Red Maple Poison?

Would compost from red maple leaves contain a poison to keep anything but maples growing?

I have used millions of Red Maple leaves to make cucumbers, Oaks, Witch hazel, spireas, lawn, hollyhocks.... as a child in Michigan. I know of no toxin that continues in compost except weed seeds. What are your concerns Dave?

Nope. what keeps anything else from growing under a maple is the dense shade created by the full canopy of the maple trees and the shallow roots...

I assumed it was safe. However, a neighbor just told me he saw a documentary about how red maples compete by giving off a toxin via their
leaves that stops anything but red maples from growing near a red maple.

While I figured I would have heard of any compost concern related to red maples, it is nice to know you can check anything with the experts at DG.

Do you think that there is nothing to the toxin business? Or just that it doesn't survive composting?

And Thanks!
Dave

it doesnt' survive composting...

there are lots of plants that exhibit allelopathy. I wasn't aware that red maples were one, but it wouldn't surprise me.

I have grown up looking at red maples and the seedlings grow by the thousands under the parent tree. This and with the dense canopy would make people think that there is a toxin. If you followed those seedlings they too die from the dense canopy. Unless you chop down the maple then to each the victor.

Dave, I believe your friend might be confusing red maple with walnut. Walnut trees are well-known to exude a toxin (juglone) that inhibits growth of certain plants around them.

No doubt about it, you are safe with maples (of any color) and will not witness any adverse affect on plants around them.

Hope this helps.
Happy gardening!

Shoe.

Well, he's a great neighbor but not a gardener. Thanks eveyone!

http://www.earthworksboston.org/articles/UWnorway.htm
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/HS186

I know norway maples are allelopathic, because absolutely nothing will grow under it, and I can grow things in deeper shade 30' away. My neighbor's deceased husband planted it 25 years ago, and it does shade her house nicely, or I would have cut it down and composted what I could years ago. What I want to know is how does composting remove these toxins, or more importantly, how long does it take? I only use leaves that are a few years old so far, but I want to use more, and they aren't as old. The leaves are piled at the edge of a woods, and I just dig from the bottom of the pile.
I'm wary of using these leaves; if you saw the dead zone under that@#$%^&* norway maple, you might be too. There's a lot of walnut in there as well. I guess I need some re-assurance

Well, I've done some searching, and found some surprising answers (at least to me...) Composting does remove the toxins; the micro-organisms metabolize them. In fact one site recommended composting leaves to get rid of the toxins, irrespective of gardening.

Also, heavy soils don't allow toxins to leach away, compounding the effect by not allowing plants to grow and loosen the soil, with the result being even heavier soil. There's evidence to support some companion planting practices that were thought be just folklore. Even some grasses will compete by poisoning their neighbors. Gee willikers!
Here's a couple more links if anyone's interested...

http://www.sustland.umn.edu/implement/trees_turf.html

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/nursery/430-021/430-021.html

Claypa, Great information! Thanks a lot. The whole thing is just amazing in its complexity.

Yeah, I know, I was up half the night reading. I'm going to try to use that @#$%^&* norway maple to fix what it's trying to ruin. It is complex, but the answer's always the same: compost, compost, and more... you guessed it.... compost!

Did you see what Wormboy found? Lucky guy!

I don't guess he'd part with it, but makes me wonder what he could sell it for, in nice little 5# bags with pretty flowers on 'em, maybe at big city flower boutique...it's great somebody found it and can appreciate it's worth, makes me think about hidden treasure around here, like an old stable being dozed over for another subdivision. I should look into what the mushroom farms around here get for their stuff, but I hear it's still mighty hot and stinky. It wouldn't go over to good in this neighborhood...