Sugar maple: planting features, care and application

Sugar maple comes from North America: it is widespread in the eastern United States and in Canada, the maple leaf is present on the Canadian flag. However, this tree quickly took root in both Europe and Russia, it is found everywhere in temperate latitudes. Sugar maple wood is highly regarded as it has dozens of uses and is highly durable and dense. Additionally, its ability to produce sweet maple sap contributes to the growing popularity of the tree.

Content:

• General description of sugar maple
• Varieties
• Landing
• Maple growing conditions
• The use of sugar maple

General description of sugar maple

The sugar maple, also known as the Canadian maple, is a deciduous tree with a height of more than 40 meters. It lives for a very long time: the lifespan of the Canadian maple reaches 400 years. Maple prefers places well lit by the sun, or partial shade, it reproduces with the help seed... In a young tree, the bark has a light gray or light brown hue; over the years, it begins to darken.

Maple has powerful roots, the older the tree, the more powerful and branched it becomes root system.

Maple is characterized by a dense, spreading crown. The leaves are simple, on the branches they are located opposite. The leaf plates have a characteristic curly shape, they look especially beautiful and unusual as a shade when the leaf acquires a rich red or yellow hue. The tree is a deciduous tree that completely sheds its leaves in the autumn months.

The tree blooms in spring: small yellow-green flowers, collected in bunches, appear on the branches. The fruit of the plant is a lionfish, 2 seeds are placed in each lionfish. Most trees are dioecious, with male and female flowers on the same plant. The sugar maple got its name for its ability to produce sweet maple sap, from which maple syrup and sugar are made.

Varieties

In North America and the European part of Russia, several types of Canadian maple are widespread:

• Red Canadian maple. It differs from other varieties in a special reddish color of the leaves, this tree looks especially beautiful in the autumn months. The leaves are small, their length reaches 11 cm, they are divided into 5 pointed lobes. In spring, small flowers up to 5 mm in diameter appear on the branches, collected in inflorescences. The tree has an elliptical or pyramidal crown, it grows rather quickly and looks beautiful when planting trees on the sides of the alleys.
• Maple Canadian silver. It is widespread in North America, but it is also found in Russia. A distinctive feature is the color of the leaves: they are dark green on top, and the underside has a beautiful silvery shade and a velvety surface. The height of the tree reaches 30-40 meters, the width of the crown is up to 20 meters. Due to its spectacular silvery crown, it is often used in the design of gardens and parks.
• Maple Latsiniatum Vieri is a short tree, its height does not exceed 15 meters. The tree has a wide asymmetrical crown, thin openwork leaves are divided into 5 lobes.When blooming, the leaves have a pleasant pinkish tint; in summer, the upper side of the leaf is green, the lower one is silvery. In the autumn months, before leaf fall, the leaves take on a delicate lemon shade.
• Bonsai is a special type of maple that can hardly be called a separate botanical species. This is a miniature tree grown in a pot using a special technology; it is the Canadian maple that is often used for growing in the bonsai technique. The tree blooms beautifully, and the richness of shades of leaves in autumn makes it one of the main decorations of the house. Maple is often called the king of bonsai - the tree will require difficult maintenance, but the result will justify all the efforts.

Any kind of maple tree can be a garden decoration, but the tree will need enough room to grow. It is advisable to plant it in a location with the most suitable conditions to ensure good growth.

Landing

Saplings of Canadian maple are easy to plant and grow on your site: annual shoots are most often used for planting. They must be placed in containers with loose soil for the rapid development of the root system. During the growth of seedlings, they must be regularly watered, complex mineral fertilizers.

As soon as the young plant gains enough strength, the seedling is transplanted into open ground on the site.

Before planting the sugar maple, the seedlings are first accustomed to the open air. To do this, they must be taken outside for a few minutes, gradually increasing the time spent outside. For planting, a pit with a diameter of 50 cm is prepared, the seedling is placed in it in such a way that the trunk is immersed in the soil by no more than 5 cm.After planting, the tree requires abundant glaze - one pit will require 15 liters of water.

When planting several maple seedlings, you need to take into account the future growth of the crown. The distance between seedlings should be at least 3-5 meters. Sugar maple grows rather slowly, but very soon it will already become a decoration of the site.

Maple growing conditions

Sugar maple is one of the most unpretentious trees, so it does not require any difficult maintenance. Despite the fact that he prefers open places, he is able to grow well in partial shade, and also tolerates shade quite calmly. This is a frost-resistant tree, it can withstand temperatures down to -40 degrees.

However, in order to form a beautiful crown of a healthy tree, it is better to take care of several important conditions for growing sugar maple:

• Annual shoots can freeze in the middle lane, so it is advisable to keep them indoors for the first year, gradually preparing them for transplant... In the first years after planting, it is advisable to wrap up young seedlings in order to prevent the roots from freezing.
• Sugar maple does not like highlands open to all winds: this type of maple has fragile branches that easily break from strong winds. It is best to choose a protected location for it, isolated from strong gusts.
• Wet soil is good for sugar maple, but it should be well-drained. Stagnant moisture in the soil can lead to root rot.
• Seedlings require moderate watering with regular feeding mineral fertilizers... Fortified trees need additional watering only in dry years with insufficient rainfall.

For the propagation of sugar maple, not only are used the seeds, but also cuttings, in nature, the tree also propagates by root suckers and shoots from stumps. The percentage of rooting cuttings is relatively small, they are used if there is no way to get seed. Another breeding option is air layers: they are treated with a rooting stimulator to get a new root system.

The use of sugar maple

Scope of application:

1. Canadian maple has a valuable wood, it even exceeds the strength of oak in terms of strength. It has a wide variety of uses: it is used to make furniture, various types of flooring and plywood, in addition, it is used in the manufacture of various household items and sports equipment.
2. One of the most popular applications is the production of valuable maple parquet with a particularly beautiful shade. Light wood has a pleasant shine, it is well varnished and other types of finishing materials. Moreover, it is difficult to scratch it, it is resistant to various mechanical damage. At the same time, it is better not to use it where you need to hammer in nails or screw in screws: it is difficult to work with carpentry tools with dense wood.
3. Another application is to obtain maple sap, which is widely used in cooking. Maple sugar is an important component of many culinary masterpieces, it is used not only in Canadian, but also in European cuisine. Breeders in many countries develop varieties that yield the most juice.
4. One of the main uses for Canadian (sugar) maple is landscape design... The tree is actively grown in parks and gardens, it is used in the design of plots, planted in alleys, etc. In autumn, the leaves acquire the widest range of shades, their beauty will not leave anyone indifferent. However, it also has a disadvantage - relatively slow growth. Old trees with a lush spreading crown and already darkened bark look really great.

It is no coincidence that the Canadian maple has become one of the main symbols of the country - this tree looks great and at the same time is very undemanding to care for. Plant it in your area, and very soon the tree will become a great decoration for any part of the garden. Taking care of the seedlings will pay off handsomely: very soon the tree will gain enough strength, and it will be able to easily withstand any natural negative factors.

More information can be found in the video.