Ornamental trees and shrubs are widely used in landscaping parks, squares and gardens. Among the bright tree species, the Tatar maple stands out, the natural habitat of which covers the forest-steppe and coastal zones of the rivers of Europe and Asia.
Material Content:
Description
A typical variety of Tatar maple (Acer tataricum) is a stunted tree or a lush shrub consisting of well-leafy shoots of reddish or brown color.
- Maple height is 7 - 10 m.
- The elliptical leaf plates are notched around the edges and painted green, changing from yellow to crimson in autumn.
- The sprawling oval crown during flowering, which lasts 20 days, is a spectacular sight when white inflorescences stand out against the background of dense greenery.
- Instead of inflorescences, impeller fruits form over time, changing color as they ripen from red to brown.
Common types and varieties
Depending on the variety, plant phytomorphology can radically differ.
Among the most common and spectacular representatives of the species are:
- “Ginnala” is a lush shrub with a tent-like crown. Less commonly, a stunted, conical tree. Fragrant flowers of a yellowish color are collected in panicled inflorescences, which are noted after the leaf buds open. The life cycle is 250 years.
- “Hot Wings” is a decorative tree with an oval crown and spectacular wing-like impellers, bright red leaves, to which the variety owes its name. Leathery green leafy plates turn scarlet in the fall season.
Outdoor landing
In order for a personal plot to be decorated with a tree or shrub with a decorative crown, it is enough to adhere to the main recommendations for the cultivation of this unpretentious type of maple.
Tatar maple, or black maple, develops well in both sunny and slightly shaded corners of the garden.
However, giving preference to shaded areas, the gardener should know that a lack of sunlight makes foliage less effective. The culture survives well on loose soils with a rich fertile layer and a slightly acid reaction.
Planting of planting material is carried out in the fall, after the leaves fall, or in the early spring, before the buds open.
When carrying out planting:
- Landing pits are dug up with a diameter of 80 cm and a depth of up to 50 cm with a distance in the case of a group landing from 2 to 5 m.
- A good drainage layer of broken bricks is placed in the pit, which is sprinkled with a fertile substrate of turf land, humus and sand in a ratio of 2: 3: 1.
- When the seedling is in the pit, the free space is completely filled.
- The soil in the near-stem circle is crushed and watered.
How to care for the Tatar maple?
To decorate the garden with a beautiful tree species with graceful shoots, it is necessary to timely carry out simple care procedures, which the plant especially needs only in the first years after planting.
- Watering. Seedlings only planted with open ground need weekly watering, provided there is no rainfall at the rate of 2 buckets of water per specimen. Adult plants can tolerate dry periods. However, so that the maple is not oppressed by the heat, which leads to a deterioration in the state of culture, it should be watered once a month.
- Soil treatment. Since the maple loves loose soil, it is necessary to systematically loosen the trunk circle with the simultaneous removal of weeds. If you mulch, then there will be no need for frequent loosening and weeding.
- Top dressing. If a fertile substrate was used during the planting of blackroot, then there is no need to feed the plant next spring. In the future, feeding is carried out annually using nitroammophoski containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which are necessary for the full development of the culture.
- Pruning. The formation of the crown occurs in early June, when skeletal branches are left. Every spring, prior to the sap flow, sanitary pruning should be performed, removing injured and thickening shoots.
Breeding methods
Tatar maple can be propagated by seed method, which is very long, laborious and does not guarantee the preservation of varietal qualities. More often, gardeners resort to cuttings, in which cuttings 25 cm long are cut at the end of June. Oblique sections are treated with a growth stimulator, after which the prepared material is planted in a light and moistened substrate. Rooted seedlings move to a permanent place with the arrival of next spring.
Possible growing problems
Growing an unpretentious tree plant on a personal plot, the gardener may encounter the development of coral spotting on the shoots. With this disease, the affected shoots are removed, and the places of cuts are treated with garden var. Also, in rainy weather, signs of powdery mildew may appear, which can be eliminated with a fungicide solution. Apply it according to the instructions indicated on the package.
Despite the resistance of the culture to pests, Tatar maple can be populated by whitefly, mealybug and leaf weevil. Insects must be controlled by spraying with an insecticide.
Use in landscape design
Due to its compactness, density of crowns and a variety of shades of autumn foliage, Tatar maple is often used in landscaping parks and squares. In garden plots, gardeners are also not averse to seeing a plant in recreation areas, where in the summer heat dense greens protect from the scorching sun.Shrubby forms of fast-growing black maple are used to create hedges.
Thus, the Tatar maple in the form of an elegant tree or shrub, subject to elementary rules for growing plants, will adorn the garden for many years.
