One of the most popular ornamental trees in Japan is red maple. In this Asian country, maple plants with claret-red leaves have become almost a national symbol. They are planted not only in the garden or on the sidewalks, but also in pots, as a decoration for terraces and balconies. Red maple is suitable for growing in our country too.
Maple red: characteristics and biological features
Genus Maple (Acer) covers more than 160 species. It grows without any problems on any soils, except for marshy. This plant is interesting for its shades of red. Like all plants, maple trees contain chlorophyll, which in summer stains the leaves green. However, in addition to chlorophyll, it contains carotenoids and anthocyanins, which give the leaves various colors: yellow, orange, red, etc.
Important! Maple red does not like a lot of moisture.
The crown of the plant has a round or oval shape. Sometimes it looks like a white mushroom. The bark has a light silver color, which harmoniously combines with red leaves. The leaves of the tree can be three or five lobes. This type of tree tolerates our climate. Maple red has good frost resistance and can withstand up to -20 ºС. The plant does not like constant exposure to direct sunlight and strong moisture. 
Trim and rejuvenate wood is advised from late August to early December. This cannot be done in the spring, as the tree actively absorbs nutrients from the soil, and you can harm it. Vaccination is done in spring or summer by budding.
Popular varieties
Maple red has many varieties. The most popular ones are used as decorations for gardens or parks. Here are some varieties:
- Red Sunset (Red Sunset) is one of the most popular tree species of this species. It has a lot of carotenoids, so in the fall its leaves are colored bright red.
- "Fussens Black" (Fassens Black) - a large tree with an oval-shaped crown. It has a maroon leaf color.
- "Royal Red" (Royal Red) - at the very beginning of the growing season the crown is bright red, which eventually fades.
- "Drummondi" (Drummondii) - when blooming, the color of the leaf is pink, with time it becomes light green.
- "Elsriyk" (Elsrijk) - a field plant that has a wide oval crown, used for landscaping park areas.
- blue or blue;
- raspberry red;
- light purple.
Did you know? There is a multicolored maple grown on bonsai technology.
The essence of this technique is that the root is not allowed to grow, and the crown is greatly shortened, almost to the size of the indoor flower. After that, the plant becomes a real mini-tree.
Choosing a place for maple red
The tree grows on almost any soil. Red maple grows well on our black soils in a cold and snowy winter. This plant will be in harmony with perennial conifers. Under it you can plant bright late flowers, which in the autumn will blush with the leaves of the maple tree.
Breeders brought some decorative varieties of maple, which reach a height of no more than one and a half meters. They are planted in pots and serve as decoration for balconies and terraces. When planting such a tree, the ground must be bred with peat and at the same time fertilize. Such plants should be watered regularly, as they may lose their ornamental properties.
The process of planting maple seedlings
It is best to plant maple trees in partial shade, but you can also in open areas. The plant does not like constant sunlight, but still needs it. Red maple is planted in spring, preferably in early to mid-April. When planting a seedling, the root collar should be at the ground level or protrude by no more than 5 cm. With a large protrusion, the roots of the tree begin to dry with growth.
Important! Fertilizing seedlings with mineral fertilizers should be carried out no more than once a year.
If you plant a plant near groundwater, then it is necessary to make a drainage so that the root system does not start to rot because of the high humidity. Put a little bit of humus and peat into the hole along with the root of the tree, pour with twenty liters of water. It is also advised to make a little nitroammofoski (about 150 g per seedling). The optimum acidity of the soil for the normal growth of the ornamental tree should be pH = 6.0-7.5.
How to care for young seedlings
Red maple requires special care. While seedlings are young and immature, they require constant feeding with mineral fertilizers. Every spring, urea (40-45 g), potassium salts (15-25 g), superphosphates (30-50 g) should be added. In the summer, the soil around the tree should be loosened and at the same time, 100-120 mg of Kemira preparation should be applied once per season.
Saplings are watered about once every two weeks - 15-20 liters of warm water at the root. The plant tolerates dry soil, but it can lose its decorative properties. 
In winter, red maple seedlings need to be covered with spruce leaves right under the root, especially if there is not enough snow. In severe frosts, the root of a young plant is very sensitive and requires protection. It is also necessary to wrap the trunk of the tree with thick sacking. If the shoots are frozen, they must be removed. In the spring, with normal care, the tree will grow again.
How to care for mature trees
When the plant has grown and is strong enough, caring for it does not require much effort. Maple red after planting and up to the age of four requires care in terms of fertilizers. After that, the minerals should be applied to the soil no more than once every two years. Many ornamental plants are suitable for growth in the wild, for example, in the forest, where no one cares for them. And while the trees grow normally for 100-150 years. But for an ornamental tree requires care, in order for it to remain beautiful and bright.
Did you know? In Ukraine, in the Lviv region, grows maple the age of 300 years.
To do this, cut some twigs, especially dried. You also need to cut down all the branches that prevent growth. Experts recommend not to cut off the shoots, the maple plant should be branched. The tree can be given a beautiful rounded crown. The ideal season for trimming wood is August-December. If you do not comply with these time limits, the plant may begin to "cry."
You will be interested to know about pruning plum, apple, apricot, cherry, grapes, peach trees, clematis.If you decide to rejuvenate the tree in early December, you need to gloss over each cut. In winter, the wound on the tree will be a long time to tighten. In severe frosts, it is desirable to throw a lot of snow on the root of the tree.
Using maple red
Red maple, in addition to its decorative properties, has a lot of useful environmental and economic purposes. The bark of this tree in some countries produce a paint of purple color. In addition, the bark of the plant is rich in tannin and sugars. 
Red maple leaves contain a lot of vitamin C, they are used as food for sheep and goats. During the flowering period, many bees gather near the tree and actively collect nectar.
In the spring, before the buds swell, juice can be collected from a tree. From the clean and clear juice with proper processing can produce sugar. Juice actively flows during the day, at night this process stops. It is worth noting that when the kidneys swell, the juice becomes cloudy and greenish. In this form, it is no longer suitable for making sugar. In the USA, maple sap is made into tasty and healthy syrups. And in Canada, this plant is a national symbol, its sheet is depicted on the flag of the country.
Still, a lot of people grow maple red for decorative purposes. With proper care of the tree, it becomes an ornament to any suburban area. Crimson-red leaves bring color every autumn day. If you have read our article and learned how to grow red maple, then you should not delay its landing. Different varieties of red maple can be grown in pots, as well as on the site under the open sky. In any case, it is a great decorative ornament.
