Silver Maple

My friend has 4 year old silver Maples and he was told they have a Tar fungis ?? never heard of it he said that the leaves get what looks like tar spots on the leaves then they fall off any Ideas what it could be and what to do ?? they are just getting leaves so I havent seen it yet so no pics thanks for any help
Gloria

Maple tar spot fungus Rhytisma acerinum; very common but effectively harmless. It doesn't cause any significant damage, no need to treat it with anything.

Resin

thanks I'll tell him he will be relived ;0)
Gloria

Yeah, the black spots look unsightly, but they only appear right at the end of the season, when the tree is just about done with its leaves anyway. It is more like the first stage in composting old dead leaves, than a disease.

Resin

well he has this other Friend that said he was going to lose the trees if he dident do something and that he should cut them down and burn them mind you this other person cant grow beer cans very well either LOL
Gloria

He should only be so lucky to lose them. :-p

killdawabbit; why ??????
Gloria

I think the beer cans, not the maples ;-)

I meant the maples. Personally I just hate them. They are in the same class as Bradford pears as far as I am concerned. :-)

I'm still confused why do you not like Silver maples ?? or is it Maple trees in all ??
Gloria

Silver maples are fast growing, have huge roots, drop a million seeds or it so it seems like, lots of dead limbs, and usually have a shorter life span than other beautiful slower growing maples.

My dad planted 4 silver maples in 1970. Thirty five years later they had them cut down at over $800 a tree. It would take two grown men to reach around the trunk when they were 20 years old, probably three men when they were cut down. At least they made good firewood and the roots are about all gone five years later.

Not a good tree for landscaping.

I'd offer a qualification to the opinions above.

Silver Maples are large growing trees that may not be suitable for most small residential lots. When one asks for "a fast growing tree" and then one gets one, it's kind of hard to blame the tree later. Large shady crown and lots of roots also equals tough growing zone for turf. That condition is created by many many common shade trees, not just this maple.

For large properties, parks, farms, and riparian zones along creeks, ponds, and rivers - you might be hard pressed to select one better, especially if you appreciate soil conservation. Establishes quickly, dense rooting, and prolific reseeder are among the perfect qualities for planting in water courses.

The maladies associated with Silver Maple on small residential properties are echoed in dozens of other species, but it just takes longer to complain about them. AND - any big old tree is going to cost $$ to remove. Silver Maple doesn't own that one.

Good points, but I wish I had not inherited one, for all the reasons mentioned. The roots are really becoming a nuisance on the surface.

You are so right on that VV about other trees being fast growers and small lots. Not that my parents have a small lot (2.5 acres). I guess the moral is if they had picked a slower grower, smaller tree at maturity to begin with then they would've avoided a huge cost and unsightly roots for their lifetime (been at the same place for 40 years and I don't see them moving). They do have a few silver maples growing elsewhere on the property which is fine and dandy since they are far from the house and yard (didn't mean to malign the silver maple from all property). For maples around the house there are much prettier and slower growing varieties to choose from.

My folks planted several silver maples in their front and backyard back in the mid 50's because that is what everyone did, not knowing that SM are not a good landscape tree for a smallish yard. The SMs were planted due to their fast growth rate and everyone wanted instant shade.

Now, dad sweeps up (grocery) bags and bags of seeds off of his driveway and sidewalk each spring. He always says that in his next life, he will not have any silver maples, anywhere. SMs are native, but that does not make them a good tree for every location.
Mike

I love most maples. If they're in the right place. I plan to plant a sugar maple this fall in the lower part of my property. Where I used to live we had a magnificent old specimen.
However I grew up seeing ugly silver maples and Bradford pears missing some or most of their branches. Wind damage. They are just crappy trees. Native or not. Ever seen a Siberian elm? Well, they're native to someplace but they are even worse than Silver maples.
It is personal bias. They are crappy trees.
I don't care about the litter and the seeds. My oaks drop acorns and leaves everywhere. I have to pull seedling oaks just like any other weed. I love them. They are magnificent trees. If one doesn't like putting up with the litter produced by a great tree....then, I will bite my tongue.

they are planted down by the lake a good distence from the house there used to be cotten wood trees down there but we had a big WIND (accoring to the news people) that took out a lot of realy big trees around here the way they were twisted I think it was a tornado I dident have the damage that they did . So now 4-5 years later thats what they planted so that they would have shade again thanks for all the info ;0)
Gloria

They do break badly in storms, but they are so rapidly growing, they usually fill back in in a few years.
They are VERY VERY VERY root invasive. I cannot stress that enough. They might be ok in a field or whatever, but NOT in a yard. The one at our place was humongous. Ruined the neighbors garage floor, sidewalk and started growing up in our cellar. It had surface roots so large we could not ride the mower over them.
It rooted up into my large flower bed so badly that nothing could grow in it. We had to cut it down. It was monstrously huge. SOOOOO glad it is gone.

