How to Cultivate Red Maple Leaves
Comprehensive analysis of how to cultivate red maple leaves and the techniques and management methods of red maple cultivation in the field of green plants and flowers, the specific contents are as follows:
Red maple is a common ornamental tree in the southern part of China, which has the function of greening and can add color to garden construction, so it is widely used in garden construction. At the same time, the cultivation of red maple does not have high requirements for the environment and management. Based on these characteristics, it has important application value in garden construction. In order to ensure the healthy growth of red maple and meet the expectations of garden planning, it is necessary to master the technical points and requirements of red maple cultivation, so as to give full play to its plant characteristics and value.
1 Overview of Red Maple
Red maple is a variant of the Japanese maple, with many varieties, mainly including American red maple, Chinese red maple, and Japanese red maple. The leaves are purple-red, with slender and smooth branches. Red maple belongs to subtropical species, preferring humid environment and warm, cool climate, with strong shade and cold resistance. Although it likes sunlight, excessive sunlight exposure can lead to leaf drying and curling. It has no high requirements for soil, and is more suitable for planting in fertile, humus-rich acidic or neutral soil. Due to its beautiful leaf shape and bright color, it has high ornamental value and is widely used in garden construction.
2 Methods of Red Maple Cultivation
2.1 Seedling Raising by Sowing
Collect seeds in October, dry them in the sun, and then sow in autumn. If sowing in the following spring, mix the seeds with wet sand and stratify them. In February to March of the following spring, take out the seeds and open ditches for sowing with a spacing of 30cm×30cm. Cover with a 1cm thick layer of soil and cover with plastic film on top. The sowing rate is 4-5kg/667m². Germination occurs in late March, and thinning is carried out to control the number of seedlings to 150-200 per square meter. The first thinning is carried out when the seedlings are 2cm tall, leaving 200 seedlings per square meter, and the second thinning is carried out when the seedlings are 4-5cm tall, leaving 150 seedlings per square meter. True leaves appear 3-4 days after emergence, and all seedlings emerge within a week. Thinning is carried out 3 weeks later. Seedlings need short-term shading from July to August to avoid sunburn and watering to prevent drought. Fertilization is carried out from August to September to promote growth. One-year-old seedlings can reach a height of 70cm, and two-year-old seedlings can reach 120-150cm. Two-year-old transplant seedlings should be transplanted in the following spring, and for seedlings over two years old, it is necessary to strengthen water and fertilizer management andloosen soil and weeding.
2.2 Grafting Seedling
Use compound leaves of Aceraceae Acer and other species as rootstocks, and implement grafting treatment through methods such as abdominal grafting, split grafting, cut grafting, and bud grafting. For spring grafting, select 1-2 year-old branches from the healthy and bud-eye-full crown of the red maple mother plant as scions. The grafting position should be 15-25cm above the ground, slightly higher for the first grafting to allow for later grafting, and the cambium layers of the scion and rootstock should match, with no gap between the bottom of the scion and the cut. Tie the grafting site tightly from bottom to top with plastic tape, ensuring close contact between the scion and rootstock, and cover with a thin plastic bag on the outside to prevent drying due to water loss.
2.3 Cutting Seedling
Cutting is generally carried out from June to July, when the cutting seedlings are easy to survive. Select strong branches of the current year, cut into lengths of 15-20cm. Dip the cut branches in a certain amount of naphthylacetic acid solution before cutting, then insert them into the seedbed and spray water to keep them moist after all cuttings are done, and shade them. Roots can form in about 1 month.
3 Key Points of Red Maple Cultivation Techniques
3.1 Selection of Nursery Site
The red maple nursery site should be chosen in a place with convenient transportation and abundant water sources, with a thick layer of soil and fertile soil, preferably slightly acidic or neutral loose soil. The nursery site should be flat with good drainage and the groundwater level should be below 150cm. If the nursery site is on a mountain, it should be in the downhill area with gentle terrain. If the slope exceeds 10°, build terraces to maintain soil and water. Avoid selecting a site on a slope exceeding 25°.
3.2 Planting
Before planting, prune the seedlings, remove the middle roots, some long thin roots, and the top vigorous branches, and immerse the roots in a 600-fold solution of carbendazim for 30-60 minutes for fungicidal treatment. When planting, do not plant too deep, just cover the root disk with 5-8cm of soil. Ensure that the roots are spread out and the seedlings are upright, and press the soil layer by layer. For shallow planting, it should be moderate, and water thoroughly after planting. In the transplanting of one-year-old seedlings, generally require bare roots with good integrity of the root disk. If with mud balls, the mud balls should be large enough to avoid root damage. The best time for red maple planting is from the fall after defoliation to the early spring before germination the following year. It is not suitable to transplant during the frozen period of the soil.
