by Glenn Davis, UCCE Master Gardener, El Dorado County
March, 2003
Most of the public is aware of the contribution of
the Maple tree to maple syrup.
Gardeners usually have one or two Japanese Maples in their garden as
decorative shrubs and a great many Bonsai growers have very old maples residing
in very small pots. The maple family is
a very large and diversified group, there are about 150 species and they range
in size from 80-foot trees to three-foot shrubs.
Naturally, they are most often found in the northern
latitudes, however, there are some species that live in the mideast. Maples generally do not dominate forests,
they prefer to locate beneath the larger trees where there is shade and the
soil is cool and damp. They probably
won’t do well in our area if they are located in a sun-drenched southern
location.
While they do like water they will not do well if their feet
are in water. They prefer well-drained,
slightly acidic soil with a lot of organic matter.
The root system is extremely
fibrous and is located very close to the soil surface. To insure a cool root environment gardeners
should mulch around the trunk out to the drip line. If you are planting a maple in our red clay, you might consider
drilling some drain holes, about 2 inches in diameter and about 18 inches deep,
throughout the root area. If that is
not feasible plant the tree a little above the ground grade and heavily mulch
the area around it.
Most maples don’t require a lot of care if they are in the
correct gardening location, they will benefit though from a yearly application
of Nitrogen rich fertilizer. Usually
the organic matter in the soil and mulch will take care of their other needs;
if you have a special plant that you are working with, you must consider the
size of the plant, its location, the size of the root system and any other
significant factors that might effect its growth pattern and nutrition needs
before feeding it.
Most maple trees have insignificant flowers and some of them
produce sterile seeds. The maple seed
is a small nutlet, usually paired with another and each has a wing coming off
it. When the seeds fall from the tree
the wings act in a helicopter fashion that allows the seeds to drift slowly to
the ground. Most maples are reproduced
by grafting and layering; seed reproduction is possible if you want to take the
time and effort. You can collect the
seeds in October and if you want to give it a try, here is the suggested
method. Identify the seed source tree
and keep the collected seeds cool.
Place them in a warm water bath and leave them there until the water
cools. Move them to a paper bag filled
with damp, not wet, moss and put them in the refrigerator for a couple of
months. I have substituted a paper towel for the moss and it has worked equally
well. Plant them in a cool damp planting mix and give them a few hours of sunlight
daily. Keep the planting mix damp. I have tried germinating with bottom heat as
well as no heat, and it seems to me there is a higher percentage of germination
when the seeds are kept cool.
One of the most enduring features of the maple tree is the
leaf. They vary in size from the very large Big-Leafed Maple to the small
Japanese Maples. Most are lobed and
palmate, they all have leaves opposite and the lobes can vary in number from
three to 13. Some go through a dramatic fall color change and many start their
lives as a different color. Some maples are grown for their bark design, one of
these is the commonly called “Snakebark Maple,” with long white bark breaks on
a green background.
Here are some maple trees you might want to investigate. The
Hedge Maple; it and the Norway Maple are the most populous maples in Europe.
The Paperbark Maple has a bark that peels off paper-thin layers; however it is
hard to grow in our area. The Red Maple has a great fall color display and can
be found in many of our nurseries. Of course the good old Sugar Maple might be
something an adventurous gardener might want to take on. If you are looking for
a small maple tree you might consider the Trident Maple. And finally our native
Big-Leaved maple will do well as a semi-shade lover if the roots remain damp
and cool.
Maples aren’t the only plants for the foothill gardener, on
Saturday, March 8, 2003, from 9:00 AM to Noon, the El Dorado County Master
Gardeners will present a class “Trees, Hedges and Shrubs”. If you want to learn more about the plants
that will work here, plan to attend. For
more information on any backyard gardening topic, contact the Master Gardeners
Office, (530) 621-5512, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to Noon.