Description of the Norway maple variety Drummondi, its planting and care, application

Norway maple variety Drummondi is an excellent tree used for various types of plantings. Culture thrives in an urban environment, which makes it especially attractive. Maple lives for 100-150 years, every year the tree gains 30 centimeters, provided that all care requirements are met. Maple trees are recognized by the special shade of their leaves: they have a pinkish edge.

Description of the tree

The tree variety appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century in an English nursery. They decided to name the maple after the name of the nursery where it was bred.Judging by the descriptions, the tree grows up to 10-12 meters, and the width of its crown is from 5 to 7 meters. These are the maximum dimensions of a maple, which are achieved only when the maple grows in one place for about 30 years.

The peculiarity of the color of the leaves is the ability to acquire a pinkish tint. The leaves seem airy and flying, which makes the maple especially beautiful at the time of crown formation.

Maple has a good growth rate. In one year, if favorable conditions are created, the tree grows 30 centimeters. Maple trees bloom around late spring or early summer. The tree prefers semi-shaded areas with moderate sun exposure. This variety of maple is often chosen for urban plantings, as the tree tolerates urban pollution well. In addition, the variety is frost-resistant; the tree can withstand low temperatures without problems.

Appearance

Maple is often recognized by the shape of its crown and leaves:

1. Crown. It has the appearance of a pyramid when it is intensively formed, but gradually becomes rounded. The leaves fit tightly to each other, leaving almost no gaps.
2. Leaves. The leaf has five corners, there is little greenery in the leaf, there are white spots, and the edges are shaded pink, but the edging is often uneven.
3. Trunk. Takes on a persistent brown tint over the years. At the beginning of the growth period it shows light brown bark.

The Drummondi variety is often called the pink variety due to the color of the leaves.

Advantages and disadvantages

This variety is often chosen for urban and garden plantings. The lifespan is 100-150 years, so in landscape design it is used as a classic plant, fitting into traditional schemes.

Landscape designers consider the advantage of wood to be its versatility.The culture is suitable for different planting styles: classic, English, country or eco-style.

How to plant a maple

Planting maple is recommended in March or October. The first years of growth are considered difficult; a young tree needs a lot of light, so the place where it is planted should be illuminated as much as possible. Only with the right choice of location can a slowdown in growth be avoided. Between two adjacent plantings a space of 300 centimeters is made. But, if planting is carried out as part of a plan to create a hedge, then the indentation is reduced to 200 centimeters.

During planting, several conditions must be met:

• drainage material is placed at the bottom of the pit;
• the soil is fertilized using organic mixtures (humus, compost, manure);
• Heavy watering of the soil is required.

When planting, the roots are spread as freely as possible to the sides. The seedling is buried so that the root collar remains above the surface.

Aftercare

In the initial stages, maple requires attention. If at first the seedling is watered daily, then gradually the frequency of watering is reduced to three times a week. Then, when the tree gets stronger, watering becomes rare: weekly in the summer and monthly in the spring.

It is better to adjust care based on appearance. For example, wilting and drying of leaves indicates insufficient soil moisture. Then the frequency of watering must be increased for some time.

Fertilizers are applied seasonally, especially for those trees that grow in parks or any other public urban places where the level of gas pollution is high.

First, the soil is fertilized with superphosphates.Then, during intensive crown formation, potassium salt is used, and when the dormant period begins, urea is used.

In addition, constant prevention is required. The tree trunk circle needs regular loosening and weeding is necessary. Such procedures stimulate tree growth.

An important stage is cutting; it also falls into the category of crown shaping procedures. Every spring, remove excess growth and remove dry or damaged branches.

In order not to miss alarm bells, gardeners arrange an annual inspection. At this stage, it is important to trim on time. So that the formation of the crown is planned and acquires a neat appearance. It is especially important to do such procedures when maples are planted to form a hedge.

Preparing for winter

It is important to properly prepare a young tree for winter. Young trees must be covered with spruce branches or straw for the winter. To make the shelter reliable, use a technique such as wrapping it with rags or burlap. Such care will not be unnecessary for young specimens; in this way, the delicate bark of trees is protected. When the tree is 10 years old, it will not require additional shelter.

It is important to know that when it freezes in the spring, shoots are cut off, but this is done only during the period when the buds have not yet opened.

Pest Control

For garden crops, the danger is the invasion of pests, the resistance to which is low in a particular crop. The Drummondi variety is susceptible to coral spot. This is a fungal disease that slowly destroys the tree.

Experts recommend carrying out preventive measures in a timely manner to avoid infection.

But, if a disease has overtaken a culture, then it is easy to notice its arrival. Diagnosis consists of examining the leaves. Coral-colored spots appear on the surface of the leaf. Then the branches gradually begin to die, the bark over the entire surface is covered with spreading burgundy spots, similar to blots. At the initial stage, destroying the affected branches helps. They are pruned as deeply as possible, and the pruning areas are treated with garden varnish to prevent infection, since the general immunity of the crop is reduced to a minimum and is susceptible to any infections.

In addition to coral spotting, maple is often susceptible to insect attacks, including individuals from the following classes:

• whiteflies;
• mealybugs;
• weevils.

How to propagate maple

There are several ways to propagate this variety. First of all, this is planting with seeds. The natural process takes place in several stages, so gardeners try to repeat the conditions as similar as possible:

1. Take plastic bags, fill them with peat moss and any type of drainage material, and moisten them.
2. Then, 20 seeds per seed are placed inside this mixture, the air is pumped out of the bags, and the bags are closed tightly.
3. The bags are stored in the refrigerator at temperatures up to 5 degrees.
4. Check for mold every two weeks.
5. Seeds are pulled out of the cold after 90 days, at which point they show the beginning of germination.
6. Seeds with seedlings are selected and planted in prepared containers such as trays. In this way, the sprouts are grown for another 2-3 years until they become seedlings, then they are planted.

Trees will grow faster if cuttings are used. To do this, it is necessary to cut off shoots from an adult tree. The branches are cut in the spring, the length is 20-30 centimeters. The branches are placed in a growth activator mixture, thereby activating the appearance of roots. As soon as the branches give roots, they begin planting. At this stage, it is important to comply with all conditions, otherwise there is a chance that the plant will die.

A more complex method is to grow layerings. It is important to find a suitable mature and strong tree. Incisions are made on the bark using a treated knife. The cuts are wiped with a growth-stimulating agent and covered with earth. In this place, after a year, roots appear that need to be cut off and replanted in the ground.

Application

Maple fits into different landscape plans. The tree is planted within group plantings. Thanks to the presence of light leaves, maple perfectly shades dark green trees. In addition, the Drummondi variety is often planted to create a hedge, but then the frequency of planting will be different. Recreation areas are decorated with the help of maples.