Watering magnolia

• Magnolia Origin
• Magnolia care and location
• Pruning magnolia
• Watering magnolia
• Fertilizing magnolia

Magnolia Origin

Magnolias (Magnolia) are a genus of plants and belong to the magnoliaceae family. There are over 200 species, all of which originate from North and Central America or East Asia. They reach a height of between 2 and 20 m and an age of 100 years. It is assumed that their species has existed for 100 million years and that they are the ancestors of all flowering plants.
To this day, pollination is carried out by pollen-eating beetles. Magnolias probably also existed in Central Europe until they were displaced by the Ice Age.

The French botanist Plumier rediscovered it in Martinique in the 18th century and named it after his botanical colleague Pierre Magnol. Buddhist monks have been cultivating it for temple gardens since the 7th century and in North Korea it is the national flower because, like the people, it radiates wisdom, modesty and nobility.

In traditional Chinese medicine, magnolia is used medicinally, for example as a calming tonic.

The flowers of the magnolia appear before budding in March to April in the colors white, pink or red with an intense scent. However, there are also later flowering varieties such as the summer magnolia, which begins to bloom in June. The flowers consist of a cone-shaped pistil with spirally arranged petals and their number varies depending on the variety.
Most varieties have very large, strong green leaves that are arranged alternately and are obovate to broadly oval. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow and are shed.
The fruits of the magnolia represent a very early stage of evolution. The so-called follicles look like pine cones and open when ripe to reveal the seeds. Consumption is not recommended because the fruits are considered poisonous to humans.

Magnolia care and location

Magnolias like a sunny to partially shaded location with moist, humus- and nutrient-rich and slightly acidic or neutral soil. The best time to plant them is in spring.

Pruning magnolia

Regular pruning is not necessary. They are rarely pruned and it is best to let magnolias grow undisturbed. Only in exceptional cases, when branches grow out of shape or are in the way underneath, are they removed.

Watering magnolia

Due to climate change, it is getting hotter in our regions and longer dry periods are the result. This has an impact on the environment and especially on the trees. The increasing dryness and rising temperatures lead to stress in trees. Depending on the location and the climate situation, more frequent watering may be necessary than in previous years.
Newly planted trees still need to establish roots and need a lot of water, but even with fully grown trees, care should be taken to ensure that the soil remains evenly moist. Signs of drought stress are limp, hanging leaves, weak young branches, and discolored or drying leaves. Now is the time to water the tree.
The water requirement of a magnolia depends on several factors such as the length of the dry period and the condition of the tree. As a general rule, young trees require 75 to 100 liters and older trees 150 to 200 liters per watering.
Magnolias are shallow-rooted and have many small roots close to the surface. When watering them conventionally with a hose, a lot of water reaches the ground all at once and there is a risk that the moisture will evaporate or run off before it can reach the roots.
With tree bath water bags watering is more efficient and water is saved. Drip irrigation continuously releases water into the soil, allowing the shallow roots to absorb the water better. Attaching and filling the water bags is simple and straightforward. The bag is placed around the tree trunk like a jacket and closed with a zip. In the next step, fill the bag with enough water so that after further alignment no wrinkles are visible in the lower area and then let it fill up. By filling a watering bag, young trees are provided with sufficient water.
In order to water larger trees sufficiently during very dry periods, it is possible to connect two or more watering bags together. A mulch layer of bark compost in the root area is helpful in keeping the moisture in the soil.

Fertilizing magnolia

To fertilization Mature compost, as well as aged horse manure and horn shavings, are suitable for magnolias. These are applied to the root area in spring and lightly worked in. Magnolias rarely develop bacterial leaf spots. Otherwise, they are largely resistant to plant diseases and pests.