How to Identify and Care for an Ablaze Red Maple
- 1). Identify the Ablaze Red Maple by the smooth, light gray bark. The tree puts out red flowers before foliage. The branches are a reddish color. It blooms in early to mid spring. The foliage is dark green in color. This particular maple can reach up to 70 feet tall and get as wide as 30 feet, making it a great shade tree.
- 2). Plant this tree by digging a hole that is three or four times the diameter of the container it came in. If it did not come in a container, make the hole three or four times the diameter of the root ball. Scarify the sides of the hole with a shovel or pitchfork. If the tree came wrapped in burlap, and the burlap is not synthetic, leave the burlap on the root ball, but remove any nails or wires holding it on, and fold it down, so the entire piece of burlap gets covered with dirt.
- 3). Fill the hole with soil. Use at least half of the original soil if you need to amend the soil. If you have a very loose soil (like a sandy type soil), unless it is missing a nutrient needed by the tree, you do not need to amend the soil. If the soil is a heavy clay-type soil, amend it with 50 percent potting soil.
- 4). Create a water ring around the outer edge of the hole. This will help direct water to the outside roots, which encourages growth. It also helps conserve water. Once the Ablaze Red Maple is established, you can flatten out the water ring. Mulch with 3 inches of compost, pinestraw or bark.
- 5). Water the tree deeply. The watering range is semi-arid to boggy, but it should have at least an inch of water each week until it is established. Once established, unless you live in a particularly dry area, normal rainfall should be enough.
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