Magnoliais a tree or shrub found in the wild in North and South America and East Asia. Magnolias are cultivated as ornamental plants for their beautiful flowers, most often in various shades of pink.Growing magnolia in Polandis limited due to the harsh climate. As it turns out, the opinion about the delicacy and high sensitivity of these plants to frost is somewhat exaggerated. By following the basic rules for growing these plants, we can successfully plant magnolias in our gardens. See whatgrowing magnolia looks like , what is the secret of the abundant flowering of magnolia, whichvarieties of magnoliato choose for the garden and what diseases threaten these plants.
Magnolias bloom most often in shades of pink and purple
Magnolia - varieties for growing in the garden
Among the varieties of magnoliathere are tree magnolias, 5 to several meters high (e.g. M. loebneri, M. sprengeri, M. tripelata), suitable for planting in parks and very large gardens. Tall magnolias look best when planted individually, in well-exposed positions. For most gardens and allotments,slightly shorter magnolia varieties , ranging in height from 2.5 to 5 m (among others the most popular Magnolia soulangeana, as well as some varieties of M. loebneri) will be more suitable.
For small home gardens, choosedwarf magnolia varieties , reaching no more than 2.5 m in height. Here you can choose from varieties of star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) and purple magnolia (Magnolia liliflora).Thanks to the crossing of these two species of magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora x Magnolia stellata), 8 compact, short, frost-resistant, early-flowering red-flowered varieties were created. The most famous of this group is the magnolia 'Susan'. Low varieties look great when planted in a group.
Thevarieties of magnoliaalso differ in flower color and flowering time. Most often, magnolia flowers can take various shades of pink, there are also varieties with white, cream and even yellow flowers.
Most magnolias bloom from April to MayHowever, we can find varieties such as such as Magnolia stellata, which bloom from March, as well as late flowering varieties, ie blooming in May and June (eg Magnolia sieboldii or Magnolia liliflora 'Nigra'). It also happens that magnolias bloom again at the end of summer.
Magnolia blooming in the garden
Fig. pixabay.com
Magnolia - cultivation and requirements
For growing magnoliathe most suitable place is a quiet place, sheltered from frosty winds and well insolated. Possibly slightly shaded. In shaded places, these plants bloom very poorly.
Soil suitable for magnoliasshould be permeable, humus and slightly acidic. After planting, the soil around the plants is mulched with pine bark or garden peat, which will protect the plant's roots from freezing and help maintain the proper soil moisture.
When planting magnolia in the gardenremember that the roots these plants are very fragile and susceptible to damage, and the root system is shallow. Therefore, later it will not be possible to transplant the already growing plant to another place.
Magnolia stellata has been blooming since March
Magnolia - fertilization
Magnolia fertilization It is recommended to supply the plants with multi-component fertilizer several times in the period from March to the beginning of July. To provide magnolia with all the necessary macro- and microelements, it is worth choosing a specialized magnolia fertilizer with micronutrients. If we want to save ourselves some work, we can apply a slow-release fertilizer once, at the turn of March and April, eg Substral Osmocote. Avoid fertilizers containing high doses of nitrogen, however, because nitrogen over-fertilization makes magnolia susceptible to fungal diseases and susceptible to freezing.
Mycorrhiza to magnolia
When planting magnolias , it is worth noting that maintaining a properly acidic soil may be somewhat difficult. Therefore, it is worth taking advantage of the phenomenon of mycorrhiza. What is this? Mycorrhiza is a mutually beneficial coexistence of plants and specific symbiotic fungi that make direct contact with plant roots.You can introduce mycorrhiza through the use of special mycorrhizal vaccines for heather plants.
Exactly in the case of acidophilic plants, which ismagnolia , these vaccines bring amazing results. They are enough to prepare a suitable substrate for heathers, rhododendrons, blueberries and magnolias. The soil can be acidified by the traditional method by simply mixing it with acid peat, but the acidification obtained in this way will be short-lived. Meanwhile, thanks to the use of mycorrhiza vaccine, the effects will last for many years, and your bushes will be beautiful even with unfavorable soil pH.
Magnolia - watering
Watering magnoliaFrom May to the end of July, when it is the warmest and most droughts, the plants need to be watered regularly. This is particularly required by young specimens that we have planted in the last two years. Since magnolia requires slightly acidic soils and does not like excess calcium in the ground, it is advisable to water the magnolia with rainwater.If we have to use tap water, at least let it sit for 1 day.
Magnolia - winter covering
We absolutely need toprotect young magnolias from frost and wind in the winter. Cover the whole plant with straw, jute sack or wrap it with agrotextile, and around the lower part of the trunk we build a mound of sawdust or pine bark, approximately 30 cm long. In older plants, it is enough to make a mound for the winter, covering the whole plant is not necessary, unless, of course,magnolia has been plantedin a position sheltered from winds.