3.3 Irrigation
Red maple prefers moist soil, especially in the growing season when the demand for water is high, so irrigation should be carried out regularly. It is best to choose spray or flood irrigation, with each irrigation lasting no more than 0.5-1 hour. From April to October, keep the soil continuously moist, and reduce water in November. After the leaves change color, keep the soil dry.
3.4 Fertilization
Fertilization should follow the principles of a small amount multiple times and frequent thin applications, depending on the weather, soil, and seedlings. Generally, fertilization is carried out in mid-March of early spring and from August to September in the fall. The suitable pH value for red maple growth is 6.0-7.0, with a high demand for phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Fertilize early and before tillage. When fertilizing, dig a trench about 20cm away from the trunk and 10-20cm deep, and apply 25-50kg of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per 667m². Combine with cleaning the garden and apply 50-100kg of compound fertilizer in mid-March.
3.5 Soil Preparation and Weeding
For sandy soil with poor drought resistance, apply a layer of heavy clay soil and decomposed organic fertilizer; if the soil is clayey, apply more organic fertilizer and add some sandy soil to adjust the clay content, and open drainage ditches; if the soil is heavy clayey and prone to waterlogging, dig deep 50cm drainage ditches to keep the groundwater level below the root height. Red maple seedlings are easily covered by weeds, which can slow their growth. Manual weeding is carried out, and for two-year-old seedlings, herbicides such as glyphosate can be sprayed for weeding.
3.6 Pest and Disease Control
In red maple planting, the main pests that harm its growth include underground pests, leaf and branch pests, and borers. Among them, underground pests include grubs and mole crickets, which can eat the roots and stems of red maple seedlings, easily causing the seedlings to die. These pests can be controlled by spraying 50% phoxim emulsion. Leaf and branch pests include tussock moths, beetles, and aphids, which can eat the leaves of red maple, leading to poor growth of the seedlings. These pests can be controlled by spraying abamectin or omite 800-1000 times solution. Borer pests include longicorn beetles and heart borers, which can damage the branches and trunks of red maple, leading to dead branches or even whole plant death. These pests can be controlled by spraying cypermethrin 2000-3000 times solution, or injecting carbaryl or dichlorvos solution into the pest holes and then sealing the trunk with mud.
3.7 Pruning
Proper pruning and maintenance management of red maple is necessary to ensure an aesthetically pleasing overall shape. In pruning, mainly cut long branches, dead branches, and crossing branches, and beautify the tree shape according to the appropriate shape. If the tree grows evenly, thin the branches according to the overall shape, and prune the straight and crossing branches. Avoid damaging the normal crown shape and prune the weak and diseased branches in time. If the crown growth is unbalanced, prune the vigorous side and weaken the excessive growth; prune the weaker side and dead branches to promote better growth and development, laying the foundation for the overall shape. No matter how the red maple grows, during the growing season, control the growth of large lateral branches, adjust the growth direction of lateral branches in time, and change the direction of lateral branch extension through bundling and other methods in the season when the tree branches grow vigorously. Additionally, for red maple seedlings in different environments, prune the tree shape according to different growth conditions, such as using a triangular support method for street trees to support the red maple trees, and through timely beautification and maintenance, promote the healthy growth of red maple seedlings.
4 Practice of Red Maple in Gardens
4.1 Solitary Planting
Solitary planting does not mean planting only one red maple tree. According to the composition needs, 2-3 trees of the same variety of red maple are planted closely together to make people feel like a cluster of large trees, creating a lush, flourishing, and magnificent feeling. Because the main function of solitary trees is to provide shade and serve as the main ornamental feature, red maple, with its bright color and beautiful appearance, is one of the main types of solitary trees in gardens.
4.2 Planting in Groups
In garden landscape construction, red maple can be planted in groups to create forest scenery, presenting colorful and red-tinged mountains; it can also be mixed with different varieties of red maple to build colorful red maple forests; or it can be used as a group of natural plants for color decoration, such as with green plants to enrich the color and activate the environment.
4.3 Linear Planting and Opposite Planting
For the planting of garden street trees, linear planting is generally used, with red maple planted in fixed rows. Opposite planting is usually divided into regular and natural. In regular opposite planting, red maple is symmetrically arranged according to the main axis of the subject. This method is generally used on both sides of garden paths, at entrances, and other positions. Natural planting is asymmetric but still balanced on both sides. It is generally used on both sides of the entrance of natural gardens, at the sides of bridges and stone steps, and other positions. This method involves arranging two trees on both sides of the composition's center axis, with the same species but different sizes and postures, and the dynamic direction exceeds the concentration of the center axis.
5 Conclusion
In summary, red maple has significant characteristics and ornamental value and is widely used in garden construction in China. However, in order to ensure scientific cultivation and good growth of red maple, it is necessary to master the key points of red maple cultivation techniques and carry out maintenance according to actual conditions and needs to achieve the expected effect in garden construction.
Above is a detailed introduction to how to cultivate red maple leaves and the techniques and management methods of red maple cultivation. Did you get it?