planting a tree

I recently purchased an autumn blaze maple tree about 6 feet tall. I would like any info on how to plant it. Thanks for any reply

Reply to
herb white
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Dig the hole twice as wide as the rootball and one and a half time as deep. Backfill with soil and a handful of high-phosphorus fertilizer, plus a handful of magnesium sulphate (epsom salts - maples love it). Water to settle the loose soil. Set the tree so that the top of the rootball is just about at ground level; fill will more soil and a sprinkling of additional fertilizer/epsom salts. Keep slightly damp for the first few months while the root system gets established. If the tree's canopy is thin and you're in a climate with intense sun, protect the trunk from sun scorch with a plastic sleeve or tree wrap; that's especially important in the months when the leaves are off the tree. Anchoring trees with stakes and rope/guy wires is not recommended; if you feel you must, make sure to remove them at the end of the first growing season. The motion of trees rocking in the wind actually stimulates root developing, so anchoring them puts them at a growth disadvantage.

Reply to
Moe DeLoughan

"High-phosphorus fertilizer" would be either bone meal or superphosphate. I would not sprinkle more phosphorus fertilizer on top of the soil since it does not readily dissolve and travel through the soil. Instead, it needs to be placed where the roots will find it. An exception would be phosphoric acid, but I would fear that would be too strong to apply to a newly planted tree because it might burn the already traumatized roots.

Unless your soil drains very well, I would stir 2-3 handsful of gypsum into the planting hole. Gypsum (calcium sulfate) chemically breaks up heavy soils. My soils are mostly clay. With a house lot that is slightly less than 0.25 acre -- including the footprint of my house -- I apply over 250 pounds of gypsum to my garden every other year.

Maples require a humid climate and well-draining, acidic soil.

Reply to
David E. Ross

herb white wrote:

Six feet tall is not a tree yet, hardly a sapling, more in the seedling range, so if you live where deer live the most important thing is to protect it from being eaten, deer love young maple, so do rabbits (they'll girdle its bark), even squirrels will eat the twig ends... I'd wrap the trunk loosely, tape a tube of tarpaper an inch larger than the trunk diameter, and fence with metal stakes and chicken wire, leaving enough space under the wire to pass a lawnmower, and/or weed by hand... you'll need the fence for a good 6-7 years so don't skimp on materials. Dig a hole twice the diameter of the the root ball and six inches deeper, then place good top soil back to raise the root ball a good two inches higher than it was planted (it will settle). Place good soil around the root ball but do not stomp it in, leave it loose, allow it to settle naturally and add a bit more soil later as needed. Water well and then once a week, do not over water, keeping it wet will drown the tree, slightly moist is better than wet. Mix in a little natural compost but I'd add no fertilizer, and definitely not the first year... you want the roots to reach out and seek their own nutrients. It'll be a good ten years before you have the beginnings of an actual tree, and about 30-40 years before it's a beauty, so I hope you're fairly young to have planted a seedling. I never add fertilizer, the critters add the perfect quantity and blend... the deer keep the lower portion perfectly pruned. Oh, and be sure to plant your Autumn Blaze so there is nothing above it, like utility wires, and it needs plenty of space to achieve its full form. Autumn Blaze is a gorgeous tree, especially in full fall foliage. Here's mine in summer:

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In full fall foliage:
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Reply to
Brooklyn1

The advantage of bone meal is that it takes a long time to completely break down, so it's a long-term source of phosphorus. The disadvantage of bone meal is that it takes a long time for that process to begin (since it relies on decomposition and warming soil temperatures/bacteria to perform the process), which is why applying a chemical fertilizer at planting time - with some bone meal, if you want to - is better. You want phosphorus to be available when the root growth begins.

Correct. I place some below the root ball, and some more about half-way up. Phosphorus travels downward through soil too slowly for top-dressing to be effective when transplanting.

Any type of fertilizer can burn if it is over-applied, but personally I've never had an issue with chemical fertilizers, probably because I'm not in the habit of over-applying them.

Realistically, gypsum is only effective in breaking up sodic soils - clay soils that are high in sodium. Thing is, not all clay soils are sodic. Generally you see them in coastal regions, but not so much in the center of the country. For instance, the county I reside in has heavy clay soils that are high in calcium. Applying gypsum is a waste of effort and money. Also, the amount one needs to apply to actually make a difference is far more than most people usually apply.

