Magnolia

Magnolia – A Spring Beauty

Since this is springtime here in the US (northeast), I thought of writing a short note on this beautiful flower shrub, Magnolia.  It can grow into a big tree over many years.  The branches are a bit delicate; they can break in strong winds and storms.  It is deciduous, goes through complete denuding of leaves in the fall.  Just the buds remain on the tree.  They are quite hardy, can go though severe winters, which are quite common in the North, so they tolerate even minus temperatures.  I think such severe winters are a blessing in disguise because it can kill most of the pests that show up suddenly in spring and summer.

      The plant is a prized thing in garden stores, farmers markets, and other stores.  When you buy, it is better to buy that has experienced the severe winter (we call it a bit hardened).  Planting either in spring or early summer is a good thing.  This will give enough time for the plant to get adjusted and face the first cold winter.  If needed, in the first winter it is a good idea to wrap burlap (jute fabric) around the delicate stems.  I did not do this when we planted the 3 feet tall plant in ground; but it survived and now it is more than ten feet tall.  There are several varieties of magnolia: Saucer Magnolia, Star Magnolia.  Generally the flowers are white, a bit numerous for the star magnolia, 5-6 big petals for saucer magnolia.  The flowers also come in red (Oh, they are just lovely) and mixture of white and a shade of rose.  Some of the flowers are quite fragrant, sweet smelling.  So, you pick the variety you like.  When you buy from store, if there are no flowers, you have to just go by the tag, description given on the pot.  I did not see this magnolia in South India.  The flowers and leaves resemble those of tree sampenga (Champaka, you see them on the hills of Simhachalam, near Visakhapatnam, trees with yellow flowers, A.P.).  But the fragrance comes close to that of temple tree?  Well, I imagine the magnolia in the garden is my sampenga tree here.

      I do not give any special treatment for the plant, once it is settled in the ground.  When I fertilize the mums and other flower plants, I just put a bucketful of diluted fertilizer a few times in summer.  You can also put slow releasing food sticks (the big ones, look like a chisel) near the plant.  In spring, it blooms profusely, if the flower buds have not been eaten by some birds, or damaged by unseasonable fluctuations in temperature.  The big terminal buds are flower buds and the small ones produce new leaves.  During the transition between winter and spring, the flower buds are a bit fragile.  One can easily snap them by mistake by bumping into them.  The flower buds become a bit strong, once the petals start growing.  Large fluctuations in temperature during spring can lead to damage of the flower buds. In the middle of summer, they give some flowers too.  That is like a second round of flowering, but this second flowering is a bit infrequent.  I do not know, may be I should give flower food, bone meal, etc.  Do the pruning after spring blooming; otherwise you will be cutting valuable flower buds. 

      Pest:  Just like the curry leaf plant, this tree is prone to severe scale infestation.  In southern (US) states, this can be really bad, covering the whole tree.  The big, brown, oval scales will cover all the stems, they extract, sap energy from the tree.  The scales discolor the branches; sometimes it leads to white, sooty stuff.  How to control it? What I write here is from my own experience with this beautiful tree.  First, do not put any mulch at the base of tree, it will help the bugs to hide through winter and come up in spring.  Just leave the base of tree (trunk) and around the tree just empty, clean.  After fall, remove all dead leaves etc., and let it get exposed to cold winter.  I think that kills all the scale insects.  Now, if you still have scales then use horticulture oil (paraffin type).  This is sold in garden stores.  Follow the instructions given on the bottle.  The horticulture oil spray is most effective if it is administered a bit late in summer.  That is, the scales are grown into big brown oval lid like things, stuck on to the stem.  Then, if the spray is used, the scales will drop to ground naturally.  Like with all pests, we have to completely destroy all the scales without any residue.  This may mean more than one application.  Because the spray is oil based, it may clog the pores of leaves, obstructing transpiration.  So it is better to apply the spray, on a cool cloudy day when there is not much wind.  If the scales are only on a few branches, you may just cut the branches and get rid of it.  I think the key is to take care of the tree in the fall and prepare it for winter dormant state.  Then there will not be any scale problem in spring.

      Other than the scales-pest control, this beautiful flowering tree demands very little.  It just gives bundles of fragrant flowers year after year, gives total beauty to the garden. Copyright 2021 by the author