Description of the maple tree, recommendations for keeping a maple in your home, advice on breeding, pest and disease control, interesting facts, species. Maple (Acer) belongs to the Maple family (Aceraceae), although in some sources today this plant has been ranked as a member of the Sapindaceae family. In nature, there are up to 150 varieties of these flora samples. Their native lands stretch from Europe to Asia, they can be found in North America and even in the lands of the Southern Hemisphere there is a species of Laurel Maple (Acer laurinum).
Due to the outlines of the foliage, the plant bears the Latin name, translated as "sharp", since the leaf plate has not only lobed contours, but also each of the lobes has a pointed tip.
Basically, maples have a tree-like, less often bush-like form of growth. The height of some representatives of this family may approach 30-40 meters, but for indoor conditions they try to choose varieties with smaller parameters - only 4-6 meters. In Italy, a species such as Field Maple (Acer campestre) is used to support grape trellises. Bonsai lovers also pay attention to the same variety. Because of this, in Japan (the progenitor of the bonsai style), it is customary to admire the slopes on which maple trees and their various colors of deciduous crowns are planted in the fall. There, the most valuable species of the Japanese Maple (Acer japonicum), the crown of which, after molding and constriction, can easily take the shape that the owner intended.
Basically, a maple leaf has a division into blades, the number of which can vary from 3 to 9 parts. Such varieties as Gray Maple (Acer griseum), Manchurian Maple (Acer mandshuricum) or Maksimovich's Maple (Acer maximowiczianum) have triple-shaped leaves (shamrocks have only three lobes). Leaf blades divided into three, five, seven and, in rare cases, nine lobes are found in the Acer negundo, but the hornbeam maple (Acer carpinifolium) has simple leaves with pinnate venation and they are very similar to the foliage of the hornbeam.
The color of the leaf blades varies depending on the type of maple tree or shrub. It happens that the color of the foliage with the arrival of autumn can change dramatically, but sometimes this does not happen. There are also cases when the color is influenced by the placement of the maple, in the shade the foliage often takes on a green color, while those castings on which the rays of the sun are directed are painted in a red color.
Flowering in almost all types of maple is not of interest, and since it begins simultaneously with the formation of foliage. If the flowers are painted in light green or greenish-yellow tones, they remain invisible among the leaves, but there are flower petals with a yellow, orange, reddish tone. From the flowers are collected corymbose, umbellate or racemose inflorescences. True, there is a variety of Black Maple (Acer nigrum), which does not form buds. The flowers have five petals measuring 1–6 mm. Since the flowers are dioecious, then if two carpels are visible from the calyx, then this indicates a female flower. The size of the flowers is quite small, but there are so many of them that the maple appears from the side as a fully flowering tree.
After flowering, ripening of fruits begins, which are always two winged wings with a seed. These parts of the fruit are the same and serve as a way to move the seed over sufficient distances. The ripening period extends from the end of flowering for 2-6 weeks.
Agrotechnics for growing maple indoors, care
Lighting and location. The plant loves direct rays of the sun, the eastern or western windows are best suited, since on the southern ones the ultraviolet streams are too violent. If the maple is in the shade, then its leaves will begin to become very large. It is important to periodically turn the pot a third clockwise so that its crown grows evenly. When the specimen is already an adult, it is placed from the ground at a height of 50–120 cm.
Wintering. Such a plant is hardy and can winter outdoors. It is required either to dig it in the garden by taking it out of the container or transfer it to the loggia or to the balcony, but they put a plastic bag on it so that dehydration does not occur.
Watering maple needs abundant watering with any water.
Fertilizers for a maple tree are applied from May to early autumn, scattering 1 teaspoon of the product on the surface of the soil in a pot at the rate of 10x10 cm. Regularity - once a month. Apply any bonsai food. If in the summer the maple was fertilized abundantly, then the remnants of the drug should be removed before wintering.
Transplantation and selection of soil. The soil for the plant should be clayey and heavy, but it should be good for water and air. Coarse clay granulate, humus soil and some fine gravel or river sand (in a ratio of 8: 3: 1) must be added to the composition of the substrate. If the plant is young, then a lighter soil with a high content of sand and clay is taken for it. Maple bonsai are transplanted every 2-4 years, the height of the container should not be less than 5 cm. This operation is carried out from February to April. A good drainage layer is laid on the bottom, and drain holes are made in the pot for excess water.
