Culture Notes
Red Maple is over-planted in many areas and should be used less often to produce a more sustainable urban forest. The tree makes the best growth in wet places and has no other particular soil preference except chlorosis may develop on alkaline soil where it also grows poorly.� It is well-suited as a street tree in northern and mid-south climates in residential and other suburban areas but the bark is thin and easily damaged by mowers.� Irrigation is often needed to support street tree plantings in well-drained soil in the south. Red maple is a fairly good compartmentalizer of decay.
October Glory (cultivar name is 'PNI 0268') can be grown in zone 8 in the western US but may have some trouble in the southern portion of zone 8 in the eastern US. Zone 8A is probably OK for the eastern US where it develops good fall color. October Glory is probably better suited for the south than 'Franksred' (Red Sunset). The plant is a female and sets ample fruit and no allergenic pollen. October Glory holds its foliage well into fall compared to Red Sunset. Red Sunset defoliates earlier.
Roots can raise sidewalks as silver maples can but they have a less aggressive root system and so they make a good street tree.� Surface roots beneath the canopy can make mowing difficult.� Branches often grow upright through the crown forming poor attachments to the trunk.� These should be reduced in the nursery or after planting in the landscape to help prevent branch failure in older trees during storms. Soft wood results in mid-limb failure in ice storms. Storms also break out sprouts from previous topping cuts. This cultivar is easier to prune than the species and is less prone to develop poor form.
Maintain adequate mulch area
Clear all turf away from beneath the branches and mulch to the drip line, especially on young trees, to reduce competition with turf and weeds. This will allow roots to become well established and keep plants healthier. Prune the tree so trunks and branches will not rub each other.� Remove some secondary branches on main branches with included bark.� This reduces the likelihood of the main branch splitting from the tree later when it has grown to become an important part of the landscape.� Locate the tree properly, taking into account the ultimate size, since the tree looks best if it is not pruned to control size. The tree can enhance any landscape with its delightful spring flush of foliage. It can be the centerpiece of your landscape if properly located.
Pests, Diseases and Damaging Agents
Pests:� Mites, aphids and twig borers cause some cosmetic damage to the tree. This cultivar has been shown to be more susceptible to leaf hopper injury than many other cultivars. Asian longhorn beetle, a new pest in certain sections of the US since 1996, attacks and kills maples.
Diseases:� Anthracnose, scorch and nutrient deficiencies can also be troublesome.� Considered a minor host for this disease, bacterial leaf scorch causes leaf scorch, premature browning, and gradual decline of trees. There is often a yellow line or hallow separating the scorched tissue from green tissue. Infection probably spreads by root grafts and certainly by leafhoppers, spittlebugs and sharpshooters. Pruning tools are not likely spread the disease. Neither fertilization nor pruning have any effect on treatment of the disease. There may be chemical treatment that can reduce symptoms but nothing will cure an infected tree. Bacterial leaf scorch can kill trees in several years.
This genus is sensitive to fluoride air pollution, sources of which include glass and brick manufacturing plants and other facilities that heat or treat with acid materials containing fluoride. Symptoms due to fluoride injury are more prominent on the side of the plant facing the pollution source.� In deciduous plants, symptoms include leaf browning along the margins of the leaves.� A dark brownish band may appear along the boundary between healthy green tissue and the affected brown tissue.� Eventually, the entire leaf may turn brown. In conifers, the tips of the current year's needles turn reddish brown.� Older needles are typically unaffected.� If you suspect fluoride has injured this plant, look in the neighborhood for gladiolus plants. They serve as indicator plants for fluoride air pollution damage because they are very sensitive to it.� Other sensitive plants include ash, maple, oak, white pine, poplar, and redbud.� Plants that resist injury include birch, flowering cherry, dogwood, hawthorn, American linden, juniper, pear, spirea and sweet gum.