Seeds of maple: how to grow at home?

Maple is a chic, tall tree, loved by many in the first place for the amazing carved leaves and the elegant crown that they form. The maple, which has always occupied an honorary place among ornamental plants, is especially beautiful in the autumn period, when the surrounding landscape is decorated with foliage of yellow and burgundy shades.

Maple you are my curly!

In its varieties, a maple, repeatedly sung by poets and captured by painters, is diverse, so if you wish to decorate the garden with such an original tree, there is always the option of choosing the most suitable variety. Particularly proud is the specimen grown with the help of seeds; And this process is not particularly difficult and even a novice can do. How to grow a maple from seeds at home? It is only necessary to take into account that several varieties can grow from seeds: acicular, Ginnala, green and Tatar. The remaining varieties multiply by grafting or cuttings.

Maple Seed Description

Seeds of maple ripen in August and crumble in the fall (but not always, can hang on the tree for a long period). Therefore, it is quite easy to find them in a heap of fallen leaves under the trees. In order to discover the future planting material, it is necessary to understand how the seeds of maple look. Outwardly they are a flat double winged lion with two wings. The fruit consists of 2 parts, in each of which there is one seed: naked, with a green large embryo. The fruit of this elegant tree, characterized by wind resistance due to a powerful root system, is abundant and occurs annually. By the way, in the genus of maple there are more than 150 varieties, growing on different points of the planet and originating in the majority from North America. Some of them are found even in the Northern Hemisphere and the tropics. The most valuable maple is sugar, it is found in the Great Lakes region and in Eastern Canada.

How to grow a maple from seeds?

Maple seeds can be planted twice a year: in autumn and in spring. If planting is carried out in the spring, then the material should be subjected to stratification, whose action is aimed at imitating the winter rest period in artificial conditions. For this purpose, the seeds should be created in conditions close to the natural ones, and save them in a specially prepared, tightly closed container with moist sand, which it is desirable to place in the refrigerator. The stratification period is approximately 100-120 days. Seeds of maple, hardened in such conditions, remain valid for two years. In the open ground planting should be carried out in April-May. Acceleration of seed germination can be achieved by soaking them for 1-3 days in hydrogen peroxide. The first shoots the future tree will start to please after 15-20 days after planting.

In the open ground, maple seeds can also be planted in autumn; The most successful period is as close as possible to the time of the appearance of the snow cover. In this case, the planting material is in natural conditions and it begins to germinate in the spring. When planting in this period the germination of seeds may be somewhat lower due to severe frosts or a little snowy winter. However, the most common seeding of maple seeds is produced during this period.

Where to plant a tree?

When the maple seeds (the photo below shows one of them in an enlarged size) are ready for planting, it is necessary to determine the place of growth of this remarkable tree. Choose a sunny area, in the absence of it, some shading is permissible. The soil is recommended fertile and loose. Primer before planting should be dug up, in parallel, fertilizing a mixture of sand, peat and humus.

Features of landing

Planting maple seeds is required to 3-4 cm depth wings up. If in the future transplantation of young plants is not planned, then the distance between trees should be kept at least 2 meters. Emergence of sprouts occurs 2-3 weeks after planting. It is worth knowing that the growth of maple is slow: by the autumn, the height of young trees usually reaches 20-40 cm, and in the first year of growth this figure reaches 80 cm. Care of young trees is simple and consists in timely watering, regular weeding and ridding the plant of Weeds. On hot days it is recommended to prune young trees from direct sunlight.

Depending on the size, young maple trees can be planted on a regular growth site in 1-3 years. Planting should be done in a hole dug in advance about 70 cm deep, the width should be at least half a meter. When the ground is near the surface of the soil, the bottom of the pit should be covered with a 15-centimeter layer of sand or expanded clay.

Maple seeds in folk medicine

Maple seeds, photos of which are presented in the article, are effectively used in folk medicine. So, with colic and kidney disease will help the broth, for the preparation of which you need to pour a glass of boiling water, then insist on a water bath for about 40 minutes a mixture of a teaspoon of seeds and two tablespoons of crushed leaves. The composition is filtered and taken 4 times a day for 50 grams.

Treat herpes and bronchitis with infusion of maple seeds, a teaspoon of which you need to pour a glass of boiling water and let it brew for 30-40 minutes. Use before meals 50 grams 4 times a day.

Planting maple from seeds is a long-term and justified contribution to the future of your own garden. Under the shadow of this elegant tree will rest several generations of descendants.