6 Sycamore Tree Care Tips

The eastern or American sycamore tree, Platanus occidentalis, is found throughout the United States and in the southernmost part of the Canadian province of Ontario. A magnificent, long-lived tree, it can reach a height of 100 feet in optimal conditions. A sycamore will provide shade and enjoyment all year round for you and your family with effective management. Here are a wide range of tips on caring for and maintaining a sycamore tree.

Tip 1: Give Your Sycamore Plenty of Sunlight

When planting a sycamore sapling, find the sunniest spot in your yard for it. Sycamores grow rapidly and produce leaves profusely, making them a superb shade tree.

Tip 2: Give a Sycamore a Wide Root Radius

Sycamore tree roots spread aggressively through the soil. They are shallow, however, and can break through lawn cover unexpectedly. The main roots of sycamores reach down a mere 30 inches into the soil. Plant a sycamore more than 12 feet away from other trees in your yard or on your street  boulevard. If you take cuttings to grow more sycamore trees on your property, plant them far from each other, as the roots will compete for water and nutrition.

Tip 3: Keep Your Sycamore Well-Watered

Sycamore trees have a high susceptibility to drought, and can fall victim to insect pests when not watered regularly. In hot weather, water at the roots twice a week. Watch for signs the soil is drying out and water more often as needed. The sycamore sheds its flowers, seeds and twigs throughout the year, leading some to consider it a unkempt tree for a yard. Maintaining well-moistened soil will reduce this shedding to manageable levels.

Tip 4: Sycamores Prefer Strongly Acid Soil

If your soil is at neutral pH or alkaline, add peat moss, pine bark and other acidic soil conditioners to the soil around your sycamore tree's roots. Use an organic mulch on young sycamores after planting to help maintain the acid quality of the soil.

Tip 5: Protect Sycamores from High Winds and Heavy Frost

Build up mulch in the fall to a depth of 2 inches, right out to the foliage edge, to protect the roots from harsh frosts. Young sycamores will not last through winters with temperatures colder than -34 degrees F. (-36 C.), so if your winters are often colder than this, do not plant a sycamore in your landscape. Due to the drying effects of harsh winds, plant your sycamore in the lee of a building or other trees, preferably evergreen conifers.

Tip 6: Prune Your Sycamore When Young

Help your sycamore build a strong framework of branches by pruning multiple leaders (large main branches that grow directly from the trunk). Develop a shape that has one or at most two main leaders, and trim back the multitude of branches that grow in the first 2 years from the leaders. Sycamores with a heavy canopy, and dense shade, can prevent lawn grass from growing under them. Prune a mature sycamore only to remove drooping branches, dead limbs, or branches suffering from diseases that can spread to the rest of the tree.