Maple crown molding. If you tilt the branches of the tree down too much, they will dry out. To shape the maple, wire is applied to the branches. It is used in early spring and from the beginning of summer to autumn, the restraining element begins to be removed. The period for which the wire remains on the maple tree is 3-5 months. If the wire on young twigs begins to grow into the wood after a few weeks, it is recommended to remove it, but for such twigs it is no longer necessary to apply the wire again.
Indoor maple tree breeding rules
Indoors, it is possible to propagate maple by seeds, but, alas, only some varieties are suitable for this. Namely, Field Maple, Ginnala, Tatarsky, as well as Holly and Zelenokorny and some others. The seed material is lionfish (two halves of the wings, joined together), "equipped" with a seed. They are harvested during the period of leaf fall, in autumn days. And then it is recommended to follow the following recommendations:
- Seed material is sown in the spring or fall.
- If planting is carried out on spring days, then before that the seeds should be stratified for about 3 months (that is, an imitation of winter is created in the conditions of the house). The lionfish are placed in a container with wet sand and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, where the temperature is about 5 degrees. In such a place, they can have a two-year shelf life.
- To make the seeds germinate better, they can be placed in hydrogen peroxide for a day or up to three days before planting.
- After this period, the seeds are planted in a container with a prepared substrate, consisting of garden soil, humus, peat soil and river sand.
- The planting depth should be 4 cm and the lionfish are planted with their wings up.
- The container is placed in a warm, well-lit place and you need to cover it with film, glass or a transparent lid (this will help create conditions of high humidity).
- After two weeks, the first maple sprouts will appear.
When a pair of true leaves is formed on the sprouts, it is worth diving into separate pots (with a diameter of 7-10 cm) with the same fertile substrate. Several seedlings are planted in one container at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other. Care is carried out as for an adult specimen and the crown is pinched in the form of a bonsai when one or two pairs of leaves are formed. In such seedlings, the roots are pruned after 3 months, and the main root remains equal in length to 1/3 of the total size.
Maple is also propagated by cuttings. A branch with a formed bark is chosen during early summer. At the base, an annular cut of the peel and coarse woody part is made. The same cut is made 2–3 cm higher than the first one. Between these cuts, the bark and the hard part should be removed. It is necessary to apply a root stimulator in the form of a gel or powder to this incised place. Then the cut is wrapped with sphagnum moss and covered with plastic wrap on top of it. The stalk is placed in a cool place. After a couple of weeks, roots form on the twig, which will crawl through the imposed moss and then the film is removed. You can also germinate a maple stalk using a mixture of sand and compost. A cut of a twig is placed in this substrate, and it is placed under a shelter (plastic bag, glass vessel). After the root processes have appeared, the cutting should be removed from the mother branch. Then the cutting is planted in a pot with holes in the bottom. Drainage material is laid on the bottom, and then the next soil (20% peat substrate and 80% crushed bark) - this will help fix the seedling. A thin bark is removed from the branch, but in such a way that the integrity of the roots is not disturbed, and then the exposed part of the cutting is placed in the substrate. You can also add a little chopped sphagnum moss to this soil mixture.
Indoor maple pests and diseases, methods of dealing with them
A maple tree that is grown at home can be affected by some pests and diseases. Spider mites, aphids, mealybugs and scale insects can be harmful insects. They all appear due to a containment breach. For control, it is necessary to carry out treatment with insecticides with a wide range of action.
If a disease appears in the form of powdery mildew or colored spots, then Bordeaux liquid is used to combat such problems, as well as a solution of copper oxychloride or colloidal sulfur.
Interesting facts about the maple tree
In folk medicine, almost all parts of the maple tree are used. Seeds and leaves are in great demand. Decoctions are prepared from the seeds to help with renal colic or diseases. Due to its antiseptic and wound-healing properties, herpes and bronchitis are cured with maple leaf tincture. In Germany, a drug for impotence was prepared from such tinctures.
