In addition to height, one characteristic that’s special about a sycamore tree is its bark.
Outer sycamore tree bark is brown and peels away from the trunk to reveal a lighter inner bark.
you’re able to also identify sycamore trees by their seed pods.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Light
Grow sycamore trees in full sun for best results, though they do tolerate some shade.
Soil
Sycamore trees can tolerate a range of soil types and soil pH levels.
An averagegarden loamwith good drainage should be sufficient.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Water
For best results, keep the soil evenly moist.
An established American sycamore tree has some drought tolerance.
The species' name refers to its maple-like foliage.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The damaged limbs should bepruned back to the collar.
Dead or diseased branches should be pruned whenever you spot them.
Such an angle results in instability.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
This jot down of pruning is best left to professionals.
Happily, American sycamore trees generally produce nicely horizontal limbs.
Propagating Sycamore Trees
Sycamore trees can be propagated by seed or by taking (softwood)cuttings.
Wait until the pods drop in spring so that nature takes care of any requiredstratification.
Break a pod open to remove its seed.
Take off the fuzz attached to the seed.
Pre-soak for 24 hours.
Fill a planting container with seed-starting medium and moisten it.
Sow seed and cover with 1/4 inch of seed-starting medium.
Keep the medium moist.
The seed will germinate in 15 days.
Plant outdoors after the danger of frost has passed.
Overwintering
American sycamore is a very hardy tree.
No extra care is required to overwinter it.
Besides that, it’s quite stunning in winter.
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
The American sycamore tree is one of many plants susceptible toaphidinfestations.
If you get aphids, spray with the organic insecticideneem oil.
American sycamore also is susceptible to anthracnose.
The solution is to grow the cultivarPlatanus acerifolia’Bloodgood', which is resistant to anthracnose.
Mature sycamore trees might develop masses of exposed roots, which can be difficult to mow around.
And if you strike one with your mower, it can damage your blade.
The solution is to avoid growing sycamore as a lawn tree; it’s better situated in woodland gardens.
Sycamore tree leaves are larger in size when they mature compared to maple leaves.
No, sycamore trees are not listed on the ASPCA website as being toxic to pets.
