Realizing one of your favorite plants isn't doing well can be devastating. Do you have a silver maple tree in your garden that seems to be dropping branches more than usual, and you don't know what's wrong? Is it normal to see branch loss throughout the year from this maple variety?
Well, we've extensively researched these questions and have the answers!
One of the main reasons silver maple drops branches is environmental stress. This includes top-heaviness, a lack of soil nutrients, root breakage, prolonged drought, and even overly compacted soil.
Of these factors, improper or no pruning for your tree is most commonly to blame for dropping branches. So, open your maple's canopy to let air circulate and keep your tree's limbs from becoming too heavy.
As we start this post, we will cover all things silver maple trees and discuss why their branches may break off. Whether you have multiple maples in your yard, are new to this species, or have other questions, we're here to assist. With that said, why don't we dive right into this topic?
Why Is My Silver Maple Dropping Its Branches?
Although a few variables can cause limbs/branches to drop from a silver maple: environmental stress is almost always to blame. In general, as a silver maple becomes too top-heavy, that can put too much pressure on certain sections.
When this happens, your tree's weaker branches will drop to the ground. In severe cases, your maple's branches may even cause entire areas of the tree canopy to collapse.
Therefore, you want to ensure your maple tree has good-quality soil, gets plenty of water, is pruned every year or bi-annually, and isn't put through too much-unneeded stress.
Remember, even though a silver maple tree is vast: it still is a living organism. According to the Michigan Gardener, your silver maple can benefit from spring fertilization with a high-nitrogen formulation.
So, keep that in mind the next time you want to give your plant some TLC.
Can A Maple Tree Get Too Heavy?
Yes. It is possible and common for a maple tree to become too heavy. Usually, when you don't prune your tree, its canopy can become too heavy for the supporting branches, often causing them to break.
Luckily, avoiding this should be as easy as routine pruning to ensure your silver maple doesn't become stressed. In addition, you also want to make sure your tree's soil has proper drainage and isn't overly compacted.
When the ground becomes too closely packed together, nutrients have a tougher time making their way to your maple. Also, waterlogging and root rot can become more frequent, which can, in turn, cause foliage and branches to drop.
So, start with annual or bi-annual canopy trimming and pay closer attention to the ground surrounding your silver maple tree.
If you need help cutting down the heavy branches from your maple, we recommend consulting a tree trimmer/landscaper and seeing their pricing.
What Does A Stressed Silver Maple Look Like?
If you suspect your silver maple is stressed or sickly, there are some things to look for. Most times, a stressed silver maple will lose more leaves than usual, even looking bare during peak growing seasons.
Additionally, your silver maple might stop growing new leaves or produce smaller, discolored ones, indicating something is wrong with your plant.
In some instances, you might notice significant branches dropping from your maple, which can become unsafe for structures and plants below.
Discoloration for this species will usually show as yellowing or browning leaves, followed by dead sections of your tree. So, if one portion of your maple turns brown and dies, it could be due to the soil or an underlying health crisis.
According to experts, stress induced by pests and disease could appear as fungal fruiting bodies on your maple tree, which will be more aimed at the soil rather than pruning.
Why Are Entire Sections Of My Maple Tree Dying?
If you notice entire sections of a silver maple dying, this could mean your tree is in danger of losing its life. As we said, a silver maple can become stressed by heavy branches, poor soil, drought, and a lack of pruning and upkeep.
If you don't remedy these issues, your tree can get sicker and sicker until it dies. With that said, your tree won't die overnight.
Silver maples, and plants in general, will show you signs and symptoms of illness. It's up to you to notice these red flags and come up with a plan to save your tree.
According to professionals, a silver maple may lose entire sections of its branches or leaves if it gets a disease or becomes the home of an infestation.
Your maple's branches may become brittle before falling to the ground, indicating that a portion of the tree is no longer living and growing.
When Should I Prune My Silver Maple Tree?
