Field Maple. Acer Campestre. It’s Been Lifted Now

Tieball

Masterpiece
Messages
3,133
Reaction score
3,207
Location
Michigan. 6a
USDA Zone
6a
Awesome species.I always did like these.Then to find it is reported to air-layer quite easiliy,I have tons of seed sewing now.
I’m hoping a collection of cuttings I took take root. Before I lifted the tree I methodically when down the tree while in the ground and cut it apart into 8-9” (20-22cm) sections. Put a rooting gel on and plunged them into a large pot of soil. If they don’t take there’s nothing lost....the top would have been thrown away if not cut apart. An experiment for me.
 

Tieball

Masterpiece
Messages
3,133
Reaction score
3,207
Location
Michigan. 6a
USDA Zone
6a
Nice. This looks similar to one of mine with the form of it, just bigger and with more advanced primaries. The dimpling on the bark is different to ones you get round my way though which is interesting. I’ll watch with interest.
The dimpling......I thought that was the initial start of rough bark forming. No knowledge really....just what I thought...or hoped seeing as how I wanted the tree to rough up with bark.
 

AlainK

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
5,394
Reaction score
9,488
Location
Orléans, France, Europe
USDA Zone
9A
The dimpling......I thought that was the initial start of rough bark forming. No knowledge really....
I have several self-sown field maples I found in my garden, they are very variable. Some have deeply cut lobes, whereas others have very rounded ones, some have a rather smooth bark, others have a kind of cork bark when young.

For instance, I kept this one because when in full leaves, it hides the bins from the street. It's in a mainly sunny place, but I tink it's not the only reason why it has this kind of bark, and more deeply cut lobes :

acerc001_210413a.jpg

This other one is in a live hedge, almost all the time in the shade, but I took several root cuttings, some of them I placed in full sun, and they all have the same characteristics : less divided lobes, and a much smoother bark :

acerc000_210413a.jpg

I also remember a post from a British member that found one with very deeply cut lobes, maybe he'll read this post and give us the link...
 

GreatLakesBrad

Chumono
Messages
650
Reaction score
1,045
Location
West Michigan
USDA Zone
6a
@BobbyLane I have observed, asked questions and learned from your postings and those of @Woocash over the years as I eventually knew I would dig this tree out and start it in a path. I have much to learn yet though. So...keep posting about your trees.

When I started this tree, way back as a stick, I really wondered if it would even survive my climate as it would always be outside....regardless of the temperature or weather. So that begins a new question for me. This tree has survived well in the ground...protected by earth's core temperature. Does not being in the ground change everything? I half thought that maybe I should plan to bury the tree back in my sandy ground soil each winter rather than having it exposed to the elements in a box. For winter I could simply bury the entire box and let the tree get buried in snow for the entire winter....lifting the box in spring.
This. Will be following your experience with this tree in a container closely - I have steered clear of acquiring one due to thinking 6a is too cold for them. Might be worth trying per your effort - maybe similar to my trident maples, which do fine in the ground but kept in unheated garage when in a container. Very curious. Awesome base! Thanks for sharing.
 

BobbyLane

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
6,061
Reaction score
17,694
Location
London, England
they get pretty gnarly with age, these are field maples in my local park
 

Attachments

  • 20210413_152012.jpg
    20210413_152012.jpg
    515.1 KB · Views: 26
  • 20210408_145408.jpg
    20210408_145408.jpg
    431.8 KB · Views: 29
  • 20210408_145423.jpg
    20210408_145423.jpg
    378.6 KB · Views: 29

Tieball

Masterpiece
Messages
3,133
Reaction score
3,207
Location
Michigan. 6a
USDA Zone
6a
This. Will be following your experience with this tree in a container closely - I have steered clear of acquiring one due to thinking 6a is too cold for them. Might be worth trying per your effort - maybe similar to my trident maples, which do fine in the ground but kept in unheated garage when in a container. Very curious. Awesome base! Thanks for sharing.
This Field Maple has always grown outdoors. I’ve never moved it around due to weather...other than digging it up back a few years to put it in direct sun all day. It was weak without the direct sun. The only practice I add is a circular mesh fence with a windscreen over it for the winter. The circular is open on the top so take the tree gets covered well with snow. Basically, from the end if October to the end of March I do nothing with the tree. Nature does all the work. Because of the container life now I may simply bury the container and apply a surrounding windscreen. I created several cuttings as I chopped the tree down. Hopefully some will root and give me experiment times. I took cuttings from 1” thick down to about 3/8” thickness. Some rooting gel....and put in a squat pot of peat mixed with bonsai soil (it’s what I had nearby at the time). With these I’ll learn whether I really do need to bury the pot or simply provide wind-screening. For now though, I have a very sandy soil so it’s quite easy to dig a trench for it and easily remove it in spring.
 

Tieball

Masterpiece
Messages
3,133
Reaction score
3,207
Location
Michigan. 6a
USDA Zone
6a
I think that might have been a selfie.
 

Tieball

Masterpiece
Messages
3,133
Reaction score
3,207
Location
Michigan. 6a
USDA Zone
6a
This. Will be following your experience with this tree in a container closely - I have steered clear of acquiring one due to thinking 6a is too cold for them. Might be worth trying per your effort - maybe similar to my trident maples, which do fine in the ground but kept in unheated garage when in a container. Very curious. Awesome base! Thanks for sharing.
Being out of the ground I add a zone number to the lower side. So I think in terms of 5-8. This is for the USA. It’s just not that common though.
BE1920CC-F389-4C04-A962-ED88BA0BC0BA.jpeg
 

GreatLakesBrad

Chumono
Messages
650
Reaction score
1,045
Location
West Michigan
USDA Zone
6a
Being out of the ground I add a zone number to the lower side. So I think in terms of 5-8. This is for the USA. It’s just not that common though.
View attachment 367930
Ah wow, I do the same. I must have gotten some bad information.
Going to have to find me some field maple seeds to start next spring... thanks much!!
 

Tieball

Masterpiece
Messages
3,133
Reaction score
3,207
Location
Michigan. 6a
USDA Zone
6a
Just in case some reads this and has a good opinion. I could use some thoughtful guidance on this part. I took plenty of cuttings from the Field Maple. From pencil thickness to about one inch thickness. The cuttings took a dip in some rooting gel. I keep the soil moist. The cuttings are beginning to open leaves which I suspect is from stored energy in the cuttings. The temps for the next several days are daytime highs in the 40s Fahrenheit and nighttime lows in the 30s Fahrenheit. So my questions......
1. Should the cuttings just stay outdoors regardless of the now lower temperatures?
2. Should the cuttings come indoors where it’s 67 degrees constant for the next week?
Thoughts?
 
Top Bottom