Silver maple has been brought to many parts of the world. It is now growing not only in America, but also in the steppes of Russia and Ukraine. Its carved leaves on thin, long stalks tremble very beautifully in the wind, cast in silver. This tree is perfect for decorating a park or garden.
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Botanical Description of Varieties
Silver maple is close to red, and can form hybrid varieties with it. Leaves of it have five lobes from 8 cm long. The upper part of them is painted in green, and the bottom in silver.
Monoecious small flowers collected in panicles bloom in March or April. The fruits of silver maple are large, each wing can be up to 50 mm long. They ripen in late May, falling to the ground, immediately shoot. The tree is planted in city parks, due to its rapid growth and unpretentiousness in care, it is popular.
The famous Laciniatum Vieri variety is characterized by hanging branches and an asymmetric crown. Its leaves are more openwork, they are cut more strongly than in the main species. Their color is bronze in spring, pale green in summer, and yellow in autumn. The maximum height of the tree is 20 m, the average is about 10 meters.
In addition to Laciniatum Wieri, there are other decorative forms of maple:
- variegated - leaves are not divided into lobes;
- tripartite - leaf plates consist of three blades;
- weeping;
- pyramidal.
Interesting is the Lutescens variety with yellow foliage. This tree in the first 30 years grows up to 7 meters in height. It can freeze in winter, so it is more suitable for cultivation in the southern regions. In spring, when blooming, the maple leaves are orange or bronze, then turn yellow.
Silver Maple Growing Area
The birthplace of silver maple (Acer saccharinum) is the eastern part of North America, the USA and Canada. He prefers moist, light soils, riverbanks and ponds, rarely grows in arid places.
The tree is adapted to prolonged flooding of the soil, easily tolerates it, does not tolerate shading. It grows well in any area where there is a sufficient amount of moisture, especially in the warm Mediterranean climate.
Maple planting in open ground
Maple seedlings with an open root system are planted in open ground in spring. When planting in the summer heat, the maple will suffer from overheating of the root system, and in the fall it may freeze. For a container plant, planting time does not matter much, it can be any warm day of the growing season, except for winter.
It is important to choose a landing site, protected from strong through winds, fragile branches of maple easily break off. The young tree should be light, in the shade of the building or other trees it will be uncomfortable for him, diseases and pests can overcome.
An adult tree will occupy a large living space, so the seedling is placed at a distance of at least 4 m from other trees and shrubs. To the type of soil, maple is undemanding, grows well on sandy and loamy slightly acidic soils, loves the abundance of humus. Leaf, soddy ground, humus, peat and sand are added to the landing hole; at the bottom, drainage is made of crushed stone and sand, 15 cm high.
A seedling brought from the garden center is planted in a prepared hole. The root neck during planting is not buried, it should remain at the level of the soil. After planting, the maple is watered and the mug circle is mulched, using sawdust or dry soil.
Agrotechnics cultivation and care
Special agricultural activities will not require maple cultivation. This strong and unpretentious tree grows quickly even without fertilizers and seasonal treatments from pests.
You need to pay attention to watering, maple does not like drying out of the soil. The soil should be loose, therefore, after watering, the trunk circle is loosened and mulched.
To enhance the decorative effect, a complex mineral fertilizer is introduced - with a predominance of nitrogen in the spring and potash-phosphorus from the middle of summer. It is enough to carry out 3-4 feeding during the year.
Cropping and shaping the crown
The silver maple has fragile branches, they are often broken by a strong wind and snow adhering in winter. It is advisable to carry out annual sanitary pruning, removing all damaged parts of the shoots.
If you need to restrain the rapid growth of the tree, carry out the forming pruning of the crown, shortening the top and side branches.
All types of pruning are done in the spring before the sap flow begins (about 2 weeks before the buds open) or in the fall, when there is no frost, but the foliage is already opal. If the air temperature is below 0 ° C, do not touch the tree.
Landscape design
Silver maple is used for solitary landings on the lawn and the creation of park alleys. It is appropriate to plant it on the banks of ponds, as he loves moist soil.
Maple grows rapidly in the first years after planting, creating a shadow in open areas for shelter from the summer heat. With its help, you can create picturesque landscape compositions by planting red, birch, willow or mock-up tree next to the maple.
