Caption: The lush green Montpelier Maple
Montpelier Maple is one of the perfect choices for lawn shade trees and privacy hedges. The rigid branching aids the tree for lending itself to bonsai use, so does its ability to be reduced as accorded. Commonly regarded as the Montpelier Maple the tree stands out for its distinguishable feature of three-lobed leaves. The Acer monspessulanum are indigenous to Northwest Africa and Europe and are barely used as bonsais across the U.S. The tree boasts of dark and glossier leaves that are green in colour and obtuse in shape.
How long does it take to grow Montpelier Maple Bonsai Tree?
The Montpelier Maple tree grows across a wide range of soil categories which includes heavier clay variants to sandy loams. The high tolerance levels of this genus of bonsai tree aids in bearing extremities of moisture levels within the soil that constitutes dry as well as swamp conditions. Achieving a narrower root system that is compact aids in curating the Montpelier Maple as a bonsai given the germination process of the seeds is done through jiffy pellets. This must be done for soil that has a low organic matter composition ensuring the plants do not grow up to be vigorous.
The Montpelier Maple tree is known to grow very slowly, reaching several meters in height after several years. The dark grey colour of the smooth trunk ages with time. The taproot of the plant needs snipping or curling on reaching 8 to 12 weeks of the germination process. This is especially if the younger version of the plant does not start through jiffy pellets.
The article further delves deep into the best-suited conditions and the prerequisites for the Acer monspessulanum or the Montpelier Maple tree. This is in regards to some of the specifics involving the planting, lighting conditions, temperature, feeding, and watering.
Planting a Montpelier Maple
The planting period for Montpelier Maple trees usually spans between October to the last week of March. This excludes the frosting season. Avoiding soggy soil works best where one has to dig up a hole that is 2 to 3 times wider in length than the tree’s root ball. While placing the root ball within the hole, one has to check the shrub for the exact height. The soil needs replacement concerning the ordering layers from bottom to top. Regular tamping is required. Post planting, one has to ensure to pour two watering cans to the bottom and finally covering it with a mulch layer.
Lighting
The Montpelier Maple is known to bask in full sunlight. While the preferable conditions earmarked for this plant in partial shade, especially for hot climes and midsummer. The partial shade is recommended since this constitutes the filtered light that penetrates and reflects underneath the trees. Thus, offering a bit of protection from direct sunlight.
Temperature
The Montpelier Maple is a hardy tree withstanding extremes of temperature, which includes zone five at the least.
Feeding
The usage of a bonsai fertilizer is recommended for every three weeks between early spring to the late autumn season. The only pause in between is for the midsummer month. One can use a generalized plant food as a supplement at half strength instead of a bonsai fertilizer.
Watering
Montpelier Maples can sustain dry conditions the most out of all the other genus of maples. This is further sub-divided into the moist condition and an outdoor watering condition.
Moist Conditions:
A soil is considered to be moist enough when it receives water which is 18 inches deep. The condition does not let the soil dry out and nor leads to any drainage issues.
Outdoor Watering Conditions
A healthier plant needs adequate water. While less water leads to the plant wilting and withering away. Watering frequently leads to oxygen deprivation which further entails plant diseases rotting the stem and the roots. Watering a plant is dependent on a multitude of factors from age and type of plant, soil variant, light conditions, size of the container, etc. Some of the best tips dictate watering less frequently and deeply. This ensures the water saturates the plant’s root ball thoroughly. For plants in-ground, the water needs to penetrate 6 to 7 inches deep after it has soaked the soil enough. While the plants are grown within containers, it is enough to let the water seep through the drainage holes.
Watering plants late in the afternoon or early on during the day assists in conserving more water by reducing plant stress. This aids the plant leaves in drying out the water before nightfall. A major step that comes in handy for fungus-related issues.
The leathery characteristic of the leaves coupled with its smaller silhouette, earmarks the Montpelier Maple as having great potentiality. The tree is often mistaken to be of another native maple genus called the A. Campestre, also known as the hedge maple, owing to the similarities. An exception is the leaves which have less lobing and lacks hair. The samaras exist as parallel pairs spanning a good 180 degrees. The bark is smooth grey colour, while the stem juices of the leaf are never milky.
The Montpelier Maple stands tall somewhere between 18-30 feet, growing up to be densely branched like a tree or a shrub and appear fuller and rounder. The tree is no stranger to withstanding harsh climes, which other maple varieties find too hot and dry to sustain. Deciduous in nature, the Montpelier Maple flowering season begins in May. The flowers have a greenish-yellow hue forming within the corymbs that pave the way for samaras constituting overlapping reddish wings measuring 1” long. The tree has reproductive parts for males and females located separately within a single tree and is known to be a monoecious one.
The Montpelier Maple comes with a bundle of advantages such as:
1. High tolerance levels to heat and drought.
2. The best-suited tree to high pH levels where it not only adjusts and sustains but, in the long run, thrives.
3. The ideal type of plant for bonsai usage.
4. An ornamental tree that adds to the landscape variety.
5. Apt for screening purposes and specimen usage.
6. Picturesque exhibit for any season.
How to Plant and Grow Montpelier Maple Bonsai Tree?
The major steps involved in planting and growing the Montpelier Maple are pruning and wiring, propagation, and repotting.
Caption: Montpelier Maple in reddish hue
Pruning and Wiring
A significant step for planting and growing the Montpelier Maple is pruning the trees. This aids in assuring there is proper growth and development. The younger trees are generally transplanted as bare roots, within containers, as balled and burlap. The pruning is directly proportional to the stress levels a plant endures during the transplantation process. Being a deciduous tree, these are rightly sold away after digging up while the bare roots are left exposed. The procedure of digging leads to the root system being lost, which can be compensated through the removal of adequate top growth. One that can be done in a nursery of pruning during the time of planting.
One needs to make a selection of the scaffold branches in the best shape and remove the side branches that are extrinsic. For trees that do not have branches, one has to wait till the tree reaches the desired height. It is further pinched back, stimulating buds in the lower area to align as branches. One can pinch back to assist new growth on the arrival of a pair of leaves. The wiring needs to occur between the spring and the autumn seasons. The bark must be protected at all costs during wiring. The more exposure to sun and light, the higher the leaf reduction for Montpelier Maples.
Propagation
Montpelier Maples can be propagated by utilizing the seeds and the cuttings of the stems. This includes softwood, semi-hardwood, and woody stem cuttings. While the propagation is also done by sowing the seeds indoors or directly sowing once the frosting season is over. Another process involves grafting.
Repotting
The Montpelier Maples needs repotting within every two to three years. This can be during spring or before bud burst. The soil should be bonsai-specific and rich in organic material constituents.
How to care for your Montpelier Maple Bonsai Tree?
The best way to take care of Montpelier Maple is to meet the ideal requirements to see its growth advancement. The perfect soil pH requirements being acidic to mildly acidic, ranging from 5.6 to 6.0 and 6.1 to 6.5 figuratively. Limiting the sun exposure to partial shade and watering in accordance by not drying out or either overwatering can see a Montpelier Maple growing up in fine health. A major routine also involves diseases and pest control.
Multiple diseases and pests affecting a Montpelier Maple include Verticillium, Fusarium Wilt, Spider Mites to Fungus Gnats. The best measures for prevention and control can encourage a full bloom. Lessening overfertilization by keeping nitrogen fertilizers at bay can ensure crop protection. Timely pruning can assist in the removal of infected plants. Regular watering and usage of labelled insecticides can ensure to fizzle out infestations by fungus or mites.
Caption: A street decked up in Montpelier Maples that adds so much more to the landscape