Magnolia is a stunningly beautiful evergreen flowering tree that you can enjoy forever. Luxurious flowers of white, pink or purple hue have both a gentle and exotic look. It is rare to meet a person who does not know in which natural area a magnolia tree grows and how it looks. Our article is for those who fell in love with this plant at first sight and want to grow it in their area. We will share with you a photo of the magnolia tree, as well as detailed information on planting and caring for it. So, let's start by exploring this wonderful plant.
Description
The magnolia tree belongs to the genus of flowering plants from the Magnolia family. Deciduous evergreen plant can be represented by both a tree and a shrub, the height of which can be from 2 to 30 meters. It grows in the Crimea and the Caucasus. When the magnolia tree blooms, it is covered with large flowers of incredible beauty. Sometimes their diameter can reach 25 centimeters. The first magnolia trees grew in the era of dinosaurs, which means that their age exceeds 100 million years. During the excavations, archaeologists discovered a petrified flower, whose age exceeded 95 million years.
In Europe, the plant fell in the seventeenth century. The name of the Magnoliev family was given in honor of the director of the French Botanical Garden - Pierre Magnola. To date, two hundred varieties of this plant are known to be sick, most of which grow in subtropical latitudes (for example, a tree of white magnolia).
This tree is very popular in China and Japan, where there is even a beautiful legend about it. Many centuries ago, a Japanese girl named Keiko was engaged in the manufacture of paper flowers, selling which, earned a living. However, their price was negligible. Once the parrot, which she often fed, said that flowers can be revived - to irrigate them with a drop of their own blood. The main thing is that this is not the last drop of blood in the body. The girl successfully used the secret revealed by the parrot, but her boyfriend was too greedy. He made the girl revive the flowers until the last drop of her blood had gone. After Keiko’s death, the last flower she made was called magnolia. Since then, this flower has been considered a symbol of the bounty of the soul.
Seat selection
Before starting to grow a magnolia tree, it is important not only to get acquainted with its species and varieties, but also to prepare a place for its planting. Even though this plant is quite frost-resistant, you should carefully approach the issue of choosing a variety that is suitable for your region. For example, Cobus and Lebner varieties have maximum frost resistance. Well tolerate the winter of Sulange, Ashe and Wilson. In warmer regions, for example, in Sochi, absolutely any magnolia tree survives.
It is also worth noting that magnolia does not tolerate drafts. Therefore, when choosing a place, preference should be given to areas covered by taller trees. However, too close arrangement with fruit crops is undesirable - falling ripe fruits can damage magnolia flowers. Adequate coverage is also important - both deep shadow and prolonged exposure to direct sunlight are unacceptable. But there are exception varieties that tolerate bright sunlight: Cobus, Lebner and star magnolia. And Cobus is also resistant to exhaust gases, so it is often planted along highways.
Optimal landing times
To obtain beautiful flowering, as in the photo of a magnolia tree, it is permissible to plant it both in autumn and spring. However, many gardeners offer to give preference to autumn planting. This is due to the state of rest in which the tree is located with the advent of autumn, which makes it easier to transfer the winter period. And planting magnolia in the spring, in the phase of active growth, the tree will quickly overgrow with young shoots, which before the arrival of winter will not have time to become covered with a layer of bark and simply freeze.
Soil requirements
Magnolia tree seedlings intended for planting must be purchased at trusted locations and specialty stores. They are mainly sold in small containers. This is convenient when transplanting them into the open ground - there is a better adaptation to new conditions due to the preservation of an earthen coma around the roots. Experienced gardeners are advised to purchase magnolia seedlings that have reached a meter height, as well as with several blossoming flowers. Such a purchase guarantees a healthy state of the tree and its ability to bloom.
The soil for planting a magnolia tree should have a light structure and good drainage. The best option is a neutral or slightly acidic soil with a fertile composition. With high alkalinity of the soil, a little peat is added to it. For self-preparation of the soil mixture you will need 1 part of turf land, two parts of peat and 0.5 parts of sand.
Landing pattern
A pit for planting a tulip magnolia tree digs 4-5 times larger than the size of its root system. A drainage layer spills out to the bottom of the pit - at least 15 centimeters. After that, a ten-centimeter layer of sand and a layer of manure 15 cm high are laid, and again the same layer of sand. Only after this, prepared soil is poured into the pit and a seedling is set. The tree is sprinkled so that its root neck is not deepened, that is, no more than 3 centimeters. After planting, the earth is well compacted and spilled with water. The trunk area is covered with coniferous bark to retain moisture.
Since magnolia does not tolerate transplants, plant it immediately in a permanent place. When growing several trees at the same time, keep a distance of about 5 meters between them.
Watering and feeding
Only young magnolia trees, as well as adults, need watering, but only during periods of prolonged heat and drought. For the successful growth and development of a tree, a weekly application of water in the amount of 2-3 buckets is required. In dry summers and with high sand content in the soil, watering is more frequent.
