How to water and fertilize magnolias? How often should you water them?

The new poem has grown old and is unbearable to hear, the desolate Jiangnan inn separated by autumn clouds. Affection unchanged, year after year the same color, a timeless fragrant heart held out to you. This poem is the best description of the magnolia. The magnolia represents nobility and purity, and the care of magnolias is a profound subject. If you want magnolias to grow well, you must especially put effort into watering management and light.

How to water magnolias (how often to water)

1. Water at the right time

The white magnolia has fleshy roots, so it both needs water and fears waterlogging.

Therefore, from early summer to late autumn, water once a day to keep the soil moist, but during the hot “dog days”, water once each in the morning and evening, and also spray water on the leaves and the ground around the flower pot to increase air humidity.

When using tap water to water white magnolias, be careful to prevent the soil from becoming alkaline. If you find the leaves turning yellow, apply ferrous sulfate solution or use 0.7% to 0.8% vinegar water to water the roots.

You can also spray the leaves with 0.3% to 0.4% vinegar solution, which also works very well. In the rainy spring season, water must not accumulate in the flower pot, otherwise the roots will rot.

2. Provide suitable light

The white magnolia is a sun-loving flowering plant and needs plenty of sunlight. During the growing period, it should be kept on a balcony or in a sunny spot with long hours of strong sunlight, especially during the flowering period. It needs no less than 6 hours of light per day.

If the white magnolia is kept in a shaded place, it will only grow leaves and not bloom, or bloom very little, with thin, elongated branches, pale leaf color, thin leaves and no luster, which is very unfavorable for its growth. But during the hot, high-temperature “dog days”, it should also be moderately shaded. Generally, from 12:00 to 16:00 each day, avoid exposure to the scorching sun, and also avoid the high-temperature radiation from brick walls or concrete ground.

At this time, not only should you spray the plant to cool it down, but you should also water or spray the ground to lower the temperature and dissipate heat, increase air humidity, and artificially create a suitable environment.

How to fertilize magnolias

Magnolias need sufficient nutrients, and this is an important part of flowering-period management. The white magnolia is a fertilizer-loving flowering plant because it has a long flowering period and blooms abundantly. For this reason, nutrients must be replenished regularly and in time so that it can bloom more, with larger flowers, more vivid colors and fragrant scent.

In addition to applying enough base fertilizer when potting, during the flowering period from May to October, apply an organic liquid fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus and potassium once every 5 to 7 days, such as decomposed cake fertilizer water. The principle of fertilizing is to apply thin fertilizer frequently, and you can also adopt the method of starting with a lighter concentration and then making it stronger. Never apply raw fertilizer, otherwise it will burn the roots. At the same time, carry out foliar fertilization once every 7 to 10 days, using 0.5% plant growth promoter and 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate for leaf spraying.

Main diseases of magnolias and their control methods

Anthracnose control methods: strengthen water and fertilizer management, enhance tree vigor, and improve disease resistance; promptly remove diseased leaves, and at the end of autumn clear away fallen leaves and burn them in a centralized manner; if disease occurs, spray with 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder 800 times dilution or 70% anthracnose Fumei 500 times dilution, once every 10 days, and spraying continuously 3 to 4 times can effectively control the condition.

Chlorosis control methods: chlorosis is a physiological disease, mainly caused by soil that is too sticky, pH value exceeding the standard, and insufficient iron supply. You can use 0.2% ferrous sulfate solution to irrigate the roots, or use 0.1% ferrous sulfate solution for leaf spraying, and you should apply more farmyard manure.

Leaf scorch control methods: increase the frequency of watering and keep the soil moist; apply more organic fertilizer to enhance tree vigor and improve the plant's resistance; whitewash or wrap the trunk of the tree.

How to plant magnolias

For magnolia, purple magnolia and other species of the genus Magnolia, propagation commonly uses methods such as sowing, grafting, cuttings and tissue culture.

1. Sowing: you must grasp the seed maturity period. Collect when the follicles turn red and split open. Collecting too early means they will not germinate, and collecting too late means they are likely to fall off. After collecting the follicles, spread them thinly for handling, soak the fruits with red outer seed coats in cold water and rub and wash them, remove the outer seed coats completely, take out the seeds, dry them in the shade, stratify them in sand storage, and sow in February to March of the following year. One-year-old seedlings can reach about 30 cm in height. Those cultivating larger seedlings should transplant them the following spring, appropriately cut the main root, apply heavy base fertilizer, and control density. In 3 to 5 years, qualified seedlings with a complete crown, occasional flower buds and a plant height of more than 3 m can be produced. After 2 to 3 years of planting out, they can enter the full flowering period. Such seedlings have vigorous growth and strong adaptability, and their results are no inferior to grafted seedlings.

2. Grafting: the rootstock is usually purple magnolia, mountain magnolia and other plants of the genus Magnolia. Methods include cut grafting, cleft grafting, side grafting, bud grafting, etc. Cleft grafting has a high survival rate and rapid growth. Grafting in late autumn has a more guaranteed survival rate than grafting in early spring.

3. Cuttings: this is the main propagation method for purple magnolia. The cutting time has a great influence on the survival rate. It is generally carried out in May to June, and cuttings taken from the current year's growth of young trees have the highest survival rate. Soaking the base in 50 ppm naphthaleneacetic acid for 6 hours can increase the rooting rate.

4. Layering: this is a traditional propagation method, suitable for preserving and developing famous and superior varieties. Purple magnolia is best suited to this method. Select a well-growing plant and take 1- to 2-year-old branches 0.5 cm to 1 cm thick as layers. If there are side branches, they can be layered on the branches. The layering time is February to March. After layering, roots form in the same year. The longer it remains connected to the mother plant, the more developed the root system and the higher the survival rate. After planting out, it can bloom in 2 to 3 years.

5. Tissue culture: in recent years, tissue culture methods have been used, with buds of Yulan magnolia as explants, and successful culture has been achieved in test tubes. This method has special significance in preserving and developing those new types bred through bud mutation and hybridization.

The emerald branches draw the wind long with much strength, piercing the silver blossoms with jade-snow fragrance. The kindred spirit knows the human heart is good, and through the curtain gently loosens the white rainbow garment. The beauty of the magnolia is hard to describe in words. When witnessing the moment of life in full bloom, it feels as if the world has been born anew. The magnolia brings us spring and brings us beauty. May you seize every full blooming of spring.