I do have a budget as I have other areas I am putting (did this year) in more wildlife shrubs like ROD, elderberry, winterberry, black chokeberry, highbush cranberry, American plum, etc. I planted 50 ROD seedlings and 50 Ninebark seedlings along with 1 Hawthorn Ash in this clearing as a start. I transplanted 30 Spruce trees from other areas of my land as well.

I asked on the maples because I need some thickness in there and I know the maples are good browse and fast growers. If too many were to take off, I do own a brush cutter and chain saw. I would be surprised if the deer let the ROD live but I will see. I actually plan to add a couple of larger ROD and Buttonbush shrubs to the area next year that I will cage. I would like to add a few Swamp Oak trees as well. Taking this multiple acre opening from nothing to something will take some time. I'm OK with some maples growing in there. The goal of this area is to be a sanctuary that I stay out of. It won't be traveled through (other than planting when needed) or hunted. It is in the middle of my land. I don't want the deer to to have too much food there as I want them to travel to my plots. I do need to make it so they feel safe in there and right now they do not. The opening is wet on average and I am limited to what will do well there.

I always appreciate the feedback, good and bad.

 

[Apple Junkie]

You sure don’t lack for energy or creativity MojoRisin. I have no doubt you’ll get some version of a sanctuary created in that opening, I just don’t what it will look like.

I hope you will keep us posted what seems to work, and what proves futile, either because the soil/growing conditions are not suitable, or the trees you plant don’t turn out to be as useful as you thought they’d be. Just watching the evolution of the habitat can be fascinating. Good luck!

 

[MojoRisin]

You sure don’t lack for energy or creativity MojoRisin. I have no doubt you’ll get some version of a sanctuary created in that opening, I just don’t what it will look like.

I hope you will keep us posted what seems to work, and what proves futile, either because the soil/growing conditions are not suitable, or the trees you plant don’t turn out to be as useful as you thought they’d be. Just watching the evolution of the habitat can be fascinating. Good luck!

You'd really need to understand what I am up against in this clearing. This was basically a cedar choked and buckthorn filled swamp area that I had an excavator/dozer open up. The dude basically buried all he dug up. There is no buckthorn growing back miraculously. This was a completely dense and useless area that is now an open and useless area. I don't have many openings on my crappy land which is 104 acres. I've worked my butt off on all the high spots to put in food plots and I've put in around a dozen fruit trees and am now adding wildlife shrubs. This has been a labor of "love" in the 4 years I've owned what I affectionately call "The Dump". My son has killed 4 bucks and 2 does off this land and the purchase was for him to always have a place of his own to hunt.

The following is a before pic followed by an after pic of the opening creation. The latter is a partial pic and not a good one. I'll get a better one next time I'm at camp. Right now, all that grew in the opening was swamp grass. Some deer are bedding in the higher areas of that. My ROD and other seedlings are kinda hidden and that is probably a good thing.

 

[H20fwler]

The opening does give you some good potential for project work, I think you are on the right track with planting the shrubs you are. The least you have done is create more edge and transition area and that is always a good thing. Congrats to your son on the deer harvest.