Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Grow Red Maples From Seed
How to Grow Red Maples From Seed. The red maple (Acer rubrum) offers low maintenance and a fast growth rate. Widely grown as an ornamental, the tree grows to a height of between 40 and 60 feet with a width of 25 to 45 feet. During the spring it produces an abundance of attractive blossoms, and in the fall the foliage turns brilliant shades of red....
The red maple (Acer rubrum) offers low maintenance and a fast growth rate. Widely grown as an ornamental, the tree grows to a height of between 40 and 60 feet with a width of 25 to 45 feet. During the spring it produces an abundance of attractive blossoms, and in the fall the foliage turns brilliant shades of red. Numerous cultivars exist. The tree grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 3 to 9. The red maple begins to produce seeds when it is as young as four years of age. A prolific seed producer, the seeds require no cold stratification before germination occurs.
Things You'll Need
Aluminum foil mulch
Gather the seeds of the red maple between April and July when the tree disperses them. The seeds are ripe and ready for germination when they begin to be swept from the tree by the wind.
Plant the seeds in a full sunlight location with well draining soil for ideal growth. Place the seeds 1/4- to 1-inch deep in the soil, according to the Iowa State University cooperative extension website. Approximately 85 to 91 percent of all red maple seeds will germinate.
Water the seeds lightly. Do not saturate the soil. Keep it moist to help with germination. Germination begins in only 2 to 6 days, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Tips & Warnings
A red maple tree can produce between 12,000 and 91,000 seeds yearly, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The red maple depends on the wind to disperse its seeds.
The red maple seeds germinate best when planted in the early summer.
Space red maples trees 14 to 20 feet apart. If planting the tree in rows, space the rows 16 to 24 feet apart.
Avoid planting the red maple seeds in a shady location or the seedlings' growth will be slowed.
Seeds planted in full shade may not germinate until the following year.
Laying aluminum foil mulch around the seedlings also can increase the seedlings' survival, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Plant red maple seeds in the same location where they were gathered. If the maple seeds were gathered in the northern states region of the country, then plant in that region, and if the seeds were gathered in the southern states, plant the seeds there for the best seedling survival success, according to Ohio State University.