In the South they are not a tree to plant unless you're looking to fill up large spaces of nothing else. Maples in general are weed where I am right up there with gum trees. Both have their place but given good conditions both grow like no tomorrow and will multiply. The one thing I can't figure out is why people from the north think that maples are such great trees??? They move to the south and plant trees that are basically weeds here. So many other trees that you can plant. Of course people have said I'm nuts for growing pines which are another weed tree of the south, LOL. By weed I mean they simply grow unless you stop them.

Core,
Not all maples are weeds. Sugar maple, Acer saccharum, is a slow-ish growing beautiful tree with exceptional fall color. Sugar maple is the tree tapped for its sap and then boiled down and turned into maple syrup. There are a number of weedy maples, but not all of them are weedy or undesirable.

Can't grow sugar maples here and I'm sure in the right climate there are maples that do fine. Gum tree has great fall colors but they just aren't great for a yard.

Japanese Maple Acer palmatum, Paperbark Maple Acer griseum, and all the snakebark maples . . . don't think anyone could ever consider those to be weeds!

Resin

I personaly like Maples I think most trees- plants- in the right places could be kind of WEEDY
Gloria

Silver maples are useless weeds no matter where they are growing. Box elders, Bradford pears and Siberian elms also.

And mothers-in-law.

Maybe there ought to be a march on the National Mall to eradicate this pestilence:

Acer negundo 'Kelly's Gold'

Hideous!

Well, I just have to chime right in!!! I LIKE all maples, EXCEPT the silver, and I like the sweet gum tree, except for the "male" sweet gum, ( they keep dropping their balls), They are beautiful trees, especially in the fall. I also like bradford pears, although I've never had one. The only complaint I have with maples is when the leaves have to be raked in fall!

That's a common complaint by females of males in many species.

My two large Silver Maples are bad news. I lose branches up to 8" thick every year. One 6" branch leaned onto high power lines and caught fire last year. The big surface roots are dangerous while the smaller ones suck all of the moisture out of the top 16" of soil. Planting anything takes 10 times longer than it should. The sidewalk was tilted so bad that I had to remove it. I have been lucky as most of the larger branches that come down land in the street. The small branches have to be picked up daily while some good sized branches just lay up in the tree indefinately. I removed the smallest of what used to be 3 of them and planted their replacements to get them started.

I think they might have a disease and I won't miss them when they are gone as long as I have shade. Lost branches over the house fried my hostas last year. The seeds turn gutters into flower boxes and grow everywhere they land. The photo shows the trees just after they seeded and how broken up the shade is around mid day.

We have silver maples and I am rather neutral about them. Hubby doesn't like them. They are in the "forest" in our back yard -- not in our cultivated "yard". I like it when the leaves move in the wind showing their silvery bottoms. They do re-seed like crazy. Even worse for us to re-seed is some sort of native (I think) cherry tree. It has little "cherries" the size of a green pea with most of the fruit being the seed. The birds really like them. We have little cherry trees coming up everywhere.
We planted two sugar maples when we first moved into our home 18 years ago. For years and years, my husband would comment on the "little sugar maples" and how they weren't growing. Finally, in the last two years, they are starting to take off and having a little color that I have been waiting and waiting for.
We also have a Japanese Maple that we enjoy.
I like to have plants that do something for wildlife, mainly the birds, and trees that give more than one season of interest. The maples are single purpose trees for the birds: build nest and I guess you could say shelter. The sugar maples give us two seasons of interest. Dogwoods, on the other hand, give me and the birds lots of pleasure and seasons of interest.
I tend to ramble.

Notice I didn't say anything about varieties of these weed trees. I have two huge box elders in my woods. They are about 7/8 dead and branches drop every time the wind blows. Big branches.
As far as seedlings everywhere? That's gardening, folks.

Love Acer griseum. Peels even at a young age.

Have well over 30 JM's.

Sugar maples are gorgeous in the fall.

I have several JMs also and adding more from time to time. I plan to plant at least one sugar maple this fall. I also have a JM that is only an understock (graft died years ago). Beautiful little tree and has a few seedlings that I am saving.

killdawabbit,
I agree on the weedy trees you listed above. Those trees are on my most-hated trees list, too.

Yep, here's another one that ought to be hung high.

Rev up them chainsaws, and watch out Arnold Arboretum. We're coming for your 100+ year old Acer saccharinum...

we were always tripping over the roots all over the lawn,always had to pick up branches so dad could cut the grass,and raking up all the leaves...those trees were my enemies growing up! when we bought our 1st house here almost 2 years ago the 1st thing we did was have the family over and cut down the 3 15ft silver maples down!

Hey, VV. Does Arnold Arboretum have any 100 year old box elders or Siberian elms?

When I am next at home (you could send me a Dmail reminder) I'll take a peek at my Arnold Arboretum Centenarian Tree brochure I picked up, and see what else they had listed there.

This info may very well be available on their website, too.

I'll see if I can find out but I would be so surprised they would have crappy trees like those.