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Water Maple Trees: Shades Your Yard and Destroys Property Later

Other Ornamental Trees Besides the Water Maple is a Better Choice All Around for Your Yard

Tina Watts
Know the species of tree before you plant one in your yard is the best advice, especially for the Water Maple tree. One of the most popularly planted and naturally growing trees in North America is the maple species. This tree has thousands of other cousins and it's known by Silver Maple too. Damage to your home, structures and plants is very likely from the Water Maple tree, so know this fact about the Water Maple tree before planting it.

A lot of people love trees and just like my dad he wanted shade as fast as possible. The tiny seedling trees of the Water Maple tree grew quickly that he bought from the store. Within a few years the trees provided a lot of shade from the blaring sunshine, and lowered his cooling bill too. We were glad that he had a few years of enjoyment, but the family didn't realize the serious yard and home problems that would come later after his passing.

Description of the Maple:

You'll know the Water Maple tree by its familiar seedlings that fly off the tree during the spring, called whirly birds in our neighborhood. The Silver Water Maple seed is light brown and feathery, and looks like helicopter blades flying through the air. Trees can live to be a couple of hundred years. Bark color is a light to a darker grey that's rough and thick on a Water Maple after several years. A silver color appears on the back of a leaf, and the veins on the Water Maple leaf are noticeable from the Water Maple tree.

Problems with the Water Maple Tree:

Water Maples are called Water Maple trees because they drink up water viscously. You'll find them growing wild along extremely wet areas. Their root systems will come to the top of the ground to get a good soaking. The root balls grow very quickly and large for the tree, and that presents real problems for the home owner. Yes, they are a lovely ornamental tree to plant, but wreck havoc more than you can imagine. It's best to plant the Water Maple tree far away with the thought that benefits will be indirect in its aesthetics.

Some of the consequences of having the Water Maple tree in your yard are the following:

Roots from the Water Maple will come to the top of the yard, and lawn mower blades are destroyed if you're not careful.

Tree tops of the Water Maple tree spread widely over other lovely plants like your rosebushes, and drops water causing fungus.

The vivacious need for water from the Water Maple trees sucks the life from other surrounding plants.

A Water Maple tree will wrap its thick tentacle roots around and in septic areas, and can damage the lines and box.

Water Maple trees will after time push under home foundations and buildings that are not on a permanent foundation causing damage.

A Water Maple tree will cause fence lines and post to shift.

Water Maple trees will disturb underground termite treatment cones.

Remember before you plant trees think about the consequences, and for the Water Maple tree it's vitally important. Trees just like kids grow up, and some more quickly than others, and even though I loved my dad he should have considered the facts too. Don't be caught later with expensive solutions to problems that could have been averted in the first place. A Water Maple tree is beautiful, but the fact is they belong in the right setting.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org

Published by Tina Watts

Working MaMA is a hard working stay at home mother of one that is about to fly the coop! Love meeting new people, and want to learn all I can about writing. Also, I work at home doing some SEO key word writing.  View profile

  • Pre-plan carefully with landscaping for trees
  • Water Maples are not the best choice for shade in the long run
  • Choose other ornamental trees that grow to be smaller
Water Maples are very hardy trees with very brittle wood, and these trees are typically the first to snap during a storm.

2 Comments

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  • laura12/12/2010

    zeorymer, don't be an idiot. Clearly you weren't the intended audience. Don't call the apple rotten just because it doesn't taste like an orange.

    Anyways, thank you for this. My parents are doing some landscaping and I now know what to tell them to stay away from.

  • zeorymer7/10/2010

    informative yet at the same time completely worthless posting. I'm a new home buyer who did not plant the tree. I'm trying to figure out how to care and deal with the tree and this post provides absolutely no information apart from the fact that the poster hates maple trees

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