subject: Harmful Effects Of Pesticides On Non-target Organisms [print this page] Q: Like many others, I planted maple trees a little close to the house years ago. Now we get seeds everywhere. It takes weeks to clean them up. Can anything be done to reduce, or better yet, eliminate the seeds?
A: Some maples are more prolific seeders than others, and some years are worse than others. When youve got both, lots of those little helicopters are the first stage of a new maple forest trying to take root.
There is a product called Florel (containing the growth regulator ethephon) that reduces fruit set on a variety of edible and ornamental trees. Its labeled for use on maples. trifluralin
Ive never used it myself and cant say how effective it would be cutting down on your problem. The label lists a variety of precautions, including the possibility of defoliation and yellowing of tree leaves its sprayed on. Timing is important, i.e. before seeding starts. And then theres the issue of how to get the spray on the upper leaves if your trees are getting tall.
Heres a link to one vendor that sells it and has the product label posted online: www.montereylawngarden.com.
Weed preventers are another option if the main problem is with sprouting seeds. Chemicals such astrifluralin (the ingredient in Preen and other widely available granular weed preventers) and the organic corn gluten meal (a byproduct of corn) wouldnt cut down on the number of maple helicopters coming down, but they might at least slow how many germinate. I wasnt able to find any research stating how effective these are specifically on maple seedlings.
Weed preventers need to go down a week or two before the seeds (samaras) drop, and they need to be watered in.
Unwanted seeding can be a pain when seedlings are popping up all over. I pull ones I see and hold down weeds of all kinds by mulching. If possible, weed-whacking off the tops is another way to short-circuit the growth of patches of unwanted baby maples. trifluralin
