Detailed Explanation of Trident Maple Cultivation Techniques

Trident maple is planted in winter and spring. For landscaping and scenic forests, large planting holes are needed: dig planting holes 80 to 2500px square, and mix organic fertilizer with fine soil inside the hole. When planting, cut off excessively long roots of the seedlings, place them in the holes, and bury soil in layers. In windy and dry areas, the hole size is 1500px square, and the seedlings are planted 15 to 500px deep in the hole, meaning that after planting, the surface soil in the hole is 15 to 500px below ground level. On slopes, depending on the gradient, reverse-slope terraces can be dug. In broken terrain, dig fish-scale pits 50 x 40 x 750px (length x width x depth), and after planting, build a ridge along the outer edge of the tree hole to help store water and conserve soil moisture. For scenic forests, it is best to use large seedlings over 4 years old planted with soil balls. Street trees are generally planted in a single row, with a spacing of 5 to 6 m, and the clear trunk height is generally 2 to 2.5 m. For courtyard cultivation, plant in rows, with a spacing of 3 m x 3 to 4 m, or 4 to 5 m, and select large seedlings over 2 m tall for planting.

After planting, trident maple must be watered, and attention should be paid to loosening the soil and removing weeds, deep plowing to expand the planting hole, and increasing organic fertilizer application. For large trees several years old, topdressing is applied every year. Apply soil in a ring and water at a distance of 1.5 to 2.0 m from the main trunk, and irrigate once with winter freezing water. Pruning and shaping should be done in early spring, by cutting back and thinning out overly dense branches, competing branches, and overlapping branches to cultivate a good main trunk. During pruning, buds and root suckers should be removed in time.

Now you understand the cultivation techniques of trident maple. Trident maple is a very valuable foliage tree species. Next, let us learn about its main values.

Cultivation and Management Techniques of Trident Maple

Trident maple, also known as Pingji maple, is a deciduous tree of the genus Acer in the family Aceraceae. In China, it is mainly produced in the provinces of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, and is also distributed in southern Northeast China, northern Jiangsu, and southern Anhui. Trident maple has a beautiful tree shape, and its leaves turn red or yellow in autumn, making it an excellent street tree and courtyard tree. Its cultivation and management techniques are introduced below for reference only.

Trident maple can reach 10 to 13 m in height. Its leaves are palmately 5-lobed, 5 to 10 cm long, often truncate at the base, with acute lobe tips, entire margins, and hairless on both sides. The flowers are yellow-green, about 1 cm in diameter, in terminal corymbs. The samara is flat, with the two wings spreading at about a right angle; the wings are relatively wide, and their length is equal to or slightly longer than the nutlet. The flowering period is April, and the fruit ripens from September to October.

Trident maple tolerates semi-shade and prefers a cool, humid climate. It is not strict about soil and can grow in neutral, acidic, and calcareous soils, but grows best in deep, fertile, and moist sandy loam, and also grows well in pure sandy soil. It tolerates mildly saline-alkaline soil and can grow normally in mildly saline-alkaline soil with a pH of 8.7 and a salt content of 0.2%, with no adverse reactions observed. It is not tolerant of severe drought or waterlogging, and is not suitable for planting in low-lying areas, as standing water can easily cause root rot.

Fertilization and Watering Trident maple likes fertilizer. When transplanting, apply some fully decomposed and fermented barnyard manure as base fertilizer, and mix the base fertilizer thoroughly with the planting soil. In early summer, apply some nitrogen fertilizer as topdressing; this fertilization helps the plant recover its vigor and speeds up the growth of branches and leaves. In late autumn, along with watering freezing water, apply leaf mold or cattle and horse manure once. In early April of the second year, apply nitrogen fertilizer once as topdressing; in early July, apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer once as topdressing; and in late autumn, apply cattle and horse manure once. From the third year onward, it is only necessary to apply cattle and horse manure once each spring. During cultivation, attention should be paid to water management. When transplanting, water thoroughly for the first three waterings, and afterward water thoroughly once a month. After each watering, loosen the soil in time to conserve moisture. In summer rainy days, watering should be reduced or stopped, and if water accumulates in the tree basin, it should be drained in time. In late autumn, water thoroughly with freezing water. In early spring of the following year, water thoroughly with thawing water in time. April and May are periods of rapid temperature rise and also coincide with the spring monsoon season in North China. During these two months, water thoroughly once every half month, which can effectively provide the water needed for plant growth and help the plant develop roots and leaves. After that, water thoroughly once a month, and in late autumn water freezing water as in the first year. In the third year, water according to the method used in the second year. From the fourth year onward, attention should be paid to watering thawing water and freezing water; at other times, the plant can rely on natural precipitation for growth, but in particularly dry years, appropriate watering is needed.

Pruning Methods

Trident maple has relatively poor trunk dominance, so shaping and pruning before reaching the trunk-setting height are very important. This will directly have an important impact on the quality and ornamental value of the seedlings, so pruning in the nursery should be strengthened. In pruning, thinning, cutting back, and bud removal should be combined. During cultivation, pruning should be strengthened. First, the main trunk extension branch should be established. For seedlings with a central-leader branching pattern, side branches should be suppressed and the main branch growth promoted during pruning. For those with weak apical dominance, the top should be pinched during pruning, and a vigorously growing side branch below it should be selected to replace the main branch. Below the cut, select and retain a strong bud close to the main axis, remove another pair of buds, and the cut should be parallel to the bud with a spacing of 6 to 9 mm. Pruned in this way, the newly emerging branches will be close to the main axis. In later pruning, the position and direction of the selected buds should be opposite to those selected in the previous year. Only by this method can the growth of the extension branch be ensured not to deviate from the main axis, so that the trunk grows straight. After establishing the main trunk extension branch, cut back or thin out the remaining side branches. After the trunk-training work is completed, the next step is to set the trunk and cultivate the crown. Below the cut, select 3 well-developed buds that are not on the same track to cultivate as main branches. When the main branches grow to 80 cm, pinch them. On each main branch, cultivate two side branches. The side branches should each occupy one side and not overlap each other. When the side branches grow to about 1 m, they can be cut back to cultivate secondary side branches. In this way, the basic tree shape is determined. In later pruning work, it is only necessary to prune overly dense branches, drooping branches, and diseased and pest-damaged branches. It should be mentioned that trident maple should not be pruned in winter and early spring. If pruned in winter or early spring, it is very susceptible to damage from cold wind, and bleeding sap will occur at the cut. Therefore, it is best to prune in late March or early April, at the beginning of tree growth, when pruning causes less bleeding, the wound heals easily, and the tree vigor is not affected.

Propagation Methods

The propagation method of trident maple generally uses sowing. In autumn, when the samaras of trident maple change from green to yellow-brown, select robust plants with relatively straight trunks and no pests or diseases as seed collection mother trees. After collecting the seeds, dry them for 3 to 4 days, clean them, put them in clean cloth bags, and store them in a cool, dry place. The sowing nursery land should be flat, convenient for drainage and irrigation, with deep soil layers and fertile soil. It is best to choose sandy loam. After careful land preparation, apply 3000 to 5000 kg of fully decomposed and fermented cattle and horse manure per mu and build level beds. Sow in spring of the following year. Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water at 40°C for 30 minutes, then add cold water and soak for 24 hours. After removing them, place them in a sheltered, sunny place, rinse once daily with warm water, and stir evenly. When more than 50% of the seeds have cracked open, they can be sown. Drill sowing, with a row spacing of 25 to 35 cm, sowing depth of 2 cm, sowing 15 to 20 kg per mu, and covering with soil 1.5 cm thick. After sowing, cover with grass to keep the soil moist. After sowing, the seeds can germinate in 15 to 20 days, and the covering grass can be removed. When the seedlings are about 10 cm tall, choose cloudy days for thinning and final spacing, with a plant spacing of 10 to 15 cm. After final spacing, irrigate and fertilize once every 10 to 15 days, applying 5 to 8 kg of compound fertilizer per mu each time. Cultivate and weed in time, and control pests and diseases. Stop applying nitrogen fertilizer and irrigation in September. In the same year, the seedlings are about 1 m tall and can be transplanted to cultivate larger seedlings.