There is a belief among the Slavic peoples that any person turned into a maple after his death, so the tree was considered valuable and was treated with reverence. Maple wood has never been used to make furniture for the home, it was not used for kindling a stove, or coffins were not made.
According to Serbian belief, if a maple tree hugs a person who has been undeservedly accused of something, the plant will turn green and develop. Otherwise, when the culprit or the offended cuddles against the plant, the maple will wither. From ancient times to our times, the Slavs used maple branches for spring celebrations, namely Trinity. There is a belief that it is on this holiday that the spirits of ancestors come to the dwelling and hide in the maple leaves with which they decorated the windows, doorways and gates.
The outlines of the leaf resemble a human palm (five-fingered), therefore maple is associated with human life and the feelings of people, namely with sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
Types of maple for indoor cultivation
Here are several varieties that are suitable for growing in the house:
Field maple (Acer campestre) is the most common member of this family. This plant calmly tolerates the polluted city air and dry living conditions. If the maple grows in a natural environment, then the height can reach 15 meters. The crown is in the form of a wide cone, it is formed by light green leaves. The leaf plate is divided into 5–7 blades. Small greenish-yellow flowers. Such buds appear immediately after the leaves bloom, therefore, attention is diverted from the flowers.
There are many varieties of this variety suitable for home cultivation:
- Field maple Elsrijk has a long life cycle and deciduous deciduous mass, in comparison with its "relatives" the height of this tree can vary within 5-8 meters. The crown is thick and oval in shape; it can grow up to 3-5 meters in width. The leaf plates are large, five-bladed, carved. Foliage forms in April and continues into early May days. The shade of the leaves is reddish. With the arrival of summer, being in direct sunlight, the foliage acquires a yellowish tone, but being in the shade, the tree will be green. However, by autumn, with any planting, the leaves of this maple will show off a yellowish-green color scheme. Inflorescences are corymbose, flower petals have a yellowish-green tint. The fruits are lionfish, which ripen at the end of summer; by autumn days, their color changes to a nondescript, brownish tone. The high decorative effect of this variety is ensured by changing the color of the foliage depending on the season.
- Field maple RedShine. The owner of a tree-like growth, reaches small sizes in height - only 5 meters. The outline of the crown is rounded, spreading, small in size. The bark covering the trunk is grayish. The leaf plates are large, lobed in shape, their color is purple-red. In the spring months, flowers with yellowish-green petals are formed. The inflorescences have a shield shape.
- Field maple Albovariegatum. It has a shrub shape and small size, stretching only up to 5 meters in size. Often, hedges are formed from the plantings of this variety. The stems are durable, they begin to branch out in the lower section. The surface is covered with gray bark, dotted with cracks running along. The leaf plates have lobed outlines, large size, whitish-green color, variegated. With the arrival of autumn, their color scheme changes to yellow.
Maple Ginnala or riverine (Acer ginnala). Grows in East Asia. The height of the trunk is 3–10 meters with a diameter of 20–40 cm. The bark is thin, with a dull gray-brown tint. Leaves are simple, opposite, 4–10 cm long and up to 3–6 cm wide, deeply palmate, with 3–5 lobes. There is a serration along the edge. In autumn, the color of the foliage turns from orange to red. It blooms with yellow-green flowers, 5–8 mm in diameter. The fruit is a red lionfish.
Japanese maple (Acer japonicum) has long been grown in Japanese lands. When the shoots are young, they are colored in a light green shade and there is a silky pubescence on the surface. As the foliage ages, the hairs disappear and the color of the foliage changes to olive green. With the arrival of autumn days, part of the foliage becomes orange or reddish, but the other part remains of a summer hue until the last days of November. The crown of the plant is narrow in outline and shrubby growth. Growth rate is weak. It is afraid of drying winds and is recommended to be planted in a damp sheltered place. One of the interesting cultivars is Acontifolium, the foliage of which resembles fern frond, which will turn dark red with the arrival of autumn. Also curious is the Vitifolum variety with leaf blades deeply divided into lobes, colored in more saturated bright shades of scarlet, orange or yellow.
