What does black maple look like and how to grow it?

Black maple is a beautiful tree belonging to the Sapindaceae family. It is native to the eastern regions of North America. The tree grows slowly, does not bloom, but is still often used in landscape design.

Black maple is a plant that lives for a long time... But it also grows very slowly. The most active period of growth is called the first 2-3 years of a tree's life. Later, its development slows down. But maple can easily reach the age of 200 years.... There are also older specimens. The height of a mature black maple reaches 20-30 m.

The tree has a round or pyramidal crown. It is decorated with matte five-lobed leaves, which look slightly drooping. When blooming, the leaves have a brighter shade, but by autumn they darken, become almost black. It looks beautiful, so the plant cannot but attract gardeners and landscape designers. Its growing season lasts from May to October.

The bark of the maple is dark, furrowed, the roots are superficial. The tree does not bloom. Since it has high winter hardiness, it can be grown in Russia.

Black maple can grow in a wide variety of soil types. It can be planted both in a forest or a city park, and next to water bodies. It is on moist soil, in which there is no stagnant water, that black maple grows fastest.

It should be noted that such trees like well-lit places... They look a little less impressive if grown in shaded forest parks.

For breeding this type of maple, it is recommended to use seedlings. They grow quite easily in fertile soil. But an important role in the development of the tree is played by the quality of the seedling chosen. Decorative black maple is expensive. If the price of seedlings is suspiciously low, their quality is worth checking.

Young seedlings are planted in deep holes covered with a drainage layer of gravel. If several maples are planned to be placed on one site at once, the distance between them should be at least 3 m. It is also important to correctly position the future tree in the groove. Its root collar should be located at the level of the upper cut of the soil surface. After planting, young seedlings should be watered abundantly.

Planting maples is recommended in the fall. The end of September or the beginning of October is best suited for this. During planting, the roots of the plant should be straightened, no damage is allowed on them. Slightly withered leaves should not repel a novice gardener. For a seedling, this is quite normal.

Black maple, like any other tree, needs proper care. The root area of ​​the soil should be fed on a regular basis. This should be done at least 3 times per season.

Growing trees must be protected from direct sunlight. On dry days, water them abundantly. This should be done at least once a week, making sure that moisture penetrates deep into the soil. Pour about a bucket of water under each tree. In addition, it is advisable to irrigate the crown with water from a watering can.At first after planting, the land around the seedling must be carefully loosened, and the weeds must be carefully removed.

In order for the crown of a young maple to develop correctly, it must be trimmed periodically. In the spring, sanitary pruning is carried out, removing dry or frostbitten branches.

Black maple is used primarily in landscaping. There are several options for planting such a tree.

Most often, when decorating plots, maple is used as a tapeworm, that is, a plant that is planted separately. Since the leaves of the black maple are beautiful, and the crown attracts attention from afar, it really well suited for single planting.

The flowerbed, decorated right around the tree, looks very original. But it is not always possible to bring such an idea to life. For example, maple has a superficial root system, therefore, like larch, spruce or willow, it does not tolerate vegetation in the zone of the trunk circle. The tree oppresses closely growing flowers, taking away nutrients and moisture.

However, you can cheat a little if you don't want to give up the idea of ​​equipping a small flower garden at the foot of the trunk. Next to it, you need to create a dense layer of earth, only act very carefully. The earth should not be poured directly under the root, so as not to destroy the tree. It is necessary to retreat from the trunk by 20 cm.The layer of earth should be within 10 cm.

And the following types of flowers can be planted in such a flower bed:

• snowdrops;
• hellebore;
• lilies of the valley;
• arizem;
• saxifrage;
• Jeffersony.

A near-stem flower bed with these flowers will look beautiful throughout the warm season. In addition, ferns will do well next to maples.

Maples are often used in industrial areas. The fact is that these are trees that are quite resistant to the negative effects of the environment, which tolerate heat and drought well. And also they are not afraid of frost and wind. This type of maple feels most comfortable next to ash-leaved maple, linden or beech.

Perfectly black maple will fit into the design of a small garden. A neat tree with a rounded crown will look beautiful in a rocky or Japanese garden. You can plant a black maple next to a small gazebo, hidden from the sun in the shade of its branches. It will turn out to be a great place to relax.

However, this type of tree is used not only to decorate the site. Black maple wood is highly prized, as is its sap. Wood is used to create durable and quality furniture. Maple syrup, popular in many countries, is prepared from the juice.

Summing up, we can say that black maple is a beautiful and rather hardy tree that can be planted on your site. It needs special care only for the first 2-3 years after disembarkation. The rest of the time, the tree will simply delight the owners with an unusual appearance for our places.

You can learn how to properly plant a maple in the video below.