Pest and Disease Control

Common insect pests of trident maple include: cicadas, Jing maple polymorphic woolly aphid, trident maple flower leafminer, yellow slug moth, six-spotted bronze jewel beetle, Asian longhorned beetle, star longhorned beetle, and small angle carpenter worm. If cicadas occur, timely prune and burn branches with eggs, manually capture newly emerged adults, and when necessary spray 48% Lesben emulsifiable concentrate at 3500 times dilution. If Jing maple polymorphic woolly aphid causes damage, in the early stage of damage spray the branches and leaves with 10% imidacloprid wettable powder at 2000 times dilution, or 1.2% bitter-tobacco emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution, or 1% azadirachtin aqueous solution at 7000 times dilution. If trident maple flower leafminer causes damage, when linear shallow mines appear on the leaf surface, spray 1.8% Abamectin emulsifiable concentrate at 2000 times dilution. If yellow slug moth occurs, use light traps to kill adults, and during the larval gregarious feeding period spray 75% Sendebao wettable granules at 20 g per mu. If six-spotted bronze jewel beetle causes damage, when adults are about to emerge, spray trunks with 10% imidacloprid wettable granules at 1000 times dilution to block and kill adults about to exit holes, and during the adult emergence period spray 1.2% nicotine-anabasine emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution. If Asian longhorned beetle and star longhorned beetle cause damage, manually capture adults during the adult period, or spray Green Weilei at 150 times dilution for control. If small angle carpenter worm occurs, during the adult period use light and sex pheromone trapping, and biological control can also be carried out by trunk injection with 413 Beauveria bassiana, Steinernema nematodes, and the like.

Common diseases of trident maple include brown spot disease, powdery mildew, and samara large lacquer spot disease.

All 3 diseases are caused by infection by imperfect fungi. If brown spot disease occurs, spray 70% mancozeb wettable powder at 400 times dilution for control, once every 7 days; 3 to 4 consecutive sprays can effectively control the disease. If powdery mildew occurs, spray 70% chlorothalonil wettable powder at 800 times dilution for control, once every 10 days, which can effectively control the disease. If samara large lacquer spot disease occurs, spray with 50% anilazine wettable powder at 500 times dilution, once every 7 days; 3 to 4 consecutive sprays can effectively control the disease.(The author's affiliation is Huamei Comprehensive Service Office of Huabei Oilfield, Renqiu City)

Cultivation and Management Techniques of Trident Maple

News from China Landscape Web on July 3: Trident maple, also known as Pingji maple, is a deciduous tree of the genus Acer in the family Aceraceae. In China, it is mainly produced in the provinces of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, and is also distributed in southern Northeast China, northern Jiangsu, and southern Anhui. Trident maple has a beautiful tree shape, and its leaves turn red or yellow in autumn, making it an excellent street tree and courtyard tree. Its cultivation and management techniques are introduced below for reference only.

Trident maple can reach 10 to 13 m in height. Its leaves are palmately 5-lobed, 5 to 10 cm long, often truncate at the base, with acute lobe tips, entire margins, and hairless on both sides. The flowers are yellow-green, about 1 cm in diameter, in terminal corymbs. The samara is flat, with the two wings spreading at about a right angle; the wings are relatively wide, and their length is equal to or slightly longer than the nutlet. The flowering period is April, and the fruit ripens from September to October.