My soils are mostly clay. With a house lot that is

IIRC, you live in a coastal area, so gypsum is beneficial for your soil. We don't know where the OP is located.

Autumn Blaze (which is what the OP is planting) is a hybrid resulting from a cross of red maple and silver maple. Red maples actually prefer damp to wet soils and can even tolerate periods of standing water. Autumn Blaze inherits that from its red maple parent. It's not too particular about soil pH, either. It will grow rapidly and well just about anywhere, like its silver maple parent. Unlike silver maples, it is not a heavy producer of seeds and is less subject to wind damage. But because of its very fast rate of growth, it is susceptible to growth splits along its trunk. Keep the trunk protected from sun for the first few years and the splitting should be minimal and mainly cosmetic. As the tree ages and the bark thickens the splitting will ease off and any existing splits will heal. It can look a bit alarming at first, but again - it's usually cosmetic damage that ceases with time.

Reply to
Moe DeLoughan

Autumn Blaze grows like a freakin' rocket, averaging three feet per year. In ten years he'll have a substantial young tree; in fifteen, he'll have a large tree. He'd have to neglect it severely to have it grow as slowly as you describe.

In fact, its rapid rate of growth often results in cracks and splits in the bark on the trunk, something I noted in an earlier post. Usually not an issue other than cosmetic, but it illustrates just how fast these trees can grow.

Reply to
Moe DeLoughan

You must know all those facts you cite from first hand experience... show us your Autumn Blaze tree... must have bothered you that I have an Autumn Blaze tree, indicated by your creative editing... mine was planted as a six foot tall seedling fifty years ago. Plant nursery people like to hawk every plant they're pushing as fast growing, however truth is even the fastest growing trees grow slowly. Most trees grow reletively quickly as seedlings and saplings, but then slow way down, and many maples actually self prune some years more than their growth, especially silver maple, red maple, and of course Autumn Blaze. In fact it's a good idea to prune these trees heavily to ensure a strong root system, a dense trunk, and to prevent severe storm damage... these maples are not the strongest rooted trees, when allowed to grow at their own rate they tend to blow over in a storm. Personally I think Sugar Maple is a better choice, if one has the space. Everything you posted anyone can find practically word for word from:

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Truth is like with any business much is hype. You could have saved yourself from stressing your fingers typing verbosely enhanced plagerism by simply posting that URL. Of course now Moe is going to show us his Autumn Blaze maple tree.

Reply to
Brooklyn1

You sir, are truley blessed :)

Brooklyn1;1013319 Wrote:

Reply to
Chewbacka

I see you're getting good advice.

I suggest that in the very bottom of the hole you put a large, freshly minted coin. It's an old English (pagan?) tradition (that is still continued by the arbourists at Kew gardens). It serves as an offering to... nature, call it what you will. However its secondary purpose is that some time in the future, if and when the tree is removed whoever does so may find it and know how long the tree has been there.

There have been tress that have fallen in the wind (or are felled) in parts of England and sometimes intertwined in their roots coins are found that are hundreds of years old.

Reply to
~misfit~

-Look up Stand in the spot where you want to plant the tree and look up. Make sure nothing is in the way ? Autumn Blazes can grow to be 50 feet tall.

-Look for shade Look for shade that still allows some sunlight. The tree will grow better in a partially shaded area.

-Feel the soil Feel the soil. The Autumn Blaze requires moist but well-draining soil. Even though the tree is relatively drought tolerant, plant it in an area that you can water during a dry spell.

-Measure out 20 feet Measure 20 feet from the nearest building or other tall tree. The Autumn Blaze has a tendency to spread up to 40 feet in diameter.

-Consider shallow roots Consider the impact of its shallow and sometimes surface root system. Chances are this tree is a good choice for just about anywhere you want to plant it.

Reply to
peas_22

Check the pH of the soil. Maples prefer acid soil. If the soil is alkaline, add a small -- repeat: SMALL -- amount of soil sulfur to the planting hole and stir in a generous amount of peat moss.

Reply to
David E. Ross

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