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Caring for your maple

New Resource: Grow your own maple tree… from seed!

Maple Leaves Forever’s Horticultural Consultant, Caitlin Ayling, has prepared a comprehensive guide to growing maple trees from seed. Follow this guide, starting with deciding on the type of tree, recognizing its’ seed, collecting, stratifying and sowing the seed to increase the chances your tree will survive and thrive. An excerpt is provided below, but you can read the whole article here… READ MORE »New Resource: Grow your own maple tree… from seed!

Spring is Spongy Moth (formerly Gypsy Moth) caterpillar season

The Invasive Species Centre has a wealth of informative fact sheets and papers on their website at https://invasivespeciescentre.ca/invasive-species/invasive-species-resources/ We wanted to share these fact sheets about the Spongy Moth (Lymantria dispar dispar/LDD moth, formerly known as European Gypsy Moth) and management practices, since May and June are when we see those spongy moth caterpillars on maples and other trees. Species… READ MORE »Spring is Spongy Moth (formerly Gypsy Moth) caterpillar season

To Prune or Not To Prune Maples in Winter?

As your beautiful Native Maples drop their leaves and their branching structure becomes more evident, you may be tempted to perform some winter pruning. Generally, for deciduous trees, this would be the ideal time. When the trees lay dormant and the branches are more easily visible, it is very practical to perform the removal of dead, dying or interfering limbs.… READ MORE »To Prune or Not To Prune Maples in Winter?

Spongy moth (formerly known as Gypsy Moth) Update – Collecting Egg Masses

This year has seen a rise in the number of Spongy Moths (Lymantria dispar dispar / LDD / European Gypsy Moths) and caterpillars, which affect Native Maple trees as well as other species. In areas with severe outbreaks, “trees and shrubs are completely defoliated over large areas; despite the trees’ ability to produce a new crop of leaves over the… READ MORE »Spongy moth (formerly known as Gypsy Moth) Update – Collecting Egg Masses

Caterpillar and Moth pests – update Summer 2020

This article is a follow up to Carl Mansfield, tree consultant for MLF farm visit on September 7, 2019.  On June 22, 2020,  Deb Pella Keen, Executive Director, MLF visited the MLF farm with Ken Jewett, founder of MLF.   We again observed the Lymantria dispar dispar or LDD moth (also known as European Gypsy Moth) larvae feeding on several trees,… READ MORE »Caterpillar and Moth pests – update Summer 2020

Fall-Winter tree care PSA – protect from animal damage

In the later fall and winter, when other food sources are scarce, voles, mice and rabbits eat the bark and underlying tissue of young trees. Voles frequently girdle a tree by removing a continuous strip of bark and cambium around the circumference of the tree, usually within 30 cm of the base of the tree. Trees do not recover from… READ MORE »Fall-Winter tree care PSA – protect from animal damage

Watering our young maples – Tree care on the MLF farm Part 2

Newly planted trees (those planted within the past three years) require regular watering and care throughout the annual growing season. The first few years are the most critical to their long term survival and growth. A 200-250 cm sugar maple sapling that was planted as a bare root tree in mid-May 2018. Note the hardwood mulch placed around the base… READ MORE »Watering our young maples – Tree care on the MLF farm Part 2

Q&A – What are those white blotches on my tree?

Recently we had a question come to our mailbox about white spots on their trees’ bark. MLF Tree Expert Carl Mansfield replied: Your tree appears to have lichens growing on the outer bark. Lichens are colourful crusts found growing on trees, rocks and other objects. They are often thought to be a pest or disease of trees and shrubs, but not so.… READ MORE »Q&A – What are those white blotches on my tree?

Pruning young sugar maples – Tree care at the Maple Leaves Forever farm Part 3

It’s been almost two years since we planted some 175-200 cm sugar maple saplings on the Farm. An arborist will recommend  that you wait at least 2-3 years before attempting any pruning but we knew a few of these trees could use our help. Most deciduous trees and shrubs should be pruned when they are dormant, preferably in the early… READ MORE »Pruning young sugar maples – Tree care at the Maple Leaves Forever farm Part 3

Lesson Learned – Weed trimmers can kill trees

Last summer we visited a landowner who was concerned with the early-fall colour change several of the maples along his laneway displayed. Click here for related story. Closer examination revealed that property maintenance staff had severely damaged the bark and underlying tissue around the trunk at  the base of the trees, while using a string trimmer to cut the grass… READ MORE »Lesson Learned – Weed trimmers can kill trees