Magnolia

barchetta · 18th March 2008, 03:05 PM

Can someone tell me what I have here and if I can trim it now in March?

blair duncanson · 19th March 2008, 02:22 AM

Aye, Any chance of more photos including, bark and buds?

blair duncanson · 19th March 2008, 02:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blair duncanson

Aye, Any chance of more photos including, bark and buds?

Maybe the underside of the leaves also?

TreeSpecialist · 19th March 2008, 04:19 AM

[i]Magnolia grandiflora[/I

This tree needs more light that it appears to be getting.
Pruning in the form or light crown reduction to bring the tree into more of a conical shape would be good. Limit tip reduction to 24 to 30 inches.

The magnolia is a tree that does best with its lowest branches left intact. As a mature tree, the magnolia will shed a garbage can full of leaves each and every week (even more in the spring months.) If its lowest branches touch the ground, all of those leaves will be left beneath the tree serving as the perfect mulch.

With the dense shade a healthy magnolia produces combined with a very thick and aggressive root mat, growing turf or ground cover beneath the magnolia is very difficult. This another good reason to leave all of the leaves beneath the tree.

The only draw back to pruning the tree at this time (pruning to remove more than deadwood) will be a reduction in blooms. If blooms are important to your client, wait until late May, early June when the tree has finished blooming to do any tip reduction.

Be sure to check for girdling roots as they are often a problem with magnolias.

Ekka · 19th March 2008, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TreeSpecialist

[i]Magnolia grandiflora[/I

Limit tip reduction to 24 to 30 inches.

Pat, can you expand on this, I haven't worked on these trees before so I'm not sure what you mean.

Like what are you cutting back to? How big a dia cuts are you making etc?

barchetta · 19th March 2008, 05:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TreeSpecialist

[i]Magnolia grandiflora[/I

This tree needs more light that it appears to be getting.
Pruning in the form or light crown reduction to bring the tree into more of a conical shape would be good. Limit tip reduction to 24 to 30 inches.

The magnolia is a tree that does best with its lowest branches left intact. As a mature tree, the magnolia will shed a garbage can full of leaves each and every week (even more in the spring months.) If its lowest branches touch the ground, all of those leaves will be left beneath the tree serving as the perfect mulch.

With the dense shade a healthy magnolia produces combined with a very thick and aggressive root mat, growing turf or ground cover beneath the magnolia is very difficult. This another good reason to leave all of the leaves beneath the tree.

The only draw back to pruning the tree at this time (pruning to remove more than deadwood) will be a reduction in blooms. If blooms are important to your client, wait until late May, early June when the tree has finished blooming to do any tip reduction.

Be sure to check for girdling roots as they are often a problem with magnolias.

Thanks! I am the owner. I'll leave the bottom alone then. I have just moved here and have dogs.. My whole back yard is full of trees and grass does not grow... So I have laid down pine needles so my dogs dont track mud into the house.. I hope this was ok to do.

Im not sure what you mean by pruning this tree... maybe you can expand.. I dont mind the leaves in the ground at all.. in fact they will be helpfull to keep my dogs out of the dirt.

It is getting some shade due to tree ajacent to it. Not much I can do about that as I dont want to cut down the trees.. I like the shade.

Can I expect any nasty insects on this tree? When will it bloom?

TreeSpecialist · 19th March 2008, 06:58 AM

Tip reduction or subordination pruning means to reduce the length of the branch back to an interior fork or crotch. Do not simply stub the branch off - cut it back so that there are still leaves attached to what is left.

Do not cut it back so far as to leave only small twigs to support a large branch - general rule of thumb is the sprout left behind should be at least 1/3 the diameter of the stem its attached to. Personally, I think it should be at least 1/2 the diameter of the parent stem.

The tree should start blooming in May - blooming may last as long as 4 to 6 weeks. Lack of blooms will be attributable to low light.

This a swamp tree and likes a lot of water. It appears to have been receiving a fair amount of water as the leaves are nice and large. A drought stressed magnolia will have smaller leaves.

Thrips - tiny bugs seen on the flowers - will cause the creamy white petals to brown prematurely.

Magnolia scale can often be found on both the top and the underside of the leaves.

A horticultural oil spray mixed with a little Neem® oil and insecticidal soap will usually take care of both problems without harming you, your dogs, or the environment.

blair duncanson · 19th March 2008, 07:37 AM

Think grandiflora is evergreen or semi- decid. Also has very fragrant flowers.

barchetta · 19th March 2008, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TreeSpecialist

Tip reduction or subordination pruning means to reduce the length of the branch back to an interior fork or crotch. Do not simply stub the branch off - cut it back so that there are still leaves attached to what is left.

Do not cut it back so far as to leave only small twigs to support a large branch - general rule of thumb is the sprout left behind should be at least 1/3 the diameter of the stem its attached to. Personally, I think it should be at least 1/2 the diameter of the parent stem.

The tree should start blooming in May - blooming may last as long as 4 to 6 weeks. Lack of blooms will be attributable to low light.

This a swamp tree and likes a lot of water. It appears to have been receiving a fair amount of water as the leaves are nice and large. A drought stressed magnolia will have smaller leaves.

Thrips - tiny bugs seen on the flowers - will cause the creamy white petals to brown prematurely.

Magnolia scale can often be found on both the top and the underside of the leaves.

A horticultural oil spray mixed with a little Neem® oil and insecticidal soap will usually take care of both problems without harming you, your dogs, or the environment.

Great advice! Wondering: I have some "bushes" in the front of my house that the previous owner let grow too big. All the leaves are on the top portion of the bushes and not too much towards the center.. some are 4 feet tall.. they really should be 2' tall to look nice in proportion to the house.

If I apply your pruning instruction to these bushes I will not get the desired size. Can I cut them back anyway and simply wait for them to grow or will I end up damaging the bushes.. I can send pics if it makes a difference what type. Oh hell.. lemme grab my camera and take a few pics.. one sec

Okay I added a few..

BTW all of these plants were hit with a bad drought here in Charlotte last summer.. this spring seems to be wet enough however.. should I treat them any different coming off of this drought?

TreeSpecialist · 19th March 2008, 10:39 AM

Your "bushes" appear to be hollies - unsure of the cultivar.

If you prune them in a slightly trapezoidal shape (wider at the bottom than the top), they should do fine. Best maintenance practices suggest taking no more than 1/3 of the plant off at any one pruning - so reduce the height by about one third and taper the top. Side dress or mulch using a finished compost instead of "bark mulch" (pine straw will work too if you have plenty.)

By leaving the plant wider at the bottom than the top, light makes it to the lowest limbs and keeps the plant full all the way to the ground.

Cutting them right now will loose this year's blossoms, but hollies are not real showy anyway.

Excessive wet years can lead to more fungal disease problems of both the root systems and fungal leaf diseases. The magnolia and the holly should be relatively "disease free" for you.

Insects are present on all plants. It's not until the insects' damage reaches a critical threshold that you need to think about treating them. Most insects have natural predators whose populations will build up 10 to 14 days later and keep them in check. By spraying less, and letting Nature take its course, we're all better off.

barchetta · 19th March 2008, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TreeSpecialist

Your "bushes" appear to be hollies - unsure of the cultivar.

If you prune them in a slightly trapezoidal shape (wider at the bottom than the top), they should do fine. Best maintenance practices suggest taking no more than 1/3 of the plant off at any one pruning - so reduce the height by about one third and taper the top. Side dress or mulch using a finished compost instead of "bark mulch" (pine straw will work too if you have plenty.)

By leaving the plant wider at the bottom than the top, light makes it to the lowest limbs and keeps the plant full all the way to the ground.

Cutting them right now will loose this year's blossoms, but hollies are not real showy anyway.

Excessive wet years can lead to more fungal disease problems of both the root systems and fungal leaf diseases. The magnolia and the holly should be relatively "disease free" for you.