Trident maple tolerates semi-shade and prefers a cool, humid climate. It is not strict about soil and can grow in neutral, acidic, and calcareous soils, but grows best in deep, fertile, and moist sandy loam, and also grows well in pure sandy soil. It tolerates mildly saline-alkaline soil and can grow normally in mildly saline-alkaline soil with a pH of 8.7 and a salt content of 0.2%, with no adverse reactions observed. It is not tolerant of severe drought or waterlogging, and is not suitable for planting in low-lying areas, as standing water can easily cause root rot.

Fertilization and Watering Trident maple likes fertilizer. When transplanting, apply some fully decomposed and fermented barnyard manure as base fertilizer, and mix the base fertilizer thoroughly with the planting soil. In early summer, apply some nitrogen fertilizer as topdressing; this fertilization helps the plant recover its vigor and speeds up the growth of branches and leaves. In late autumn, along with watering freezing water, apply leaf mold or cattle and horse manure once. In early April of the second year, apply nitrogen fertilizer once as topdressing; in early July, apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer once as topdressing; and in late autumn, apply cattle and horse manure once. From the third year onward, it is only necessary to apply cattle and horse manure once each spring. During cultivation, attention should be paid to water management. When transplanting, water thoroughly for the first three waterings, and afterward water thoroughly once a month. After each watering, loosen the soil in time to conserve moisture. In summer rainy days, watering should be reduced or stopped, and if water accumulates in the tree basin, it should be drained in time. In late autumn, water thoroughly with freezing water. In early spring of the following year, water thoroughly with thawing water in time. April and May are periods of rapid temperature rise and also coincide with the spring monsoon season in North China. During these two months, water thoroughly once every half month, which can effectively provide the water needed for plant growth and help the plant develop roots and leaves. After that, water thoroughly once a month, and in late autumn water freezing water as in the first year. In the third year, water according to the method used in the second year. From the fourth year onward, attention should be paid to watering thawing water and freezing water; at other times, the plant can rely on natural precipitation for growth, but in particularly dry years, appropriate watering is needed.

Pruning Methods

Trident maple has relatively poor trunk dominance, so shaping and pruning before reaching the trunk-setting height are very important. This will directly have an important impact on the quality and ornamental value of the seedlings, so pruning in the nursery should be strengthened. In pruning, thinning, cutting back, and bud removal should be combined. During cultivation, pruning should be strengthened. First, the main trunk extension branch should be established. For seedlings with a central-leader branching pattern, side branches should be suppressed and the main branch growth promoted during pruning. For those with weak apical dominance, the top should be pinched during pruning, and a vigorously growing side branch below it should be selected to replace the main branch. Below the cut, select and retain a strong bud close to the main axis, remove another pair of buds, and the cut should be parallel to the bud with a spacing of 6 to 9 mm. Pruned in this way, the newly emerging branches will be close to the main axis. In later pruning, the position and direction of the selected buds should be opposite to those selected in the previous year. Only by this method can the growth of the extension branch be ensured not to deviate from the main axis, so that the trunk grows straight. After establishing the main trunk extension branch, cut back or thin out the remaining side branches. After the trunk-training work is completed, the next step is to set the trunk and cultivate the crown. Below the cut, select 3 well-developed buds that are not on the same track to cultivate as main branches. When the main branches grow to 80 cm, pinch them. On each main branch, cultivate two side branches. The side branches should each occupy one side and not overlap each other. When the side branches grow to about 1 m, they can be cut back to cultivate secondary side branches. In this way, the basic tree shape is determined. In later pruning work, it is only necessary to prune overly dense branches, drooping branches, and diseased and pest-damaged branches. It should be mentioned that trident maple should not be pruned in winter and early spring. If pruned in winter or early spring, it is very susceptible to damage from cold wind, and bleeding sap will occur at the cut. Therefore, it is best to prune in late March or early April, at the beginning of tree growth, when pruning causes less bleeding, the wound heals easily, and the tree vigor is not affected.

