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Autumn Fantasy Maple – 5 Caring & Propagating Tips!

Autumn fantasy maple is a cross of red and silver maple, which takes its parents’ best characteristics and produces astonishing colors.

They are deciduous trees that produce different foliage colors throughout the season, making them the best choice to have in your garden for ornamental purposes. These trees are very easy to care for as they can tolerate harsh conditions quite well.

We highly recommend you to plant these trees outside as they can grow to a really good height and prefer open air and light conditions to thrive well. You can use Kentucky coffee tree or oaks beside your fantasy maple to enhance its beauty by providing the perfect contrast of colors in the garden.

We advise you to use either ninebark or miss Kim lilac shrub with your tree as they complement the red fall color of your maple tree quite well in the months of September and October.

Autumn Fantasy Maple
Autumn Fantasy Maple – via Pinterest

Characteristics of Autumn Fantasy Maple

They are one of the most fan-favorite deciduous trees because of their unique characteristics. Their deciduous nature with heartwarming colors is a whole different mood for your garden.

Height and spread

These plants can grow up to 50 feet high and 40 feet wide, so make sure that you plant them at a place where they have room to grow well into their mature height.

If you are planting them in your garden, make sure that you have space for other shrubs and trees beside your fantasy maple to completely change the outlook of your home with different colors complementing each other.

Foliage and Bark

They have dark green foliage in most parts of the year; however, it changes its color to crimson red in the second half at the start of September. The changing color of the foliage distinguishes it by the help of its popping colors in the surrounding of other green trees.

The furrowed grey bark acts as a perfect stand for the foliage above, as its colors look mesmerizing with the red branches holding the beautiful leaves and flowers. These trees keep their beauty throughout the year, so do not worry if you want to buy a tree that does not fade its eye-catching colors with time.

Bloom time

The bloom period starts in the month of April, when the foliage turns up and shows its true colors.

Flower

They produce red flowers in the spring season that change your garden’s complete outlook with their beauty.

Drought resistant

These trees are drought resistant once they reach their established form. They can live without water for a long period once they grow into their mature height, making them quite easy to maintain and care for.

Hardiness zone

The hardiness zone of a fantasy maple is 4, so we advise you to grow it at a place where the temperatures and environmental conditions are similar to those of their growing zones.

Low maintenance

Fantasy maple does not require a lot of attention from the caretaker, so all you need to do is bring the root ball to your house and plant it without caring a lot about its maintenance and other growth issues. They look most appealing in the inner city environments, as they can resist urban pollution.

Autumn Fantasy Maple 2
Autumn Fantasy Maple – via Pinterest

Caring tips for Autumn Fantasy Maple

You need to fulfill only a few requirements to make your plant flourish in your garden without facing any issues. We have provided you with 5 caring tips that can ensure the good health of your tree.

Sunlight

You can keep these plants in open, bright sunlight, as they can tolerate the might of the direct light from the sun. Place them outside where the bright light can reach the plant’s foliage, allowing it to grow at its maximum speed.

Water

Water these plants regularly during the growth period. Once the plant is well established, make sure that you only water when required as these plants are highly drought tolerant.

Reduce the watering to once per week after the plant reaches half the size of its mature age. Check the soil to see if the tree requires watering. The tree can also resist if you overwater it, but we recommend keeping the soil moist without standing water in it.

Soil

Any average planting soil can make the tree thrive with good healthy foliage; however, prepare a well-drained soil mixture and keep it moist and pest-free to reduce all the risk to none.

Pests and other diseases

Verticillium wilt is commonly seen feeding on the leaves of the tree. If you find your tree infected with such a disease, make sure that you regularly water it to reduce the effect.

Tar spot is another disease that can be identified by the black spot on the tree leaves, but they do not affect the tree’s health in the long term. The disease causes your tree’s leaves to fall unnaturally, and it cannot be cured.

We advise you to remove the leaves before the premature fall if you identify the disease and burn it so that other leaves of your tree remain safe.

Pruning

Pruning is not necessary for these trees, but it can be done to meet the desired shape.

Propagating autumn Fantasy maple

There are a few tips to ensure the proper propagation of your fantasy maple tree.

  • We recommend you plant your tree in the spring or fall season.
  • Place the root ball inside the hole about six inches wider than the size of the root ball.
  • Fill the surrounding with soil.
  • Plant the root ball in a way that the root flair remains exposed.
  • Water the plant every day to once every couple of days, depending upon the soil condition.

Conclusion

We have provided you with a complete guide on how you can easily handle and care for your beautiful tree. Make sure that you follow all the tips provided to ensure that your tree shows its true power of uplifting the beauty of the whole garden.

We recommend allowing the tree to grow naturally without treating it with any boosting fertilizers or chemicals as they already have a fast-growing habit.