On 4/29/2015 4:53 AM, Moe DeLoughan wrote:
On 4/29/2015 5:43 AM, herb white wrote:
I recently purchased an autumn blaze maple tree about 6 feet tall. I would like any info on how to plant it. Thanks for any reply


Dig the hole twice as wide as the rootball and one and a half time as
deep. Backfill with soil and a handful of high-phosphorus fertilizer,
plus a handful of magnesium sulphate (epsom salts - maples love it).
Water to settle the loose soil. Set the tree so that the top of the
rootball is just about at ground level; fill will more soil and a
sprinkling of additional fertilizer/epsom salts.
Keep slightly damp for the first few months while the root system gets
established.
If the tree's canopy is thin and you're in a climate with intense sun,
protect the trunk from sun scorch with a plastic sleeve or tree wrap;
that's especially important in the months when the leaves are off the
tree.
Anchoring trees with stakes and rope/guy wires is not recommended; if
you feel you must, make sure to remove them at the end of the first
growing season. The motion of trees rocking in the wind actually
stimulates root developing, so anchoring them puts them at a growth
disadvantage.


"High-phosphorus fertilizer" would be either bone meal or
superphosphate. I would not sprinkle more phosphorus fertilizer on top
of the soil since it does not readily dissolve and travel through the
soil. Instead, it needs to be placed where the roots will find it. An
exception would be phosphoric acid, but I would fear that would be too
strong to apply to a newly planted tree because it might burn the
already traumatized roots.

Unless your soil drains very well, I would stir 2-3 handsful of gypsum
into the planting hole. Gypsum (calcium sulfate) chemically breaks up
heavy soils. My soils are mostly clay. With a house lot that is
slightly less than 0.25 acre -- including the footprint of my house -- I
apply over 250 pounds of gypsum to my garden every other year.

Maples require a humid climate and well-draining, acidic soil.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary