Autumn Blaze Maple

The best way to prevent disease and pests is by providing the appropriate care for your plants. Proper location choice, watering, and fertilization are the keys to your success. Scale and Aphids are insects that can affect Maples. You can treat these pests naturally with horticultural oil, neem oil, or insecticidal soap. For severe infections you can use pesticides like carbaryl, also known as Sevin. Occasionally fungal issues can arise. Generally, treating after infection isn’t extremely effective, so if you have problems yearly treat in early spring with fungicides to prevent infection. Neem Oil is an organic method of treating some fungal diseases and pests. It can be effective, but the entire tree must be coated in order for this method to be effective.

How to Grow and Care for Autumn Blaze Maple Trees

David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience.

Andrew Hughes is a certified arborist, member of the International Society of Arborists specializing in tree heal care, and reviews tree content on The Spruce’s Gardening Review Board. He founded and runs Urban Loggers, LLC, a company offering residential tree services in the Midwest and Connecticut.

The Autumn Blaze maple tree boasts beautiful fall foliage and has a shapely form, making it a focal specimen when landscaping a large area. This tree is a hybrid of the red maple and the silver maple, both native to North America. With densely balanced and ascending branches and an oval crown, the Autumn Blaze maple tree matures quickly and can grow as much as two feet per year under the right conditions. This variety of shade tree is pollution-tolerant (an important factor if you plan to grow one along a busy street) and suitable for urban areas. It can also adapt to a wide range of soil conditions, including those that are nutrient-poor. Come fall, the green leaves of the Autumn Blaze maple tree turn a coveted brilliant orange-red, hence its name.

Light

Because the Autumn Blaze maple tree is often one of the biggest in the landscape, it is rarely shaded by other varietals. That said, this tree is not super picky when it comes to sunlight. It appreciates areas of full sun, but can thrive just as well in partial shade, especially when planted in warmer climates. For prolific autumn color, however, plant your tree in a space that gets plenty of light.

Soil

The Autumn Blaze maple tree likes soil that drains well, and will adapt to sandy and heavy clay soils as long as they’re well-drained. This tree can tolerate nutrient-poor soil, but, the more moist and fertile the planting medium, the better the tree will thrive. This variety of maple prefers to grow in acidic conditions, which may require adding organic matter, like peat moss, upon planting.

Water

A young Autumn Blaze maple tree needs lots of water to help it establish itself. Five to seven gallons a week should be enough to keep the soil evenly moist throughout the root zone during the first year. Once established, this drought-tolerant tree will likely do fine with about 1- to 1/2-inch of rainfall a week. If you notice the leaves turning brown, or falling from the tree prematurely, supplement the water until environmental conditions improve.

Temperature and Humidity

The Autumn Blaze maple tree can withstand a wide range of temperatures—from freezing temperatures to high heat and humidity levels. Because of its flexibility, this tree can be grown in both northern and southern latitudes of the United States.

Fertilizer

Refrain from fertilizing your Autumn Blaze maple tree during its first year of growth. After that, maples trees generally don’t need fertilizing. Still, you can give an older tree a boost by sprinkling a slow-release, nitrogen-rich fertilizer around its base once a year. It’s best to perform a soil test before amending your soil in any way.

Types of Maple Trees

Maple trees are among the most popular landscape trees due to their splendid fall foliage. Still, take care when selecting the tree that’s right for you, as not all maples have red leaves in the fall, and some species are considered invasive. Some of the popular cultivars and hybrids—all of which produce spectacular fall color—include:

• The Big Leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), or Oregon maple, is a long-lived species native to the Pacific Northwest. It boasts gigantic leaves which turn yellow or orange in the fall.
• The Armstrong maple’s branches grow upright, instead of out, making it one of the taller varieties of landscape trees (it can reach up to 70 feet). The tree’s narrower spread gives it a distinctly columnar shape, and it bears gold-orange foliage come fall.
• The Marmo maple is a hybrid cross of red and silver maple. This variety quickly establishes itself, growing 2 feet a year in its early stages. This spectacular shade tree turns a brilliant shade of red in the fall.

Pruning

These trees will produce unsightly suckers if the trunk is exposed to direct sunlight. Trunks are prone to sunburn and tree must be allowed to shield itself from sun with foliage. Do not remove excessive interior branches when pruning; only prune dead, damaged crossing and co-dominant branches. Do not prune autumn blaze maple branches over 3 inches in diameter.

Give your maple a good look every fall, as well, to prune out any damage sustained over the growing season. Keep in mind that even though you look at your tree every fall with an eye to pruning it, you don’t have to prune it. Only prune when necessary.

Propagating Autumn Blaze Maples

Growing a new Autumn Blaze maple tree from a cutting is an inexpensive way to add more of this commonly seedless species to your landscape. Plus, this fast-growing variety will make a shade-centric showcase piece in just a few years.

Here’s how to propagate Autumn Blaze maple from cuttings:

1. Gather gloves, garden shears, rooting hormone powder, potting soil, a clear plastic bag, and a pot.
2. Put on your gloves and prepare a pot with potting soil. Water the soil and allow it to drain.
3. Cut a 4-inch section off the tip of your maple tree’s branch (look for a branch with new growth).
4. Remove the leaves for the bottom half of the cutting, and then strip away the bark.
5. Roll the cutting in the hormone powder, and then place it 2 inches deep into the potting soil.
6. Cover the pot and the cutting with a plastic bag.
7. Once the cutting takes root, remove the plastic and relocate the pot to a sunny window.
8. Acclimate your sapling by taking it outside during the day and bringing it indoors at night for ten days. After that, you can plant it in its permanent outdoor location.

