vio wrote:

A friend's cherished magnolia had to be taken down earlier this year.
Now, there are about six stems sprouting from the trunk -- about 2 feet
high. Is there any chance one of these could be coaxed back into a
tree? The original was planted to mark a child's birth, so it would be
pleasing if the tree could be "reborn" in this way.


I don't have experience with Magnolia but I can offer some advice if
your friend wants to try to grow the tree back.
I would leave ALL of the sprouted stems for now. The important thing the
first year or so is to keep the roots alive. If there isn't enough top
growth to supply food to the roots, they may die and the project is over.
At some point, maybe 1 1/2 years from now, if all has gone well so far,
start cutting out the extra stems one or 2 a year. If some sprouts are
up high on the trunk and others are sprouting from ground level, the one
to keep is the lowest one. The original trunk will rot eventually and it
would be best if the new trunk was starting fresh at ground level.
Again, I haven't done this with Magnolias (I'm too far north for any
Magnolia). This would be VERY easy to do with a willow or a Silver Maple
and it would never work for some other trees. The fact that there are
about 6 sprouts tells me that the tree has a good chance.

Steve