- location
- floor
- plant
- maintenance
- pour
- Fertilize
- To cut
- hibernate
- multiply
- Caution: poisonous!
Diseases
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With the large blossoms that emit an intoxicating scent, the magnolia tree has been one of the fragrant companions in the garden for centuries. While in China the magnolia was withheld from the authorities for a long time, the magnolia bush can now be found in many parks and as an important part of the perfume and fragrance industry, as the essential oil of the Magnoliaceae relaxes and calms. Proper care of the tree is easier to implement than you think.
location
With around 100 species, including hybrids, the magnolia, also known as the tulip tree, can be found in the Central European latitudes. Their original home is in the USA, Central America and East Asia. A special feature of the order is the fact that the magnolia family is the most original family of flowering plants and has been on earth for around 100 million years. They are, so to speak, the ancestor from which all flowering plants arose. Despite this exciting story, a magnolia tree needs a suitable location:
- Light requirements: sunny to semi-shady
- sheltered from the wind
- Sufficient space, since growth heights of up to 10 m and growth widths of up to 5 m can be achieved
- Distance to other plants, walls and fences: 6 - 8 m²
- warm
The magnolia is sensitive to gusts of wind, especially in winter, and should be in a sheltered spot. The light requirement differs from species to species. The popular tulip magnolia (botanical: Magnolia soulangiana) needs a lot of sun and a warm place in order to be able to unfold its full bloom.
Tip: Magnolias love solitaire positions. If the plant can stand on its own and have the entire space to itself, it will thrive and you can enjoy a variety of buds.
floor
The magnolia tree requires soil in which the shallow-rooted plant can really settle without drowning. The following properties are important here:
- humorous
- wet
- slightly sour
- water permeable
- lime free
- loamy
- mixed with peat
- add humus if the soil is not humus
- Rhododendron earth can be mixed in
The magnolia bush is a fairly primitive plant that requires a lot of nutrients and thus grows well. The magnolia bush does not tolerate lime at all and should therefore be given a specially prepared location.
plant
When planting the magnolia tree, you should pay attention to how much space the plant has available. Even a young magnolia bush can grow extensively within a few years and therefore tall plants should never be in close proximity to the Magnoliaceae. After you have decided on a specimen, you should plant it with the following steps:
- Measure the root ball of the magnolia after removing it from the pot for transport. The planting hole should be twice the size of the root ball. The hole must also be twice as deep.
- Dig up the soil thoroughly and enrich it with humus if necessary. Also mix the soil with water so that there is enough moisture for the plant.
- Now place the magnolia tree in the hole and make sure the plant is well seated.
- Fill the hole with the mixture of soil, humus and water.
- Then water extensively for the first time so that the magnolia bush can sprout roots and make itself at home.
- Avoid any form of soil work in the immediate vicinity after you have planted the magnolia. The tree or shrub now needs a lot of rest.
- Also cover the root area with bark humus so that even more moisture and nutrients can be drawn into the roots.
The magnolia tree is planted at two times of the year:
- Spring to April
- late September, just before hibernation
So you know exactly when the tree should be planted. If the plant was planted in autumn, extensive winter protection must be provided, especially for young specimens, as they are only moderately hardy.
maintenance
Proper care of the plant is not that difficult, but it does require plenty of watering, otherwise it will languish. Due to their root system, which expands in terms of area within a short time, care must be taken to ensure correct treatment when watering and winter protection.
pour
Watering is an essential tool to help magnolia growth and keep it healthy. Since the massive root system requires a lot of moisture, just as much moisture must be provided. Even with a small magnolia bush, this can only be done with daily watering over the summer, so you should use a liquid reservoir that releases moisture to the magnolia bush. This can be:
- leaves
- mulm
- compost
The organic layer stores irrigation water and, depending on the heat, releases it to the magnolia plant, thus providing it with a constant supply of water. This makes such a layer important, especially in warmer regions in Germany, as sudden heat waves do not affect the magnolia tree badly. For general watering, be careful not to use chalky water. Rainwater is recommended here, as well as filtered or stagnant water. You should only water moderately over the winter, as the magnolia also needs water here. You should use a fleece here over the winter, as this also stores water. Never water over the leaves!
Fertilize
Fertilizer is not needed for the magnolia tree as the plant draws all of its nutrients from the compost, topsoil and soil. She gets along well with herself, but sometimes it can happen that something needs to be helped. If your specimen seems limp even though the soil is moist enough, you should give a simple, mineral garden fertilizer regularly. Nevertheless, regular fertilization with fresh compost or grass clippings is completely sufficient for the ornamental plant.
To cut
The pruning of the magnolia bush is done in late spring or summer after the flowering period, this differs from species to species. Due to the slow growth, however, pruning is only necessary every three to five years, as too frequent pruning would only damage the magnolia tree. After the flowering period, carry out the cut as follows:
- first remove old, dead and frost-damaged shoots
- Use clean pruning shears or pruning shears for this, no saws
- always cut right at the base of the shoot to avoid awkward ones
directions of growth
- thin out the crown of the tree only slightly
- to do this, only cut back to a few buds
- then treat all cuts with a tree resin that has been enriched with fungicides
- then provide the tree with fresh compost and water
hibernate
When overwintering the magnolia, you have to make sure that it is difficult to do without winter protection and that you have to prepare for the winter at the end of September or beginning of October. The older the plant is, the better the magnolia bush withstands cool temperatures of below -10°C. Young plants can hardly stand the cold and must therefore be wrapped up warm. To do this, proceed as follows:
- cover young plants in garden fleece
- make sure the entire plant is wrapped
- adult specimens do not need to be wrapped with fleece
- for this, prepare the roots and the lower part of the trunk of young and adult plants
- To do this, pile up either earth or mulm and pound it down
- then a layer of brushwood on top
The soil acts as a heat and moisture reservoir for the magnolia tree and you don't have to worry about it freezing to death. In harsh weather conditions, it is sometimes advisable to put a film over the crown and wrap the trunk with fleece. This protects them from possible damage from frost or hail. If you have an early blooming magnolia, be sure to do so in spring when a sudden frost is imminent. So be sure to follow the regional weather forecast.
Tip: You can cut off one of the magnolia shoots before the onset of winter and put it in the vase. Even the shoots of the tree smell and provide a pleasant green accent in the apartment.
multiply
You can easily propagate your magnolia tree and put several specimens in the garden if you have enough space. In the latitudes here, propagation via seeds and cuttings in pots has not proven to be particularly successful, and it is therefore recommended to propagate via sinkers. Since magnolias have a hard time rooting, lowering works great as the roots will form over the existing mother plant. The lowering in detail:
1. Select a long, young branch that is flexible and easy to bend down to the ground. If it doesn't stay on the ground by itself, tie it to the ground with a string.
2. Now loosen the soil around the tree and the planter and distribute fresh compost.
3. Where the branch touches the ground, the leaves are removed. This is where the roots will later sprout, creating a new magnolia tree.
4. Cover the shoot with enough soil until only a minimum of 15 centimeters can be seen.
5. Now you have to wait several months for the roots for the new magnolia tree to form. During this time the tree takes care of the necessary nutrients that will be given to the shoot.
6. Regularly but carefully check the sinker for roots. As soon as the first roots have formed, you can remove the sinker from the tree with sharp, clean scissors and then plant it in the garden.
Even if this method can take a long time, it is successful and you will be enriched with an attractive bloom in the following years. You can propagate all year round, recommended in spring.
Caution: poisonous!
The magnolia tree is considered to be slightly toxic because the alkaloid magnoflorin is mainly found in the bark and wood. This is considered non-toxic to humans, even small children, since humans and pets would first have to eat parts of the bark or wood. Since these parts are extremely inedible, the chance of poisoning is extremely small. If the bark was nibbled on anyway, slight symptoms of poisoning such as eczema on the mucous membranes and skin appear, as well as cramps. However, you can touch the magnolia tree without worry.
Diseases
The magnolia is extremely resistant to diseases in its native latitudes and only rarely suffers from leaf spot disease caused by the pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. This manifests itself in leaves with many black spots with yellowish edges, which weaken the plant and facilitate damage from frost. The reason for this is the bacterium that survives in the withered autumn leaves. You should take the following action against them:
- remove all dead foliage
- carefully thin out the entire magnolia tree
- Affected branches and leaves must be removed immediately
- use disinfected scissors and then treat the cuts with a fungicidal tree wax