I am worried that since I planted the trees deeply, that they may rot and die. What do you think would be the best thing to do in my situation? I would like to get these trees on Caddo roots, but don't want to do it if it's going to kill them. I have some perlite and cactus mix. I'm thinking of three options. I could re-pot the trees into a normal potting mixture with the graft above the soil and hope that they would still be hardy enough for me. Alternatively, I could put them into some perlite with the graft covered and hope for rooting to take place. Or I could get risky and cut the scions of the Caddos off and dip them in rooting hormone and stick them into the perlite and try to root that way. I know the first option is definitely the safest, but I just want to make sure that these trees will grow well in my area. I'm open to all feedback and hopefully y'all can help me decide on what the best option would be in my scenario. Thanks.

My guess is Verticillium Wilt. Research that and see what you think. It is a soil based fungal disease that is common in your (our) area and hits Sugar Maples pretty hard. One tell tale clue is to cut through a section of the dead or dying branch and look for a greenish brown stain or streaking in the sapwood. To be absolutely sure, contact your local extension office and send them whatever sample they would need to run a test to confirm. Sorry to hear about this as unfortunately, there is really no cure for this malady. - Brad

Yeah, it looks like the samaras were shed. Sometimes one windy day can carry them everywhere. They can hybridize. As Dax said, it is probably black maple. Black and Sugar can hybridize easily, and in fact, it's sometimes thought that the Sugar Maple cultivar 'Green Mountain' is actually a hybrid of black and sugar, but I don't think that has ever been proven. Sugar Maple, I believe can hybridize with any of the other "sugar-type" maples: Acer nigrum (Black Maple) Acer grandidentatum (Bigtooth Maple) Acer leucoderme (Chalk Maple) Acer floridanum (AKA Acer barbatum) Florida Maple or Southern Sugar Maple Acer skutchii (Mexican sugar maple) I don't know if it can hybridize with others, but I'm pretty sure it cannot hybridize with the other common Eastern maples, at least not the commonly found large ones (Red and Silver). I don't know if they're pollen-compatible, but the bloom times don't overlap, so it at least won't happen in nature. I also don't believe it can cross with Norway Maple (Acer platanoides), despite their superficial similarities, they're actually not that closely related. There may be some Asian maples they could cross with, but I'm not sure. Someone more knowledgeable can chime in I'm sure.

You're definitely pushing the limits here. The normal range of the Sugar Maple stops in Middle TN and the lower plains states. There is a closely related tree - the Black Maple - which is sometimes called the 'Southern Sugar Maple' that you could also try. Its natural range goes a little further south than the Sugar Maple. (Its called Black Maple because the bark on older trees gets a very dark, sort of sooty looking color.) All that being said, your Sugar Maple will probably survive if you take good care of it. Maples can grow in the shade, and in fact in Tennessee where I am they almost always show up as understory trees. They can grow in full sun, but they seem just as happy in light to medium shade. In your case, I would give it a dappled shade location, if you have one. You could also try one of the red maple / silver maple hybrids, such as 'Autumn Fantasy', which have astounding fall color and are relatively fast growing. Both of those species are much more well adapted to your location. Regards, K4