How to Grow and Care for Tricolor Beech

Tricolor Beech Care

Here are the key care requirements for tricolor beech trees:

• Find an area with plenty of space to grow.
• Plant in a partial sun or shady location; this tree does not like full sun.
• Use moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil.
• Water regularly for two years after planting.
• Fertilize in the spring.
• Only plant in areas with cooler climates.
• Take extra care when transplanting in the fall; often experience transplant stress.

Light

Most beech trees grow in forests and require partial to total shade, especially in warmer climates. The leaves are prone to scorching or stunted growth if not sheltered from the hot sun or dry winds. Tricolor beech is best suited as an understory tree in shady conditions.

Soil

Tricolor beech prefers well-drained, moist, and slightly acidic soil with a pH between 5.0 and 6.5, though it tolerates neutral soil. It does not do well in waterlogged soils. Although less fussy than other beeches, tricolor often reacts poorly to urban conditions or salty soils.

Water

Water regularly for the first two years until the tree establishes its root system. Remember that tricolor beech is intolerant of salt in its soil or water. Do not plant it near sidewalks, streets, or driveways where de-icing salts are used. This tree reacts poorly to wide fluctuations in soil moisture, so water it during dry spells.

It’s best to mulch around the tree’s base to keep it moist, but do not mulch directly up to the base. Use the space around the base of the tree free from mulch to plant ground covers or other plantings since the prominent surface roots make it hard to mow surrounding grass.

Temperature and Humidity

Beech trees can tolerate cold climates during the winter but are sensitive to spring frost. Tricolor beech prefers cooler climates with an average high temperature that doesn’t exceed 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fertilizer

Feed your tricolor beech once a year before the appearance of new growth in spring, typically around March. Spread a general granular fertilizer (such as Tree-Tone) over the area under the canopy, then water it well.

Types of European Beech

The pros and cons of tricolor beech are that they are low-maintenance trees that provide good shade but are intolerant of wet or poorly draining soil. They also do not like full sun and are prone to leaf scorch in full sun, especially when young. These trees do not like to be transplanted but are not problematic trees; they are long-lived trees with good resistance to pests and diseases.

Here are several other popular varieties of European beech to consider:

• Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’: One of the oldest and most popular is the copper or purple beech, which has purple leaves that turn a dark shade of green in late spring and early summer.
• Fagus sylvatica ‘Tortuosa‘: This dwarf beech tree is easily recognizable by its twisting trunk and gnarled branches.
• Fagus sylvatica ‘Pendula‘: A weeping beech that looks similar to a weeping willow.
• Fagus sylvatica ‘Zlatia’: This golden beech has leaves that turn gold in late spring.

Pruning

Routine pruning includes removing any suckers that sprout up and removing broken or dead branches as they appear. Where branches rub together, remove one of them to prevent bark injury, where fungal diseases can take root. It’s best to prune during the late winter dormant season.

Tricolor beech can be planted close and pruned to become a hedge, as it tolerates pruning well. However, do not prune until it has become established, which can take at least a few years.

Propagating Tricolor Beech

It’s best to plant tricolor beech as a sapling or young tree purchased from a nursery. Propagation from cuttings can be tricky and has a hit-or-miss success rate, so it is not recommended. Because tricolor beech is a cultivar, growing the tree from seed will not produce a tree true to type.

Overwintering

European beech trees are hardy and can withstand winter temperatures down to USDA zone 4 (-30 degrees Fahrenheit).

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Beech scale is a common insect problem. Systemic pesticides or insecticidal soap sprays are the best treatments for it. Caterpillars may feed on the leaves, but rarely to such a degree that it harms the tree.

The most common disease problem with beech trees is canker disease, a fungal disease that can cause bleeding wounds on the tree. Canker disease is most likely to appear on stressed trees due to extremes in soil moisture. It can be prevented by taking good care of the tree and treated with a propionyl trunk injection.

How to Get Tricolor Beech to Bloom

Bloom Months

Tricolor beech trees flower through April and May in most regions.

How Long Does Tricolor Beech Bloom?

Tricolor beech blooms for about two months during the spring growing season.

What Do Tricolor Beech Flowers Look and Smell Like?

This tree is prized for its colorful foliage rather than its flowers. During the spring flowering season, non-showy, yellowish-green male and female flowers appear on the same tree. The flowers do not have a fragrance.

How to Encourage More Blooms

To encourage a healthy flowering season, fertilize the ground surrounding the tree canopy before flower buds appear in March. Deadheading blooms can also promote extra growth, but tricolor beech trees are slow growers.

Caring for Tricolor Beech After It Blooms

Because pruning is best done in late winter, tricolor beech trees do not require much extra care after blooming. For healthy growth, continue with the plant’s regular watering schedule.

Common Problems With Tricolor Beech

Beech leaf disease is a relatively new but mysterious problem for tricolor beech trees in some states and Canada. The leaves begin to take on a dark stain, then wither and die, but the cause remains unknown.

Tricolor beech trees can be affected by powdery mildew, which rarely affects the health of the tree, and it can be treated with fungicides.