Red maple ∗ The 10 best planting and care tips

Characteristics

• Scientific name: Acer platanoides 'Faassen's Black'
• Cultivated form of the species: Norway maple (Acer platanoides)
• Genus: Maples (Acer)
• Family: Soapberry family (Sapindaceae)
• Growth type: deciduous tree
• Growth height: 10 m to 15 m
• Leaf: lobed
• Flower: Umbelliferous
• Fruit: split fruit
• Roots: heart roots
• Hardiness: hardy
• Use: single position, house tree

growth

blood maple 'Faassen's Black' is a magnificent deciduous tree with deep red glossy leaves. Progenitor is the native Norway maple (Acer platanoides). It is an accidental cross between Acer platanoides 'Schwedleri' and Acer platanoides 'Reitenbachii' that was cultivated in the early 20th century. century was discovered. Its high esteem as a representative house tree is based on these key growth data:

• growth habit: more upright standard with a broad, spherical crown, colour-intensive, black-red foliage.
• growth height: 10m to 15m.
• growth width: 6m to 10m.
• root system: Flat cardiac sinker system with pronounced side roots and fine roots in the upper horizontal area.
• growth rate: 30 cm to 60 cm annual growth.
• Horticulturally interesting properties: hardy, easy to care for, non-toxic, sensitive to cuts, drought-resistant, heat-tolerant, site-tolerant.

Sheet

A blood maple combines its shapely growth with these remarkable leaves:

• leaf shape: stalked, palmately lobed (3- to 5-lobed, lobes pointed).
• coloring: bright red shoots, black-red, wine-red to dark purple in summer, shiny metallic on top, bronze-red-brown in autumn.

Admire red maple leaves up close

blossom

At the start of the season, the deciduous tree inspires with a decorative play of colors. The bright red leaf shoots are accompanied by pretty flowers with these characteristics:

• inflorescence: umbelliferous in dense clusters.
• flower color: purple bracts, yellow stamens.
• heyday: April to May.
• flower ecology: incompletely dioecious sex distribution with both hermaphrodite and male or female flowers.
• pollinator: wild bees, honey bees, bumblebees, butterflies.

The early flowering period and a remarkable nectar value of 3 make 'Faassen's Black' red maple a valuable one bee pasture for the natural garden.

digression

Mini blood maple for the front garden and balcony

plant blood maple

The best time to plant Acer platanoides 'Faassen's Black' is in autumn. At this time of year you can buy the most beautiful specimens in the tree nursery as an inexpensive heister or ready-to-plant standard. The expert planting takes into account the special growth of the root. How to properly plant maple in the garden:

Location

Faassen's Black has its tolerant location tolerance from its progenitor Norway maple inherited. These are the ideal conditions for a blood maple in the garden:

• sun up penumbra.
• normal garden floor, permeable, fresh and moist and rich in nutrients.
• Exclusion criteria: full shade, acidic bog soil with a pH value of less than 5, waterlogging.

Planting – quick guide

A good soil preparation, the use of a root barrier and judicious planting spacing are important aspects in the correct planting process. The following step-by-step instructions briefly explain how to plant a red maple correctly:

1. Dig a spacious planting pit with enough space for the root ball.
2. The bottom of the pit a few centimeters high with lava mulch, sand or grit cover for drainage.
3. Mix excavation with compost and one third horn shavings.(€9.00 at Amazon*)
4. Line the planting hole with a rhizome lock.
5. Plant the red maple just as deep as before in the tree nursery (earth mark on the trunk).
6. Drive in a support pole or tripod and with that Tree trunk connect to protect against windthrow.
7. trample and muddy the earth.

The legally prescribed planting distance is sufficient for red maple property line often not enough. The optimal distance to neighbors, to the street and to masonry corresponds to at least half the expected growth width, i.e. 3 m to 5 m.

Cultivate blood maple

In the right location, a blood maple is very easy to care for. The regular water and nutrient supply takes into account the shallow root system. A pruning is only necessary if necessary. A change of location is possible in the first few years. Diseases and pests that occur are easy to combat with natural means. This is how you care for a red maple in an exemplary manner:

Pour

In a sunny to semi-shady location, a blood maple evaporates plenty of moisture through its dense foliage. If there is a warm wind, there is a need for watering several times a week in summer. Use your finger to determine in advance whether the soil has actually dried. It is better to water deeply twice a week instead of in small amounts every day. This approach increases root growth and improves stability.