What does magnolia dislike?
Becauseproblems in growing magnoliamost often result from mistakes in plant care, it is worth highlightingwhat magnolia does not like :
- Magnolia doesn't like pruningMagnolia should not be pruned at the times most recommended for other plants, i.e. in spring, autumn and winter.Any magnolia cutting is best done in summer, in dry weather. We cut out broken, frozen and disease-damaged twigs on an ongoing basis. In the case of freezing with magnolia cutting, however, we wait until the risk of frosts is over, and therefore until the second half of May. Otherwise, the magnolia trimmed in April, for example, will produce delicate fresh growths, which may still be cold at the beginning of May. We should also remember not to shorten many magnolia shoots at one time. Better to cut one branch completely.
- Magnolia doesn't like freezing winds . In windy locations, magnolia is prone to freezing and physiological drought. Therefore, provide it with a sheltered, sheltered position or cover the entire plant for the winter.
- Magnolia doesn't like shadow positions . In full shade, we cannot count on the abundant flowering of magnolia.
- Magnolia doesn't like transplantingas its roots are fragile and fragile.Therefore, when planting a magnolia, let's choose the best possible position for it, where it will always grow. Consider not only the appropriate climatic and soil conditions, but also the amount of space that may be required as the plant grows. Let's also be careful not to damage the delicate magnolia roots while caring for the plants planted next to it.
- Magnolia does not like excess calcium in the soilMagnolia requires slightly acidic soils with a pH of 5.0-6.0. Therefore, under no circumstances should we use calcium fertilizers under magnolias. A properly acidic soil should be prepared before planting the magnolia, as subsequent acidification may not be of benefit to the plant. The point is that most acidifying fertilizers are nitrogen fertilizers (e.g. ammonium sulphate), and excess nitrogen is also not beneficial for magnolia.
Yellow-blooming magnolia variety
Fig. pixabay.com
Magnolia - diseases and pests
Following the rules described abovegrowing magnolia , should basically guarantee the trouble-free growth of these plants. First of all, remember to protect young, newly plantedmagnoliasfrom frost, water properly and keep the soil slightly acidic (pH 5 - 6).
Whenmagnolia has yellow discolored leavesand the roots of the plant die, this indicates too much calcium in the soil. Then it is necessary to acidify it, e.g. with acid peat. You should not overdo nitrogen fertilization, because too much of this component increases the susceptibility of magnolia to freezing. Therefore, we only apply nitrogen-containing fertilizers in the spring, finishing fertilization in July. Fall fertilizers rich in phosphorus and potassium can be used from August to September, which will help the magnolia to form flower buds and prepare for winter.
Despite proper care of magnolia, plants can be attacked bymagnolia pests
Most often, magnolias are attackedby spider mites, which can feed under the cover of spider webs from May to the end of August. As a result of feeding of spider mites, mosaic-like discoloration appears on the upper side of the leaves, with time the magnolia loses its leaves. The leaves dry up first and then fall off. In this case, be sure to remove fallen leaves. Plants should be sprayed at the end of May or the beginning of June with pesticides. Karate Zeon 050 CS protection is recommended, but you can also reach for preparations based on natural ingredients, such as: Emulpar 940 EC and Limocide.
Apart from spider mites,magnolias may also featureaphids. We can then see clusters of wingless dark green pests on the tops of the shoots and on the underside of the leaves. Affected plants grow less, have distorted leaves and are covered with sticky honey dew. It is good to remove the shoots with the most clusters of aphids.It is also necessary to spray with aphicidal preparations. Here we can also use the above-mentioned preparations Karate Zeon 050 CS, Emulpar 940 EC and Limocide.
The bottom part of the magnolia stem can be gnawedby mice and voles. The damage is only visible when the topsoil is uncovered. The resulting wounds should be painted with emulsion paint with the addition of Topsin M 500 SC. In turn, damage to the delicate roots of magnolia can be caused by moles, corrosive to the soil around plants, which clearly weakens the growth of shrubs.
Much less often shrubs can be attacked bymagnolia diseases with bacterial or fungal originThis is most often manifested by the formation of stains and discoloration on the leaves, deformation of the leaves, sometimes clusters of fungus spores are also visible .Magnolia diseases can also attack flowers , which can even rot completely in high air humidity.
In order to minimize the likelihood of fungal infections, it is worth not to sprinkle the whole plant while watering. only soil.When the symptoms of the disease are visible, it is necessary to spray with a suitable fungicide, eg Scoprion 325 SC. As a rule, it is necessary to spray several times at 14-day intervals. In order not to overuse chemicals,against magnolia diseases we recommend sprayingwith the selected fungicide alternating with the biopreparation Biosept Active.
