A magnificent maple tree - ready-made from the nursery - costs 100 euros and more. With a little patience and these instructions, you can easily grow a maple tree yourself. This is how you can do it without having to break out your wallet.
How do I grow a maple tree from cuttings?
To grow a maple tree yourself from cuttings, cut off half-woody shoot tips in early summer, remove all but one pair of leaves and place them in soil and sand. Care for the cuttings regularly with water and light until they can be repotted and planted outdoors in spring.
Propagate single-variety maple with cuttings - this is how it works
When maple trees are full of sap in early summer, this is the best time to grow a new, magnificent specimen yourself from cuttings. The focus is on semi-woody, non-flowering shoot tips that show no signs of disease or pests. Since you have to expect a success rate of 50 percent, cut as many offshoots as possible. This is how you proceed professionally:
- Cut cuttings 10 to 15 cm long with sharp, disinfected scissors
- Ideally make the cut below a leaf node
- Pluck all leaves except for one pair of leaves at the top of the shoot
With a targeted wounding cut you can promote rooting. To do this, cut a very thin piece of bark about 2 cm long from the end of the shoot opposite the leaf node. Then dip each cutting in rooting powder (€8.00 on Amazon) and place two thirds of it in a pot with a mix of potting soil and sand.
Caring for maple cuttings – how to do it right
Maple cuttings feel at home in an indoor greenhouse in the partially shaded window seat. Water the seedlings regularly with lukewarm water. Daily ventilation reliably prevents mold formation. If a mini maple has rooted through its pot, repot it into a larger container.
If you grow maple yourself from cuttings, the nutrient supply only begins in early spring. Seedlings with more than 4 pairs of leaves receive liquid fertilizer in the irrigation water every 4 weeks. In April or May, plant your pupils in a sunny to semi-shady location in the garden or in a 10 liter pot on the balcony.
Tip
Maple friends with a penchant for surprises collect the winged fruits in autumn and harvest the seeds. After stratification in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, the germination inhibition is overcome and the seeds can be sown on the windowsill in the usual manner. The result of generative propagation by sowing is unpredictable and only becomes apparent as growth progresses.