Overwintering

The Autumn Blaze maple tree needs a little special care before it heads into dormancy season. In the late fall, make sure to prune any dead branches and trim back those that are overgrown. Next, add a thin layer of mulch to the base of the tree, taking care not to pile it around the trunk. Do not fertilize or overwater your tree at this time, as you want to discourage new above-ground growth in preparation for the long winter.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

Brown spots on its foliage are a telltale sign that something’s wrong with your Autumn Blaze maple tree. This usually indicates leaf spot, a fungal infection that presents itself first on the lower limbs where the humidity is highest. Leaf spot does not usually harm the tree or require the use of potent fungicides. Simply decreasing the humidity around the plant and removing affected branches should rectify the situation.

Alternately, pests, including scale, mites, and flathead tree borers, can infiltrate an Autumn Blaze maple. If you notice any sign of an infestation—like brown spots on the leaves or lesions on the trunk or branches—treat the tree with insecticidal soap or liquid lime sulfur until all signs of infestation have disappeared. For the amount to use, follow the product label instructions.

Common Problems with Autumn Blaze Maple Tree

The one downfall of this easy-to-care-for tree is its structural weakness. Once mature, this fast-growing maple can crack easily at branch unions during strong storms, leading to loss of limbs and, perhaps, damage to homes and vehicles. Regular pruning keeps the tree’s structure sound and prevents it from becoming top-heavy. Also, due to its shallow root system, the roots of the Autumn Blaze maple may, over time, protrude from your lawn. For these reasons, planting the tree in the middle of your yard, and away from flower or vegetable gardens, is advised.

The life expectancy of an Autumn Blaze maple tree is 60 years. However, proper care and regular pruning are needed to prevent damage and uprooting.

Is the autumn blaze variety considered a soft or hard maple?

The Autumn Blaze maple is considered a soft maple because it damages easily in the wind and under snow load.

Yes, this hybrid of two native trees produces an edible fruit highly coveted by birds during the summer.

Autumn Blaze Maple

Growing Zones 3-9

Soil Type	Adaptable, Well Drained
Sunlight	Full, Partial
Drought Tolerance	Good
Mature Height	40-60 Feet
Mature Width	20-30 Feet
Fall Color	Red
Shipping Restriction	AZ

How Far Apart Should These Maples Be Planted?

Space so that each tree has at least 20 feet to the next tree for a close knit look at maturity. Space 40 feet apart to have stand alone trees with space in between the next.

How Fast Does This Tree Grow?

This maple is a fast growing tree that can reach a height of 50 feet and a width of 40 feet.

Where Should I Plant An Autmn Blaze Maple?

Plant this adaptable Maple in a spot that has well drained soil and full sun to part shade conditions in grow zones 3-8.

When planting your Autumn Blaze Maple tree be sure you have the right location and conditions for your new tree to thrive. Spring and Fall are ideal times to plant. However, if you avoid freezing and hot temperatures you can plant your Maple almost any time of the year.

These trees tolerate full sun to part shade and prefer soil that is well-drained, slightly acidic, and nutrient rich. However, Maples will adapt to a variety of soils. If you have alkaline soil, you can amend your soil. To acidify your soil, amend with compost, elemental sulfur, or use fertilizers specific for acid loving plants. Mulching with pine straw or pine bark will help over time as they begin to break down, but are not an immediate solution for increasing acidity. Mulching will also aid in keeping the roots cool and moist. Add a layer of 2 to 3 inches of mulch. Do not allow the mulch to touch the trunk as this increases the chances of pests and disease. Maples should be watered often enough to keep the soil moist. Maples can tolerate a wet area, but they shouldn’t be in standing water. Fertilize in early spring and when planting to give your tree a boost. Choose a slow release fertilizer. When planting take care not to burn the roots by mixing the fertilizer into the soil before placing your tree in the hole. Maple trees don’t generally require pruning, but, if needed, prune when they are dormant to remove any dead, dying, or crowded branches, or to maintain shape. Maples are salt intolerant so keep them away from road sides in cooler climates and beach areas as well as any area known for soils with high salinity.

The best way to prevent disease and pests is by providing the appropriate care for your plants. Proper location choice, watering, and fertilization are the keys to your success. Scale and Aphids are insects that can affect Maples. You can treat these pests naturally with horticultural oil, neem oil, or insecticidal soap. For severe infections you can use pesticides like carbaryl, also known as Sevin. Occasionally fungal issues can arise. Generally, treating after infection isn’t extremely effective, so if you have problems yearly treat in early spring with fungicides to prevent infection. Neem Oil is an organic method of treating some fungal diseases and pests. It can be effective, but the entire tree must be coated in order for this method to be effective.

The Autumn Blaze Maple tree is a great tree for your yard. With a mature width of up to 40 feet and height around 50, this is a good sized shade tree. Be sure to give it plenty of room to thrive. Plant 1, 2, or 3 in your front or backyard as individual specimen trees or plant a row to line your backyard or a long driveway. Space your maple hedge so that each tree has at least 15 feet to the next tree. You will enjoy shade within a few years with this being one of our top choices in shade trees for sale.

For additional options, be sure to browse our Japanese Maple and Maple Tree collections.