Glutamate synapses in the rodent hippocampus are generated at high rate between birth and puberty. During this period there are also various adaptive changes in synaptic function, referred to as synaptic maturation. This presentation focuses on three aspects of synaptic maturation; the emergence of astrocyte- mediated short-term synaptic depression, the disappearance of AMPA silencing (generation of AMPA silent synapses by test pulse activation) and a change in the properties of long-term potentiation (LTP). In response to synaptic activity astrocytes mediates a depression that affects both the recently (within seconds) active synapses (homosynaptic depression) and inactive, neighboring synapses (heterosynaptic depression). Both these depressions emerge between postnatal days 10 to 20. During about the same time period AMPA silencing vanish and long-term potentiation changes from being a de- depression, an AMPA unsilencing of AMPA silenced synapses, to a "genuine" potentiation (i.e. not de-depression), not explained by AMPA unsilencing. Glutamate synapses onto interneurons also express astrocyte-mediated depression. However, in contrast to the glutamate synapses onto principal neurons, they express AMPA silencing into adulthood, exemplifying divergent synaptic maturation.