On 26/03/2014 17:11, stuart noble wrote:
On 26/03/2014 16:38, Spider wrote:
On 26/03/2014 14:05, Timothy Murphy wrote:
I bought quite a large (4 feet high) Magnolia from Lidl,
essentially because I planted a Magnolia several years ago
which has never flowered, while this one has flowers on it.

The magnolia is in a large (about 1ft in diameter) plastic pot,
and I'm wondering what is the best way to plant this.
Should I put it in a hole and then cut the pot to remove it,
or should I take it out of the pot and then put it in the hole?
What do experts usually do?





Water it well whilst in the pot before you plant it; give it a really
good soak. Prepare the planting hole while it soaks, making sure you
fork over the base of the hole to create drainage. Then slip the pot off
the plant and place it in the hole, making sure the soil level is the
same as it was in the pot. Backfill the hole with good compost and
water well.

Since you already have a Magnolia and have not remarked on yellowed
leaves, I assume your soil is neutral to acid. If you do see yellowing
leaves (chlorosis), then a acid mulch and/or feed will help.

I prefer to plant the pot itself, water the surrounding soil, remove
pot, and you should have precisely the right size hole




The right hole for the pot, not the right hole for the plant. The
planting hole should be at least twice the size of the pot (preferably
more) to encourage the plant to root out into the good compost-enhanced
soil used to back-fill.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay