The magnolia tree is especially attractive in spring. Graceful large flowers look good against a background of glossy green leaves. Growing a plant and caring for it is not as difficult as it seems at first glance.
The best planting dates are October and April. When planting in autumn, all the seedlings take root. Magnolia is also planted in spring, but often the plants begin to bloom early and die even due to slight frosts.
Magnolia tree flowers can be pink or white.
The size of the hole should be 2 times the volume of the roots. At the bottom of the pit, 15 cm of crushed stone or brick fragments are laid out, then sand and then fertile soil. It is advisable to add sand to dense soil so that it becomes lighter and more loose. The plant is planted in such a way that the root collar is just above the soil level. The seedling is watered and the ground around it is mulched with peat or coniferous bark.
Magnolia loves moisture. Young seedlings need abundant and timely watering
It is necessary to loosen the ground carefully so as not to damage the roots of the plant, which are located very close to the surface. Damage to the roots can even lead to the death of the plant.
Magnolia does not need to be cut and shaped, only after flowering can you remove wilted inflorescences, dry and frozen branches. You should not cut the branches in the spring, during the period of intensive sap flow, as the plant may die.
There are two ways of breeding this plant:
- seminal;
- vegetative.
Seeds collected in October are poured with water for 72 hours and rubbed through a sieve. The seeds are then washed in soapy water to remove the oily layer. The washed and dried seeds are packed in a plastic bag with moistened sand and placed in a cold place for 3 weeks. The stratified seeds are disinfected in a fungicide and placed in moistened moss. The seeds that have hatched are planted in prepared containers to a depth of 1,5 cm. The hardened seedlings are transplanted into open ground when the weather is warm.
There is nothing difficult in propagation by cuttings and layering. Cuttings are harvested in the spring before flowering and planted in a greenhouse. The optimum temperature is 22-23ºC. It is convenient to propagate shrub species by layering. In the spring, one of the branches is pulled with wire, fixed at the surface of the earth and a mound is poured over it. When the cutoff sprouts, it can be transplanted to a new location.
With proper care, magnolia will delight the eye with lush bloom every spring.