Silver and red maples bloom in late February or sometime in early March. Most people don’t even recognize when they are in bloom. Their flowers are very inconspicuous and not really attractive. If you don’t look closely at the flower, you will definitely miss it.
After flowering, the maple seeds, called samaras, begin to form. In fact, when they are really tiny, they are very cool looking.
Then they turn brown and fall from the trees, twirling to the ground below or a good distance away if there is a good breeze.
What we are experiencing now is very common and is the result of perfect weather for the seeds to develop.
In most years, you don’t really notice the amount of seeds from maple trees. However, this year is a little different. It’s not unusual, though. This has occurred in past years.
Since silver and red maples bloom during late winter and very early spring, the flowers are susceptible to freeze damage. When this occurs, the seeds don’t have the chance to develop.
This year, we had good weather conditions during critical times of seed development and we have a bumper crop of seeds.
In addition, when there is such a large amount of seeds on the trees, you it sometimes comes at the expense of the leaves. Some of the calls are from concerned homeowners, wondering why the tree isn’t leafing out.
Because of the heavy seed load, the leaves can’t fully develop. Not to worry because as the seeds drop, the energy then goes into the foliage development.
Maple seeds produced this year can also germinate this year. Therefore, if they land in an area that is conducive to germination, you may have to deal with the seedlings of these trees.
Areas conducive for germination include flower beds and vegetable gardens as well as lawns that have thin areas. I have seen lawns in the past loaded with seedlings.
In the garden, the best thing is to pull them early, as soon as you see them. Don’t let them get established. Remember a weed is a plant out of place! And in this case, it’s a weed in your flower or vegetable garden.
In the lawn, simply continue to mow at your normal intervals for the spring. Continual mowing will eventually knock these seedlings down.
Another very common and problematic place for germination is in the gutters on your roof. Clean these out of your gutters. If there is any organic matter (decayed leaves) and moisture in the gutters, these seeds will grow. I have taken photos of homes with seedlings lined up in the gutter. Don’t let this happen to you!
It’s an interesting thing to see but nothing to really worry about in terms of the health of your trees.
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