Maple tree seeds mature in either spring to early summer or late fall, depending on the species. Once they take root, remove the cuttings from their coverings and place them in a sunny location. Keep the air around the plant moist by enclosing the pot in a plastic bag or covering it with a milk jug with the bottom cut out. Stick the lower 2 inches (5 cm.) of the cutting in a pot filled with moist rooting medium. Scrape the bark on the lower stem with a knife and then roll it in powdered rooting hormone. Take 4-inch (10 cm.) cuttings from the tips of young trees in midsummer or mid-autumn, and remove the leaves from the lower half of the stem. Growing maple trees from cuttings is an easy way to get free saplings for your garden. In addition to planting nursery-grown maple trees, there are a couple of ways to go about maple tree growing: Growing maple trees from cuttings Find out how to grow a maple tree in this article. Maple trees come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common: outstanding fall color.