A good time to prune a silver maple tree is during its yearly winter dormancy. Although you may not tap your maple for syrup, it's still best to trim the branches while it isn't actively growing.
Silver maples are not known for producing yummy syrup like sugar maples, so you can prune them during winter.
However, we recommend getting this done in December or early January before your tree starts dripping with sap. That indicates the maple has started to come back to life, and pruning can negatively affect that.
On top of that, if your silver maple has an unusually productive spring and summer growing season, you can also do minor pruning in the later summer before fall.
As we mentioned, you should be fine to trim a maple tree once each year. Any major pruning should happen in the winter, while lighter cuts can be made in the summertime.
What Happens If I Over Prune My Maple?
Suppose you get too wild while pruning your silver maple. One thing you will notice after over-pruning a maple tree is that the sections you did will die.
It's common for overly-pruned silver maples to become deformed, often losing their natural rounded shape. Moreover, when you over-prune a tree, this can open the door to infestations and disease.
According to pros, excessive pruning can starve the tree of nutrients. From there, your silver maple can begin discoloring, shedding leaves, and eventually losing entire branches.
So, even though we recommend pruning, you don't want to do this often. Too much of a good thing can quickly become a significant issue for plants, so keep that in mind.
Can A Silver Maple Tree Fall Over If You Don't Trim It?
Yes. As scary as that sounds, a silver maple tree can topple over if it gets too heavy. Of course, this would be an extreme circumstance and would take years of neglect before happening.
Generally, silver maples can handle themselves pretty well, even if nobody tends to them. However, according to Integrity Tree Pros, silver maple is often considered a dangerous maple variety.
These massive trees shed their bark and limbs without notice, damaging homes, vehicles, lawn equipment, fences, and power lines.
That said, your entire maple tree collapsing or uplifting from its spot wouldn't be common. Even though silver maple roots aren't incredibly deep, they're usually sturdy enough to handle wind, canopy weight, and heavy rainfall.
So, that's not to say this is impossible, but you would notice ground movement far before anything devastating occurred. If there's a terrible storm, however, that can be hard to predict.
Regardless, try and trim your maple each winter and monitor its base for irregularities.
How Deep Are Silver Maple Roots?
Silver maple tree roots are shallow, often 12 to 18 inches from the soil surface. In addition, the roots of this maple variety are pretty wide.
According to StudiousGuy, silver maple tree roots can spread up to 25 feet from the base, which is incredible to think about.
On top of that, as your maple matures, it's expected to see the roots come up from the ground. Typically, larger silver maples will be swarmed by their roots, poking out from the soil for us to see.
That can be difficult for landscaping, especially if you grow grass or other shrubs nearby.
Therefore, keeping the ground near a silver maple bare is a good idea. Ideally, you will leave 20-25 feet in all directions from your maple to prevent crowding later.
What Should I Do With Fallen Silver Maple Branches?
Once the branches of your silver maple fall: what do you do with them? You often want to check the area around them for damage to ensure your safety.
Next, grab a chainsaw and cut the larger branches into smaller bits. This will make throwing them away much easier. Furthermore, you might want to save some of the fallen limbs for firewood, as long as it is dry and doesn't look infested.
Since many fallen maple branches will be brittle, you can't use them for crafts or construction most of the time. However, if a healthy branch falls, we don't see why you can't use it for crafting or building something.
To Finish It All Up
Whether you have a single silver maple in your garden or ten, it's crucial to understand their pruning needs. We found that silver maples will drop their branches due to environmental stresses.
These include drought, lack of pruning, soil deficiencies, and too much canopy weight on top of them. Therefore, it's best to do annual pruning in the winter while your maple is dormant.
You can also do a secondary trim in the late summer, but only if your tree needs it.
Made it to the end? Check out these other related garden articles below!
Is Silver Maple Considered A Hardwood?
What Causes Black Spots On Silver Maple Leaves?
Can You Tap Silver Maple Trees? [Everything You Need To Know]