Contents:
- How to care for magnolia?
- May spring forming cut
- Sanitary cut in summer
- Rejuvenation of magnolia
How to care for magnolia?
Magnolia is one of the most beautiful flowering shrubs and is quite easy to care for, but very sensitive at the same time. Unlike species such as forsythia or ornamental currant, magnolia does not require compulsory pruning.If, however, immediately after planting, it was regularly formed, in later years it is enough to remove sick and damaged shoots for the plant to look beautiful and bloom profusely.
Spring forming cut in May
Magnolia should be shaped by the age of 3-4. The older it is, the more difficult and longer it is to regenerate. If you want to plant a new magnolia in the garden, you can give it the right shape at the beginning. Young plants often have few shoots, and in addition, they have little branching, so it is worth encouraging them to spread and flower buds. After planting the magnolia, the main shoots can be trimmed off to the level of the lower side shoots to allow for profuse flowering. The cut is made over the bud facing outwards so that the crown is formed correctly. Pruning thin young shoots is not a problem as they still have few buds and pruning wounds heal quickly.
Sanitary cut in summer
First of all, remember that magnolia hibernates with already tied flower buds. The flowers develop very early in spring, even through the leaves. Therefore, in order not to damage the buds, it is best to carry out sanitary pruning of magnolia after flowering, at the latest by the end of August. If we decide to cut too late, the magnolia might have too little time to regenerate, which could end up not flowering the next season.
If we start pruning too early, along with the emerging juices, the plant loses valuable nutrients, the deficiency of which may result in a lack of flowering and infections.
Adult magnolia should be cut very carefully, removing sick, dead shoots directed inwards. This will strengthen the plant and make it resistant to diseases and pests. Shoots should be removed entirely because trimming them anywhere will create new shoots at the end of the branch, unnecessarily thickening the crown.
Rejuvenation of magnolia
As you get older, magnolia grows slower and may bloom less. If it has not been pruned for years, it is worth rejuvenating the bush by radically trimming some old shoots to a height of about 100 cm above the ground. Remember not to trim more than a quarter of the shoots at a time, because the plant will not bloom. Just like sanitary pruning, rejuvenation is performed after flowering.
See also:
Japanese Magnolia Isis - characteristics and care
Star magnolia - characteristics and care