Propagation Methods

The propagation method of trident maple generally uses sowing. In autumn, when the samaras of trident maple change from green to yellow-brown, select robust plants with relatively straight trunks and no pests or diseases as seed collection mother trees. After collecting the seeds, dry them for 3 to 4 days, clean them, put them in clean cloth bags, and store them in a cool, dry place. The sowing nursery land should be flat, convenient for drainage and irrigation, with deep soil layers and fertile soil. It is best to choose sandy loam. After careful land preparation, apply 3000 to 5000 kg of fully decomposed and fermented cattle and horse manure per mu and build level beds. Sow in spring of the following year. Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water at 40°C for 30 minutes, then add cold water and soak for 24 hours. After removing them, place them in a sheltered, sunny place, rinse once daily with warm water, and stir evenly. When more than 50% of the seeds have cracked open, they can be sown. Drill sowing, with a row spacing of 25 to 35 cm, sowing depth of 2 cm, sowing 15 to 20 kg per mu, and covering with soil 1.5 cm thick. After sowing, cover with grass to keep the soil moist. After sowing, the seeds can germinate in 15 to 20 days, and the covering grass can be removed. When the seedlings are about 10 cm tall, choose cloudy days for thinning and final spacing, with a plant spacing of 10 to 15 cm. After final spacing, irrigate and fertilize once every 10 to 15 days, applying 5 to 8 kg of compound fertilizer per mu each time. Cultivate and weed in time, and control pests and diseases. Stop applying nitrogen fertilizer and irrigation in September. In the same year, the seedlings are about 1 m tall and can be transplanted to cultivate larger seedlings.

Pest and Disease Control

Common insect pests of trident maple include: cicadas, Jing maple polymorphic woolly aphid, trident maple flower leafminer, yellow slug moth, six-spotted bronze jewel beetle, Asian longhorned beetle, star longhorned beetle, and small angle carpenter worm. If cicadas occur, timely prune and burn branches with eggs, manually capture newly emerged adults, and when necessary spray 48% Lesben emulsifiable concentrate at 3500 times dilution. If Jing maple polymorphic woolly aphid causes damage, in the early stage of damage spray the branches and leaves with 10% imidacloprid wettable powder at 2000 times dilution, or 1.2% bitter-tobacco emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution, or 1% azadirachtin aqueous solution at 7000 times dilution. If trident maple flower leafminer causes damage, when linear shallow mines appear on the leaf surface, spray 1.8% Abamectin emulsifiable concentrate at 2000 times dilution. If yellow slug moth occurs, use light traps to kill adults, and during the larval gregarious feeding period spray 75% Sendebao wettable granules at 20 g per mu. If six-spotted bronze jewel beetle causes damage, when adults are about to emerge, spray trunks with 10% imidacloprid wettable granules at 1000 times dilution to block and kill adults about to exit holes, and during the adult emergence period spray 1.2% nicotine-anabasine emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution. If Asian longhorned beetle and star longhorned beetle cause damage, manually capture adults during the adult period, or spray Green Weilei at 150 times dilution for control. If small angle carpenter worm occurs, during the adult period use light and sex pheromone trapping, and biological control can also be carried out by trunk injection with 413 Beauveria bassiana, Steinernema nematodes, and the like.

Common diseases of trident maple include brown spot disease, powdery mildew, and samara large lacquer spot disease.

All 3 diseases are caused by infection by imperfect fungi. If brown spot disease occurs, spray 70% mancozeb wettable powder at 400 times dilution for control, once every 7 days; 3 to 4 consecutive sprays can effectively control the disease. If powdery mildew occurs, spray 70% chlorothalonil wettable powder at 800 times dilution for control, once every 10 days, which can effectively control the disease. If samara large lacquer spot disease occurs, spray with 50% anilazine wettable powder at 500 times dilution, once every 7 days; 3 to 4 consecutive sprays can effectively control the disease.(The author's affiliation is Huamei Comprehensive Service Office of Huabei Oilfield, Renqiu City)