Fertilize

So fertilize a blood maple correctly:

• The best time is in March/April.
• On the tree disc 3 to 5 liters of compost and 100 grams horn shavings(€9.00 at Amazon*) spread per m².
• Incorporate and rain in fertilizer.

To cut

Its spherical crown forms a blood maple without a topiary. In any case, every pruning is accompanied by a strong sap flow. How to properly prune Acer platanoides Faassen's Black:

• Rule of thumb: blood maple only when needed to cut.
• The best time to cut is in autumn, because the sap pressure is at its lowest after the leaves have fallen.
• Cut back overly long twigs protruding from the crown shape, pruning out dead branches.
• Pruning limited to one- and two-year-old wood.
• Important: bleeding cuts not or only at the edge tree wax(€17.00 at Amazon*) spread thinly.

transplant

Within the first four to five years you can transplant maple. With each additional year of service, the probability of failure increases. The best time is during the leafless season. A pruning to compensate for the lost root mass is mandatory. This procedure has proven itself well in the hobby garden:

1. Transplant blood maples in the fall.
2. Root disk in the diameter of the crown with a spade cut off
3. lift the tree out of the ground.
4. Put the root ball with as much soil as possible in a jute sack.
5. Plant as deep in the new location as before.
6. Cut back all shoots by a third.
7. Form and muddy the pouring edge.

propagation

The propagation of blood maple in the hobby garden is difficult. In the sowing of seeds, one parent usually prevails, so that a completely different maple thrives than hoped for. Cuttings and cuttings usually do not root. In the nursery, Acer platanoides Faassen's Black is propagated by seeding. This is a demanding propagation method that demands the know-how of a master tree nursery from hobby gardeners.

diseases, pests

Although planting in the garden is a home game for the Norway maple offspring, various ones are lurking Diseases and a voracious pest. The following table describes common symptoms of damage to the maple, names the causes of the infestation and gives tips for effective countermeasures:

Popular Varieties

More beautiful red maple varieties can be discovered in tree nurseries and garden centers:

• Acer Crimson Sentry: Gardenable red maple, columnar crown, dark red foliage, yellow-orange autumn foliage, height of growth 6-10 m.
• Acer platanoides Crimson King: slow-growing blood maple, bright blood-red leaves, golden-yellow autumn colour, height of growth up to 15 m.
• Royal Red: large, conical tree, shoots red, purple summer leaves, bright red in autumn, 12-15 m tall, 6-8 m wide.

FAQ

We want to buy a blood maple. Is Faassen's Black suitable as a house tree?

Blood maple Faassen's Black grows as a medium-sized deciduous tree with a broadly conical to rounded crown. Purple-yellow flowers appear in April at the same time as the bright red leaves shoot. The foliage inspires with a deep red, shiny color and falls off after turning bronze-red in autumn. As a standard, the tree reaches a height of 15 meters and is about 10 meters wide. The annual increase is 30 to 60 centimeters. The native Norway maple variety thrives in a sunny to semi-shady location in any normal garden soil, but fails on boggy-acidic, peaty soil. The main mass of its root system is in the upper horizontal area, so that a planting with rhizome lock is advisable.

My blood maple suffers from white leaf spots with fuzzy edges in summer. Is that powdery mildew?

According to your description, it is not powdery mildew, but leaf fading due to too much sun. Evidence of this are light spots with contourless edges on the black-red foliage. Over time, these leaf spots turn brown and dry up. To prevent the sunburn from getting worse, please do not sprinkle the crown with water under direct sunlight.

My blood maple trunk sheds its curled leaves in the middle of summer. What to do?

Leaf shedding with curled leaves is a typical symptom of lack of water. Please form a small mound of earth as a casting ring on the tree disc. Water vigorously for the next few days. In a mature blood maple, the garden hose walk at least 20 minutes. The deciduous tree should recover within a week or two. The deciduous tree suffers from extreme evaporation, especially in a sunny, windy location, so that it rolls up its leaves for protection or, in the worst case, sheds them.

Our 4-year-old blood maple forms long whip shoots. When is the best time for a cut?

Fall is the best time to prune a Faassen's Black maple. At this time of year, the sap pressure is reduced, so the tree hardly bleeds from cuts. Please use freshly sharpened, disinfected tools. Wear gloves and suitable clothing to protect yourself from the sticky sap.