Insects are present on all plants. It's not until the insects' damage reaches a critical threshold that you need to think about treating them. Most insects have natural predators whose populations will build up 10 to 14 days later and keep them in check. By spraying less, and letting Nature take its course, we're all better off.

Thanks very much for the advice! Im very lucky to have found this forum.. not I can go about taking care of these plants with some education instead of a butcher knife aproach.. although I suspect a nice charp butch knife would work fine..

thanks!

19th March 2008, 02:22 AM	#2 (permalink)
blair duncanson Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: argyll Posts: 86	Re: Magnolia Aye, Any chance of more photos including, bark and buds?

19th March 2008, 04:19 AM	#4 (permalink)
TreeSpecialist Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 121	Re: Magnolia [i]Magnolia grandiflora[/I This tree needs more light that it appears to be getting. Pruning in the form or light crown reduction to bring the tree into more of a conical shape would be good. Limit tip reduction to 24 to 30 inches. The magnolia is a tree that does best with its lowest branches left intact. As a mature tree, the magnolia will shed a garbage can full of leaves each and every week (even more in the spring months.) If its lowest branches touch the ground, all of those leaves will be left beneath the tree serving as the perfect mulch. With the dense shade a healthy magnolia produces combined with a very thick and aggressive root mat, growing turf or ground cover beneath the magnolia is very difficult. This another good reason to leave all of the leaves beneath the tree. The only draw back to pruning the tree at this time (pruning to remove more than deadwood) will be a reduction in blooms. If blooms are important to your client, wait until late May, early June when the tree has finished blooming to do any tip reduction. Be sure to check for girdling roots as they are often a problem with magnolias.

19th March 2008, 06:58 AM	#7 (permalink)
TreeSpecialist Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 121	Re: Magnolia Tip reduction or subordination pruning means to reduce the length of the branch back to an interior fork or crotch. Do not simply stub the branch off - cut it back so that there are still leaves attached to what is left. Do not cut it back so far as to leave only small twigs to support a large branch - general rule of thumb is the sprout left behind should be at least 1/3 the diameter of the stem its attached to. Personally, I think it should be at least 1/2 the diameter of the parent stem. The tree should start blooming in May - blooming may last as long as 4 to 6 weeks. Lack of blooms will be attributable to low light. This a swamp tree and likes a lot of water. It appears to have been receiving a fair amount of water as the leaves are nice and large. A drought stressed magnolia will have smaller leaves. Thrips - tiny bugs seen on the flowers - will cause the creamy white petals to brown prematurely. Magnolia scale can often be found on both the top and the underside of the leaves. A horticultural oil spray mixed with a little Neem® oil and insecticidal soap will usually take care of both problems without harming you, your dogs, or the environment.

19th March 2008, 07:37 AM	#8 (permalink)
blair duncanson Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: argyll Posts: 86	Re: Magnolia Think grandiflora is evergreen or semi- decid. Also has very fragrant flowers.

19th March 2008, 10:39 AM	#10 (permalink)
TreeSpecialist Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 121	Re: Magnolia Your "bushes" appear to be hollies - unsure of the cultivar. If you prune them in a slightly trapezoidal shape (wider at the bottom than the top), they should do fine. Best maintenance practices suggest taking no more than 1/3 of the plant off at any one pruning - so reduce the height by about one third and taper the top. Side dress or mulch using a finished compost instead of "bark mulch" (pine straw will work too if you have plenty.) By leaving the plant wider at the bottom than the top, light makes it to the lowest limbs and keeps the plant full all the way to the ground. Cutting them right now will loose this year's blossoms, but hollies are not real showy anyway. Excessive wet years can lead to more fungal disease problems of both the root systems and fungal leaf diseases. The magnolia and the holly should be relatively "disease free" for you. Insects are present on all plants. It's not until the insects' damage reaches a critical threshold that you need to think about treating them. Most insects have natural predators whose populations will build up 10 to 14 days later and keep them in check. By spraying less, and letting Nature take its course, we're all better off.

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