Magnolia Tree Advice Sought
Hi,
Two weeks ago I planted over 50 plants in the south facing border of a Lancaster garden. They all seem to be doing well, except for the 2m Magnolia tree which has a number of leaves turning yellow. The soil appears to drain quite well, and certainly not comprised of clay. I planted the tree in with a peat based fertiliser and a bucket of water. The last time I watered the Magnolia Tree was last Sunday night, so it may be that it is just a bit thirsty. Before I rush out and pour a bucket of water on it's roots, does anyone think there is anything else I should do? I was toying with the idea of watering with a very dilute (50%) solution of Miracle Gro...though I have read that feeding plants too soon after planting is a no no. TIA Martin --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.691 / Virus Database: 452 - Release Date: 26/05/2004 |
Magnolia Tree Advice Sought
On Fri, 28 May 2004 19:03:32 +0100, "Martin"
wrote: Hi, Two weeks ago I planted over 50 plants in the south facing border of a Lancaster garden. They all seem to be doing well, except for the 2m Magnolia tree which has a number of leaves turning yellow. The soil appears to drain quite well, and certainly not comprised of clay. I planted the tree in with a peat based fertiliser and a bucket of water. The last time I watered the Magnolia Tree was last Sunday night, so it may be that it is just a bit thirsty. Before I rush out and pour a bucket of water on it's roots, does anyone think there is anything else I should do? I was toying with the idea of watering with a very dilute (50%) solution of Miracle Gro...though I have read that feeding plants too soon after planting is a no no. TIA Martin Was it container grown or bare root planted? I assume the former. But if the latter, it will require a lot more TLC than if container-grown, especially during the recent hot, dry weather. Bare root plants are touchy things. I've successfully killed two in my time :-( Is your soil acid or alkaline? Most magnolias like an acid to neutral soil. In alkaline soils the leaves go yellow due to chlorosis, but I doubt yours has been planted long enough for that to develop. Have you made sure that it's planted no deeper than it was in its previous position or container? Magnolias are surface rooting, and if planted too deep the roots don't get enough air and the plant suffers. Have you mulched it well with an open-textured mulch such as shredded bark, peat or preferably leaf mould, to keep the roots cool and moist? In Treseder's book on magnolias, he recommends saturating the root balls of container grown plants, and taking care to avoid root disturbance on planting. He recommends overhead irrigation for magnolias planted from May to September. I'm not sure if he means some sort of continuous spray/mist arrangement for the foliage, or just continuous irrigation of the root area from above. Either way, more water rather than less seems appropriate. I recently planted out a bed of camellias from containers, and although they were well watered in and mulched, one started to show signs of distress after about a week (drooping new growth), even though well shaded. This was probably because although the soil itself was moist, there wasn't sufficient contact between it and the root ball to keep the latter damp, and of course the roots hadn't got out into the soil yet. A generous watering recovered the situation. If overhead irrigation isn't available, Treseder recommends removing all weaker growths completely, and shortening all remaining side branches back to a few inches from the stem. I think he must be referring to bare root plants, because it sounds rather drastic, although it is similar to what I do when moving established camellias to reduce transpiration through the leaves and give the roots a chance. It may just be the shock of moving, but if it were mine I would water it two or three times a week for the next few weeks, spray the foliage daily in the evenings and make sure it's well mulched and planted at the correct depth. -- Chris E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net |
Magnolia Tree Advice Sought
Chris Hogg wrote:
On Fri, 28 May 2004 19:03:32 +0100, "Martin" wrote: Hi, Two weeks ago I planted over 50 plants in the south facing border of a Lancaster garden. They all seem to be doing well, except for the 2m Magnolia tree which has a number of leaves turning yellow. The soil appears to drain quite well, and certainly not comprised of clay. I planted the tree in with a peat based fertiliser and a bucket of water. The last time I watered the Magnolia Tree was last Sunday night, so it may be that it is just a bit thirsty. Before I rush out and pour a bucket of water on it's roots, does anyone think there is anything else I should do? I was toying with the idea of watering with a very dilute (50%) solution of Miracle Gro...though I have read that feeding plants too soon after planting is a no no. TIA Martin Was it container grown or bare root planted? I assume the former. But if the latter, it will require a lot more TLC than if container-grown, especially during the recent hot, dry weather. Bare root plants are touchy things. I've successfully killed two in my time :-( Is your soil acid or alkaline? Most magnolias like an acid to neutral soil. In alkaline soils the leaves go yellow due to chlorosis, but I doubt yours has been planted long enough for that to develop. Have you made sure that it's planted no deeper than it was in its previous position or container? Magnolias are surface rooting, and if planted too deep the roots don't get enough air and the plant suffers. Have you mulched it well with an open-textured mulch such as shredded bark, peat or preferably leaf mould, to keep the roots cool and moist? In Treseder's book on magnolias, he recommends saturating the root balls of container grown plants, and taking care to avoid root disturbance on planting. He recommends overhead irrigation for magnolias planted from May to September. I'm not sure if he means some sort of continuous spray/mist arrangement for the foliage, or just continuous irrigation of the root area from above. Either way, more water rather than less seems appropriate. I recently planted out a bed of camellias from containers, and although they were well watered in and mulched, one started to show signs of distress after about a week (drooping new growth), even though well shaded. This was probably because although the soil itself was moist, there wasn't sufficient contact between it and the root ball to keep the latter damp, and of course the roots hadn't got out into the soil yet. A generous watering recovered the situation. If overhead irrigation isn't available, Treseder recommends removing all weaker growths completely, and shortening all remaining side branches back to a few inches from the stem. I think he must be referring to bare root plants, because it sounds rather drastic, although it is similar to what I do when moving established camellias to reduce transpiration through the leaves and give the roots a chance. It may just be the shock of moving, but if it were mine I would water it two or three times a week for the next few weeks, spray the foliage daily in the evenings and make sure it's well mulched and planted at the correct depth. Chris, Thanks for such a full and helpful reply - I was beginning to think no-one would reply. It was a container grown plant. I'm pretty certain I planted it at about the same depth as in the container. When I planted it, I dug a big hole and put loads of peat based fertiliser in with the Magnolia. From what you (and Mr Treseder) say, I think it may just be water that's the problem. I've only been watering once a week, so I'll step that up to two or three times a week, and I'll spray the foliage lightly each evening too. It may just be my imagination, but I could swear it's got a little better already since I gave it a good soaking on Friday evening. Would I be right in thinking that even a dilute feeding with something like Miracle Gro is a no no? Best Regards Martin PS I planted a Camelia at the same time, but it seems to doing very well! --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.692 / Virus Database: 453 - Release Date: 28/05/2004 |
Magnolia Tree Advice Sought
On Sun, 30 May 2004 17:30:24 +0100, "Martin"
wrote: Would I be right in thinking that even a dilute feeding with something like Miracle Gro is a no no? No comment. I don't see why it would be harmful, but I wouldn't have thought it necessary, especially if you've put it into a fertilised compost. -- Chris E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net |
Magnolia Tree Advice Sought
Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 30 May 2004 17:30:24 +0100, "Martin" wrote: Would I be right in thinking that even a dilute feeding with something like Miracle Gro is a no no? No comment. I don't see why it would be harmful, but I wouldn't have thought it necessary, especially if you've put it into a fertilised compost. Thanks Chris - I'll hold off for now. Regards Martin --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.692 / Virus Database: 453 - Release Date: 28/05/2004 |
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