The Latest American Red Maple Cutting Technique Tutorial

The American red maple tree is native to the eastern coast of the United States, also known as red maple, northern red maple, North American red maple, etc. It comes mainly from the northern United States and most of Canada. It is a large deciduous tree of the Acer genus in the Sapindaceae family. It grows relatively fast, with adult trees reaching 12 to 18 m in height and a crown width of 12 m. It can adapt to grow in a wide range of soil types. Now let us take a look at the American red maple cutting technique!

Cutting Time for American Red Maple

American red maple cutting propagation is usually carried out in late winter and early spring, when the dormant buds have not yet sprouted. In mid-to-late February, after the temperature rises, select vigorous, pest- and disease-free one-year-old red-back osmanthus branches. Cut each cutting to a length of 8 to 10 cm. Cut the upper end of the cutting flat and the lower end into a slanted surface, with a smooth cut and no tearing. Keep 1 to 2 upper axillary buds on each cutting, and cut the base into a flat cut with a sharp blade.

American Red Maple Cutting Technique

1. Cutting bed preparation: One week before cutting the American red maple, disinfect the substrate with a 0.5% potassium permanganate aqueous solution. Level the cutting bed box surface and cover it with plastic film for later use. The cutting bed is 10 m long, 1.20 m wide, and 35 cm high. Place a 5 cm thick layer of river sand on the surface, then spread a 3 cm thick layer of clean yellow soil on top.

2. Cutting method: The rooting agent for American red maple uses an indolebutyric acid-naphthaleneacetic acid mixture + glutamic acid + inositol, prepared in a mass ratio of 4.1:0.02:1, at a use concentration of 1000 mg/L. Mix vitamin C and water at a weight ratio of 1:2000, and soak the base of the cuttings for 2 hours. Then add the rooting agent aqueous solution to yellow soil and stir it into a slurry. Dip the lower end cuts of the cuttings in the slurry and then insert them for cutting.

3. Cutting density: When cutting, use a spacing of 1O*10 cm between plants and rows. First make a small hole with a wooden (bamboo) stick, then insert the slurry-dipped cutting into the small hole. The insertion depth is 1/2 of the cutting. Cover with substrate and press firmly, water thoroughly with a fine-hole watering can, then build a small arched shed and cover it with plastic film.

American Red Maple Cutting Management

1. Temperature: Keep the temperature at 20 to 28°C. When the air temperature inside the shed is higher than the seedbed substrate temperature, uncover the film at both ends of the arched shed for ventilation, so that the air temperature drops.

2. Humidity: Maintain the relative air humidity at 80 to 90% by spraying, carrying out spraying 2 times per day. On sunny days with high temperatures, spray twice; on cloudy and rainy days with lower temperatures, spray less or not at all, keeping the substrate moist.

3. Light: 7 to 10 days after cutting the American red maple, the light transmittance inside the shed reaches about 60%. At 7 days, 80% of the cuttings have rooted. When the roots are 2 to 3 cm long, remove the shade net before 11 a.m. and after 5 p.m. on sunny days, and remove the shade net all day on cloudy days.

4. Nutrients: After the American red maple cuttings have rooted, apply foliar fertilizer with 0.5% urea and 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate aqueous solution, once every 10 days.

5. Disinfection: After cutting the American red maple, spray 600-fold carbendazim solution once every 15 days.

6. Leaving the nursery: American red maple begins to root 15 to 20 days after cutting. After 50 to 60 days of seedbed cultivation and management, when the seedlings reach 10 to 15 cm in height and have 5 to 7 leaves, they leave the nursery for field planting.