Features of the field maple and its cultivation

Features of the field maple and its cultivation are a popular topic in publications about non-trivial methods of decorating urban landscapes, vast land plots near country mansions and private houses in rural areas, parks and squares. The reason for this is the description of the species and variety of the deciduous cover, the size of the leaf plates of the tree of the sapindaceae family. Its ubiquity allows planting to be done not only for practical purposes, but also for purely decorative purposes. During the flowering period, the presence of a massive nectar disc makes maple a popular honey plant.

Field maple (neklen or paklen) belongs to the genus maple, belonging to the sapindaceae family, in which, according to various estimates, from one and a half to 2 thousand species. Distributed in the European part of Russia, found in the Caucasus, England, Scandinavia, Ukraine and Crimea. It is found in deciduous, ravine and valley forests, oak groves, river valleys and on mountain slopes. He does not like excessive moisture, but is drought-resistant and tolerates shade quite calmly. An especially valuable quality is its resistance to urban conditions and durability, which makes it decorative and expedient to plant it in urban landscapes. In St. Petersburg, you can find century-old maples that have reached 17 meters in height. A serious argument in favor of planting, even in the North-West region, is the ability to produce up to a ton of nectar per hectare of plantations in bloom. Beekeepers believe that field maple is an excellent honey plant, furniture makers and woodworking workers love this wood - it is decorative and highly polished. Landscape designers believe that having a variety of shapes, with leaves that have unique patterns, allows you to create gorgeous landscapes using the same kind of shape. It is enough to know the color scale of the vegetative mass, the approximate outlines of the crown, the size of the leaves, in order to create real masterpieces of park design from different forms.

The description in botany does not reflect the decorative effect inherent in the tree. Factual data are given: life span, shape and size of buds, number and location of leaves on branches, shape and color of inflorescences are described. Nature has provided several ways to preserve the species - with lionfish seeds from a healthy tree, pneumatic shoots from an already cut maple, and even root suckers from a damaged root system. It will not be difficult to get a widespread species, but you will have to go to the nursery for seedlings of rare species.

The flowering of the tree does not make a special impression on people (small flowers are yellow-green). But on insects, the plant has a strong effect on a rather massive nectar disk. A maple tree near a vegetable garden or flower garden will help ensure pollination of crops. Five-toed leaves can be dark or light green, giving a faint shine on one side of the leaf, but in the fall, golden yellow maple looks very picturesque. Deciduous tree in favorable conditions has a globular crown, but sometimes grows in the form of a shrub.

Described as a short tree or tall shrub. The common name is ash-leaved maple. The reasons for the popularity were several circumstances at once:

• the ability to grow rapidly;

• compactness (maximum height 7 m, openwork crown width 4 m);

• the beauty of the leaves (pink - when blooming, then - white-green, patterned, and in the period of leaf fall - yellow-green).

Additional bonuses - practically not susceptible to pests and diseases, resistant to frost. Having purchased a seedling, you can carry out the recommended haircut on a stump every 4 years - and breed it with cuttings.

Another specimen with aesthetic visualization and small dimensions (maximum height 5 m, mostly up to 3 meters). The crown is spreading, in the form of a tent, it looks very beautiful even when blooming (the white border has a pink tint), and later - milky or beige. Gardeners note frost resistance, unpretentiousness to care and durability of deciduous trees - sometimes up to 100 years. From a distance it looks almost white.

Landscape design experts are confident that this species is decorative and retains its characteristic picturesqueness until the end of autumn. It looks appropriate and organic in any composition and in every style with its golden leaves in spring and yellow in autumn. It grows to a maximum of 5 meters, which also refers to the pluses, is unpretentious and undemanding to care for, in summer it becomes dark green. In the total mass of plantings, it stands out with an openwork crown, the disheveledness of which can be leveled by skillful pruning.

An excellent option for a city park and a summer cottage. It grows rapidly in the first decade and easily fills in unaesthetic voids, and then stops. Propagated by layers, suckers and seeds (in autumn). You can cut in any shape. Large leaves with three or five lobes are claret green. This type of maple is noticeable from any position of the site, not only attracts attention, but also pleases the eye with a pleasant variability of shades.

Perhaps not the most beautiful component of a summer cottage or a personal plot, but it is reliable and stable. Therefore, it is in demand on city streets, in small squares and city parks. Its ability to keep its leaves even in the hottest and driest summers has made the deciduous tree common in urban settings. The streets where Nanum grows are always shaded. In landscape design, "Pyramidale nanum" is widely used. It grows well in a lit area, allowing a relatively small distance between trees when forming a hedge. The maximum attainable height is 6 meters. The leaves are large, but banal green.

In addition to the five common options, there are more rare ones - with brownish-green foliage, weeping in shape. "Nanum compact" grows up to 2.5 m, and the round shape of the crown makes it especially neat and tidy. Even evergreen varieties are described.

The existence of several breeding methods greatly facilitates the formation of the landscape zone. It is enough to purchase one seedling of a rare species in order to acquire a mini-park over time. The main condition is the correct layout. Each of the species described has certain preferences: some are shade-tolerant, there are supporters of a little shade, and there are also forms that calmly tolerate the constant sun.

It is recommended to purchase young seedlings with a developed root system. You can find recommendations to use 4-year-old maples so that the landscape will immediately acquire perfection, but problems may arise with their rooting.The optimal time for planting seeds and seedlings is September-October; grafting and layering can be done during the spring pruning. To determine the required pit sizes, it is recommended not to look for universal parameters, but to focus on the root system. The root collar should be on the same border with the soil. After watering, the seedling will settle by about 20 cm.

It is imperative to make crushed stone drainage at the bottom of the dug hole for those varieties that do not like abundant watering. If the landing site is under the open sun, you will have to shade the young tree for some time. Experienced plant breeders prepare a place for planting in advance: they dig a hole, apply fertilizers, drive a stake into the bottom, to which a plant weakened from migration is tied.

Watering varies depending on the season and climatic conditions: in spring and autumn, 19 liters per month are enough. In hot and dry summers, maple trees need to be taken care of weekly. It's best not to overdo it during the rainy summer month - some species are more resistant to drought than overflow. Regular feeding in the first year of life is done with mineral fertilizers. Then there will be no need to use growth stimulants.

One of the characteristics of the cultivation of this deciduous tree is the likelihood of seed germination, which it scatters in abundance. In this case, you can use the material obtained from nature - just carefully transplant the sprout to the prepared place. Can be planted with layering and root suckers. If there is a need to form a park at a fast pace, the best option is to purchase different varieties of seedlings in the nursery and invite specialists who will do everything quickly and competently.

Some species have a happy trait - they are susceptible to a few pests and diseases. However, there is a possibility of damage by the maple whitefly, the same mealybug and even the leaf weevil. In each of the cases described, you must first get rid of the source - cut off the affected and dried branches by treating the cuts with garden pitch. If a whitefly attack occurs, ammophos is used to kill the larvae, chlorophos is effective against the weevil. Standard protective measures can be taken in the spring, before budding trees.

The long-term practice of using a decorative deciduous tree allows you to create familiar landscapes or exclusive landscape design options. To do this, it is necessary to draw up a diagram taking into account the maximum height, crown shape, leaf color and, of course, the preferences of the species in terms of illumination. If you use different types of maple, given their inherent decorativeness and rapid growth in the first decade, even an amateur can create a unique design for a summer cottage or personal plot. It is easy to be convinced of this by looking at the given photos from maple lovers, professional designers, creators of city squares and parks, green space planters.

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