The first feeding of magnolia is carried out not earlier than two years after planting. With the onset of spring, a mixture of kilograms of mullein, 15 grams of urea and 25 grams of nitrate is introduced into the soil. With the advent of autumn, a fertilizer based on nitroammophoska in the amount of 20 grams per 10 liters of water will be more useful. One tree requires at least 40 liters of such a solution. Also, specialized fertilizers for magnolia type "Kemira-Universal" are used.
Soil care
Since the roots of the magnolia tree are superficial, loosening of the soil should be carried out to a depth of about 20 centimeters. In addition, this process should be as accurate as possible, without the use of a shovel or rake. Weeds are preferably removed manually. And three years after the tree is planted in open ground, it is advisable to mulch the near-trunk territory. Coniferous bark, peat, manure and sawdust are suitable as mulch. Such a coating will protect the tree from moisture loss, warm the soil and act as a source of nutrients.
Pruning
A flowering magnolia tree is hard enough to tolerate pruning. Therefore, this procedure is performed only in the first years and in order to improve decorative properties. Do not get involved in the process of crown formation, as this can adversely affect flowering. For an adult tree, only sanitary pruning with the removal of dry, damaged and diseased branches is recommended. Such processing is carried out no more than once a year. It is permissible to thin out a crown that is too thick, but it is important to immediately treat the cut points with garden varieties to avoid loss of nutrients.
Tree preservation in winter
The adult tulip tree Magnolia can withstand frosts up to -30 ° C. Therefore, in winter it does not need additional care. However, young trees (in the first three years of life) are rather weak. To protect them from frost, you should cover the lower part of the trunk or the whole tree with special agrofibre, burlap or fir spruce branches. Every year, the frost resistance of the tree increases, and therefore it is quite enough to mulch the near-trunk territory with sawdust, bark or peat.
Seed propagation
Under natural conditions, a magnolia tree is propagated by seeds carried by birds. You can try to sow a tree from seeds in your own area. Harvested seeds in the fall, after full ripening. Seeds are planted immediately or are deposited until spring. In the second case, they are stored in a bag placed in the refrigerator.
Before planting, they are poured with water for three days and cleaned of the oil shell. This is done by wiping through a sieve. The next stage of preparation is washing the seeds with soap and water and rinsing with clean water. Sowing is carried out to a depth of about three centimeters, after which the box with landings is removed until March. In early spring, it is put on a well-lit window sill for emergence. The first year of the plant's life, cultivation is carried out at home. Only next spring seedlings are planted in open ground.
Cutting and propagation by layering
The use of vegetative methods of propagation of the magnolia tree contributes to faster flowering than with seed propagation. These methods have a good effect on the condition of the tree, especially in the early years of growth.
Propagation of magnolia by air layers is carried out in late spring or early summer. For this, a circular cut of the bark is made on the branch without touching the wood. Its width should be about 3 centimeters. The section of the cut is treated with a growth stimulator (for example, “Heteroauxin”), covered with moss and wrapped in a film. The branch is wound to adjacent branches to protect against damage caused by strong winds. After two to three months, roots ready for transplantation form on the cut.
Cuttings are carried out at the end of July. Cuttings from the branches of a young tree are cut, leaving at least two leaves. The lower part of the cut is treated with a growth stimulator, after which the stalk is planted in the sand. Germination of the cuttings is best done in greenhouse conditions, at a temperature of at least + 22 ° C and moderate humidity. 1.5-2 months after planting, rooting occurs. For winter time, cuttings are transferred to a warm room, and next spring they are transplanted into the open ground.
Vaccination propagation
This method of propagation of the magnolia tree allows you to get faster growth, earlier fruiting and better endurance. But this method is quite laborious and will require patience. Vaccination is carried out in the spring, in a greenhouse or cultivation in open ground. There are three methods of grafting: lateral incision, improved copulation and butt. In addition, such breeding sometimes requires a mother liquor, and it is not always at hand.
Diseases and Pests
As such, a magnolia tree does not have diseases. Problems can only occur with improper care. For example, excessive fertilizer of the soil greases it and leads to a slowdown in tree growth. It is possible to recognize a glut of soil with nutrients on the drying edges of leaves. The necessary measures to save the tree in this case is to increase watering and reduce the application of fertilizing.
With a high lime content in the soil, magnolia can develop chlorosis. It looks like yellow spots on the leaves, moreover, leaf veins retain their green color. The root system in such soil dies quickly enough. Therefore, at the slightest sign of disease, a little peat and coniferous soil should be introduced into the soil. If these measures are unsuccessful, iron preparations and other special chemicals should be used.
Among the most harmful insects are thrips, mealybugs, peach aphids, spider mites and transparent mites. All these pests cause damage to the tree by sucking wood sap. An infected and weakened plant showers leaves in July. And sometimes insects weaken the tree so much that for a whole year it does not give a growth at all. Not only that, many pests carry dangerous viruses. You can escape from the invasion of insects with the help of solutions of acaricides. The best drugs of this kind are Actellic and Actar.