The picturesque realm of Stardew Valley would be incomplete without the lush, green trees. Not only do these serene trees enhance the scenic beauty of the game, but they also serve as valuable assets in the player’s journey to becoming a successful farmer.
Among these trees, the Maple Tree is a common tree that is the primary source of Maple Syrup in the Valley. Beyond their resourceful nature, Maple Trees also contribute to the aesthetics of the game. The leaves of a Maple Tree shift from a vibrant green to captivating shades of crimson and burgundy in the Fall, adding an extra layer of charm in Stardew Valley.
How to Get Maple Seeds
Maple Trees can only be grown using Maple Seeds. These seeds are brown and are often seen attached to a central stem. In Stardew Valley, players can obtain Maple Seeds through five different methods:
Shaking or Chopping Down Maple Trees
The best way to acquire Maple Seeds is by either shaking or chopping down existing Maple Trees. At Foraging Level 1, players have the ability to chop down fully-grown Maple Trees using an Axe. Chopping down a Maple Tree yields Wood, Sap, and occasionally Maple Seeds.
Players can also chop down Maple Trees located outside the Farm (except in Pelican Town). These Maple Trees respawn as Stage 3 saplings and can grow normally as long as the stumps are removed.
Another way of obtaining a Maple Seed is by shaking Maple Trees. To shake a Maple Tree, players simply need to approach the tree and right-click on it while standing next to it.
During the last two weeks of Fall (including Fall 14), shaking a Maple Tree drops a Hazelnut instead of a Maple Seed.
Searching in Garbage Cans
Occasionally, players can find Maple Seeds hidden inside Garbage Cans located anywhere in Pelican Town, regardless of the time or Season. To search inside a Garbage Can, players need to right-click on it.
Digging the Ground
Players can use an Axe or Pickaxe to dig up any Maple Seeds that may have been scattered around by a fully-grown Maple Tree on the Farm.
Completing Fish Pond Quests
When the population of a Woodskip Fish Pond reaches nine, it produces one to five Maple Seeds. Players can collect these seeds and save them to grow Maple Trees.
From the Traveling Cart
Players who aren’t keen on spending a lot of time searching for Maple seeds have the option to buy them. Maple Seeds are available for purchase at the Traveling Cart in the Cindersap Forest. The selling price ranges from 100 to 1,000 g. These seeds are not sold at the General Store or JojaMart.
How to Grow Maple Trees
Once collected, players can start planting the Maple Seeds. As Maple Seeds can only be planted on tillable ground, players must un-till soil on their farm. The simplest way to until soil is to hit it with a Pickaxe. Similar to how a Hoe is used to till the soil initially, hitting the tilled ground with a Pickaxe will un-till it – making it suitable for planting Maple Seeds.
However, if there is a crop growing on top of the tilled ground, players must first remove that crop by hitting it with a Pickaxe. This will leave the soil tilled, and players will need to hit it once more to actually get untilled soil.
A planted Maple Seed goes through four growth stages before reaching peak maturity. The growth rate of a Maple Tree varies, but it can be sped up using a Tree Fertilizer. Unfertilized Maple Seeds have a 20% chance per day of growth and do not grow at all in Winter. On the other hand, Fertilized trees advance one growth stage each night and can grow even in Winter. Unfertilized Maple Trees usually mature in 24 days, while Fertilized ones usually grow in 5 days.
Uses of Maple Trees
Maple Trees are a valuable resource in Stardew Valley, serving as the primary and most reliable sources of Maple Syrup. To extract Maple Syrup from a Maple Tree, players need to craft a Tapper. The recipe for crafting Tappers is obtained when players reach Foraging Level 3. The ingredients required are 40 pieces of Wood and 2 Copper Bars. Once crafted, the Tapper can be placed on a Maple Tree. It takes 9 Nights for the Maple Tree to produce Maple Syrup.
To speed up the process, players can instead use a Heavy Tapper. It works twice as fast as the Normal Tapper and extracts Maple Syrup within 4 Nights.
Besides producing Maple Syrup, Maple Trees provide essential resources such as Wood and Sap and have the potential to yield more Maple Seeds in the future. Additionally, for players who have chosen the Lumberjack profession, there is a chance of obtaining Hardwood, which is quite rare and valuable.
Depending on the player’s Foraging Level, a Maple Tree at growth stages 2–3 has the chance to drop 1 Wood when chopped with an Axe. However, this is not applicable when cutting the tree using other tools.
Stardew Valley is available now for Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
