I've got three silver maples in my yard. Gorgeous trees except for one problem,root suckers. I moved here in 1999 and decided to trim the lower branches in 2002. Every summer since '02 I've been invaded by literally hundreds of tiny silver maples growing in my yard and garden. Is there any way to stop these suckers from coming up short of taking down these trees?
Excerpts from http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/acer/saccharinum.htm: Dissemination is mainly by wind and occasionally by water. The minimum seed-bearing age of trees is 11 years. Natural regeneration of young seedlings is most successful on seedbeds of moist, mineral soils with considerable organic matter Initial growth of seedlings may be rapid, ranging from 30 to 90 cm (12 to 36 in) in the first year, but as they cannot compete with overtopping vegetation, first-year mortality is high if they are not released. Prolific sprouting from the root collars and lower stems of living trees is characteristic of the species. Sprouts appear readily from stumps that are 30 cm (12 in) or less in diameter. I assume that you are in Indiana (it would be nice if you add the state or province to your identifier), where A. saccharinum is native. The problem is actually reseeding, not root suckering, which is different than sprouting. Suckers would be growing up around the base of the tree, which this species is not reported to do, at least in the sources I have seen. Due in part to this species reputation for prolific reseeding, it is not a recommended species for planting by many cities. A. tartaricum ssp. ginnala has this reputation as well. At my sisters former home, she had hundreds of seedlings of the latter all over her yard where there were neither plantings nor bark or rocks. It was not a problem she ever noticed, until my visit pointing them out, because they remained small and were trampled on or mowed over. A. saccharinum seedlings, however, grow so fast. I have not found any helpful information on tackling this problem. Since you have three trees, you must have male and female present and/or years where one has flowers of both types. If you live in Indiana, there are likely more specimens in the neighborhood, so you may have this problem with just one tree as well. If you love these trees, and you obviously have the soil they prefer, then it seems that one approach would be to more densely plant your yard and cover any bare areas with plants, fabric, rocks, bark, etc. It really seems that this would make a dent in the problem, and it may be more fun to spend money on plants than on an arborist to remove the trees. How large are they? Many people treasure these trees for the shade they provide. It sounds as though seedlings may be coming up in your flower or vegetable garden as well? Could you contact the local extension office, since this must be a common problem in your area?
Yes. I'm from Northeast Indiana. I'm new here and forgot to put my state in my profile. I just updated my profile so it's in there. The trees are app. 35-40 ft. tall and were planted by the previous owner in the mid-late 1980's. I live in a very rural area and haven't seen any other silver maples in this area. One of these trees is no more than 25 ft. from my septic tank and another one app. 25 ft. from my leach field. The ground above the tank & leach field have lots of these seedlings growing. I keep them mowed down but I'm concerned about them taking root and doing damage. Could I have a problem there? Thanks for your help.
