Red Maples

21 years ago

Looking for some advice on Growing Lip Stick Maples in southern Victoria, only 7 out of the 100 of our bare root stock has survived the summer.

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Comments (3)

User
21 years ago
I am assuming that the trees you are referring to are Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple or Canadian Maple).
They need rich soil, plenty of moisture and protection and shade while young. They will take full sun when more mature. I would imagine that with the drought conditions we have all been experiencing, that lack of water would be your major problem. They are also a fairly shallow rooted tree so plenty of mulch would be beneficial. Don't put it right up to the trunk or it might cause rot. It actually sounds like you were quite lucky to have any survive, but how dissapointing for you to lose so many! I would seriously re-consider whether these are the right trees for the conditions you have.
Cheers,
Dee.
follicle
21 years ago
Should be easy in Sth Vic. I have grown them in Leongatha without much trouble.As Dee suggests though,watering and mulching is most important.Losing 93 out of 100 though is really remarkable. Did you grow them as cuttings or were they the real Mcoy,purchased from a nursery???
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wombat
21 years ago
Deejaus, it's probably acer rubrum 'Fairview Flame', which is sold as the Lipstick Maple, but acer freemanii 'JeffersredÂ also goes by that name.

The loss of so many plants must be devastating. I'd be looking at firstly, the supplier. Was it a reliable source? Have you contacted the supplier?

Were the plants held for any length of time before planting. Could the bare roots have possibly dried out before planting?

To be planting 100 trees, I'm assuming that you on on some sort of acreage. What is the soil like? Did you add some sort of organic matter to the soil to retain moisture? Add mulch, etc.?

There's not a lot that you can about the 93 lost plants - except that possibly the supplier may give you a discount on a further order, given the circumstances. But you might be able to reduce losses the next time around.

I might also mention that, given my current drought conditions, I have found it virtually impossible to keep any new plantings alive by hand watering. There is no moisture at all in the subsoil and no amount of mulch can retain what isn't there. Hopefully, the drought has broken in your area (it hasn't in mine).

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Red Maples

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