Sycamore Tree Info required

[Jodycat]

Hi

I have a sycamore tree growing in one of my tubs, I would like to plant it and keep it but need some info re root spread etc and speed of growth to decide where to plant it. Which aspect/position they like that sort of thing.

Many thanks

[Hobjob]

They grow big - very big.
It'll gown like a weed wherever you put it.

Well away from your house would be a good place!

Compared to oaks it has very little insect wild life,
but it will grow faster than an oak.

They can be pruned to keep in control.

Originally Posted by Jodycat

Hi

I have a sycamore tree growing in one of my tubs, I would like to plant it and keep it but need some info re root spread etc and speed of growth to decide where to plant it. Which aspect/position they like that sort of thing.

Many thanks

[Tursiops2]

Originally Posted by Hobjob

Compared to oaks it has very little insect wild life,

Except for vast quantities of aphids Good for Blue tits and other insect-eating birds, but not the most desirable thing in the garden. Sycamores are also very invasive, cast a dense shade which suppresses other plants, and their leaves are slow to decompose. If you want to plant for wildlife there are better trees you could choose.
T2

[RobSutton]

I quite like sycamores. They can grow to be big trees and drop sticky aphid goo on your car and do need a lot of space but they provide a good habitat for lichens and mosses and the total biomass of insects they carry makes them useful as a food supply for lots of birds at the nestling stage. It's also a good and very useful timber:

Excellent working properties - Sycamore is easily worked, can be cut in any direction and produces an excellent finish. It also has excellent bending properties and can be easily stained which makes sycamore an excellent choice for furniture and internal joinery. Traditionally in Scotland, fine boxes for trinkets and snuff were made from sycamore wood, sometimes in conjunction with dark laburnum. The spectacular wavy grained or "rippled" sycamore is generally used for making musical instruments and very fine furniture.

Clean, non-tainting properties - Its clean white appearance and smooth finish means that sycamore is ideal for use in food preparation areas like kitchen table tops, work tops and butchers’ blocks, rolling pins and bread boards (traditionally it was used for turned bowls, platters and tableware). It is also used to make rollers for textile machinery because it is both hardwearing and never stains the cloth

Plant yours out for the future.

[Jodycat]

Many thanks all for all the Sycamore advice. I think I have decided that perhaps I can't plant it far away enough from my property and my garden isn't quite big enough. So I plan to plant it in the woods at the back of my house - it'll still be my tree really!!
Thanks again x

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by Jodycat

Many thanks all for all the Sycamore advice. I think I have decided that perhaps I can't plant it far away enough from my property and my garden isn't quite big enough. So I plan to plant it in the woods at the back of my house - it'll still be my tree really!!
Thanks again x

Are the woods near you semi-natural ones? You should introduce no plants if they are.

One thing you might want to do is bonsai it - like all maples, sycamore makes an interesting dwarf specimen.

[Dan Salter]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Are the woods near you semi-natural ones? You should introduce no plants if they are.

One thing you might want to do is bonsai it - like all maples, sycamore makes an interesting dwarf specimen.

I agree with Paul...going off planting trees into woodlands without advice or permission is a big no no especially a non native species like sycamore that i spend most of my conservation volunteer time trying to irradicate!.

And yes im fully aware of the aphid biomass as my new car bonnet now needs a £200 respray thanks to the sycamore woodland next to our drive..i also know they benefit blue tits by providing a food supply but im sorry, the hugely invasive nature, the non nativeness and the fact the woodland floor in the woods we neighbour is totally devoid of life due to it being pitch dark far out weight the aphid/food thing. I would swap our sycamore copse for a broadleaf mixed species woodland anyday, with some understory and ground flora! and light!!

edit: I would also swap my mottled dull flat ruined bonnet for one that is shiny again if anyone has one? ha ha