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red maple situation in austin
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Posted by mags77 8b (My Page) on Fri, Nov 20, 09 at 11:34
| When I ordered a couple of bareroot trees from the Arbor Day Foundation, they sent me a random free tree. It's a red maple (Acer rubrum). This tree isn't totally suited for the central Texas area, even though it's in the right zone. I have a spot for it which has some shade and not-too-dry soil. BUT the soil is rather alkaline.
Since it's free, there's nowhere else to plant it, and it's sort of native to Texas, I don't mind trying it out. Does anyone have any tips on how to help with things like Magnesium/Iron deficiency or how to give it the best shot possible? Can I just add these to the soil around it? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: red maple situation in austin
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| Please, you're much better off with shantung maple 'Fire Dragon'. If you really want to keep red maple.... 1) get a bag of greensand (it has a lot of iron plus other trace nutrients)
2)compost
3)mulch (2 bags)
4)pour in fish fertilizer which will get soil biology going and help iron get absorbed better. Make it a 5 feet circle of loose soil that would be covered with compost and mulch but nnothing touching tree trunk. Keep grass and weeds at all times! Make sure to water it during the summer when it gets hot and dry. If it didn't survive, get 'Fire Dragon' at Metro Maples in Ft Worth. Only a couple hours drive. :) |
RE: red maple situation in austin
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| I have a red maple in my alkaline clay soil that's been in place for 25 years. It was planted "high" in the native clay/soil with no ammendments. It's roots have migrated into the bed area where there is good ammendment. It's done just fine. My only criticism of it is that the tiney feeder roots are a mass in the flowerbed it's near, and it's hard (impossible) to dig in that bed. It's also lost some limbs from high winds. We were told when it was planted that it would do fine in alkaline soil, and it has never showed any chlorosis at all. I would suggest that you not plant it too near your house or near any planting beds except for permanent shrub beds. The surface roots will eventually get large enough that you will feel them under your feet when you walk under the tree. I would probably not buy another, but it's a really nice shade tree now. |
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