Cultivation of Amur maakia

Amur maakia is a plant of the legume family, which is widespread in China, on the Korean Peninsula and in the Far East in Russia. In the wild, it grows in mixed forests, in river valleys and on hilly slopes, the height of which does not exceed 900 m. Under favorable conditions, the Amur Maakia can live up to 250 years. Today this plant is listed in the Red Book of the Amur Region.

Maakia Amur (in Latin Maackia amurensis) refers to a species of dicotyledonous plants of the genus Maakia. It is also often referred to as the Maak acacia. The first to describe it in detail was the Russian-Austrian botanist Franz Ivanovich Ruprecht.

Maakia Amur is a deciduous tree with a dense rounded crown (under unfavorable growing conditions it is a shrub up to 5 m), the trunk length can reach 20 m. It has erect shoots with a regular leaf arrangement and complex leaves of a dark green color up to 30 cm long, which have a sharp top and a smooth, sometimes bent edge. Young leaves are covered with greenish-brown or reddish-brown fluff, and only the blossoming leaves have a beautiful silvery edge. The root system contains tap and lateral roots; in poor soil it becomes flattened and shallow. Like all legumes, Amur maakia has nodules on the roots that contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Five-petal flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences. They are characterized by a white color with a yellow or pink tint and a size of 1-2 cm. Flowering lasts about 3 weeks. Fruits are oblong beans of brown or greenish color up to 5 cm long, they ripen in September and do not fall off for a long time.

Experts do not recommend planting Amur Maakia in an open place, it is better to find a corner protected from the winds for its cultivation on the site. She is not particularly demanding on the composition of the soil, but loves fertile and moist soil. Perfectly enriches the soil with nitrogen. Young plants take root well after planting in the main place. They can be planted in the ground before winter, without deeply deepening the roots.

Caring for Amur Maakia is not too difficult, you just need to pay attention to a number of factors:

• the tree is shade-tolerant and feels great in partial shade;

• it is necessary to ensure timely watering, since Amur Maakia naturally grows on moist soils;

• in spring and summer, it is good to apply complex mineral fertilizers, in the fall, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are recommended, and if the growth is too slow, you can add nitroammophos;

• refers to frost-resistant trees, therefore, does not require special protection in winter, and spring frosts of maakia are not terrible, since its leaves bloom quite late;

• despite proper care, in the first years the tree grows very slowly, increasing no more than 7 cm;

• for greater decorativeness, the Amur Maakia is sheared, forming a beautiful crown, it is better to do this in late autumn.

Amur Maakia is bred with the help of seeds, cuttings, root suckers, pneumatic shoots. Most often, propagation by seeds is used, since the rooting rate of cuttings is only 10%. Seed material is easy to collect on your own, sow it in the fall at the end of October or in the spring in April. Seed consumption is 4 g per 1 running meter, the recommended sowing depth is about 3 cm.

In the spring, before sowing, the seeds of maakia are stratified (exposed to cold for better germination) for 30-60 days or scarified - they break the shell. Before the sowing process, it is also recommended to treat the seeds well several times with water at a temperature of 80 degrees for 30 seconds. Then soak in warm water for a day. After such preparation, seed germination is 85-90%.

The wood of the Amur Maakia is characterized by a weak susceptibility to decay processes. It has a beautiful texture: bright yellow sapwood and dark brown core. It is harder than oak wood, therefore the people of the Amur Maakia are called black oak.

The wood of this tree is easy to process with cutting tools, it is well polished and varnished. Thanks to all these qualities, the wood of Maakia Amur is used for the production of beautiful plywood, well logs, curved furniture, wooden elements of tools, parquet.

Maakia Amur grows successfully both in the garden and on city streets, in parks, near roads. It looks especially impressive as a tapeworm - a single plant that accentuates attention in a flower arrangement.

Can be used in small biogroups, alleys, looks good against the background of plants with dark needles. Maakia is often planted in suburban areas as a hedge. If the garden landscape has slopes, then this tree is ideal for strengthening them.

For more information about Amur maakia, see the video below.