I Bought New Sugar Maple Tree To Plant About 6ft Tall. I Realized It Had Been Broke, Taped, And Has Healed I Think. Will It Be A G

Question

ood strong tree or should I take it back? I live on top of a hill with no break from the wind! I have not planted it yet. MY CORRECT EMAIL ADDRESS IS [e-mail] Your page won’t let me correct it in the email field!

Answer 1

That is likely a graft! It was done on purpose. For a Sugar Maple, this will be done to put the Sugar Maple top on a less invasive rootstock. Otherwise, you could have a tree that grows fast, tears up the area, then falls apart later on. This can be prevented by putting the top scion on a less invasive, and slower growing rootstock. On the other hand, they can be grafted to a more salt tolerant cultivar to accommodate less than ideal soils.

This is normal, and does not affect the strength of the tree.

Here is an article for more information on the care of these trees:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/maple/planting-sugar-maple-trees.htm