How to grow potted white magnolia (Michelia alba)? A detailed guide to the latest care methods
White magnolia (Michelia alba) is a tree of the Magnoliaceae family and Michelia genus, obtained from the natural cross between Michelia champaca and Michelia figo, an evergreen native plant growing in South China, Southwest China and Southeast Asia, generally able to grow to a height of 10-13 m. White magnolia loves light, hates waterlogging, is not cold-tolerant, and also fears high temperatures; it is suited to slightly acidic soil. It loves a dry environment and hates low humidity; waterlogging at the planting site easily causes root rot. It prefers fertile, well-drained sandy soil with slight acidity, and can also grow in weakly alkaline soil.
How to grow potted white magnolia
1. Choice of flower pot and soil: For growing white magnolia in a home pot, choose loose, highly breathable soil rich in humus. Usually choose a highly breathable clay pot, purple clay pot (tub) or a plastic pot with more drainage holes in the bottom. The soil in the pot should preferably contain a certain amount of granular soil of varying sizes, to facilitate water drainage and air permeability.
2. How to repot: According to the size of the white magnolia's crown and the length of its age, replace it with a pot or tub of appropriate size, to help the plant grow vigorously. When doing this, wait until the potting soil is slightly dry, slowly tilt the pot (tub) (or turn it upside down), support the pot with one hand, grip the plant firmly with the other, and tip the white magnolia out into the new pot. A small amount of loose soil should be placed in the new pot (tub) beforehand, then water thoroughly at once, and it is settled once planted.
3. Planting position: From March to April each year, move the pot or tub containing the white magnolia outdoors and place it in a spot with ample sunlight. In summer, when temperatures are high, use a shade net or build a simple shade shed as appropriate, so that the white magnolia can receive the morning sun while avoiding the strong light of summer afternoons (so as to avoid scorching the branches and leaves from intense sun exposure).
4. Pruning: For potted white magnolia, choose a suitable height, and use pruning shears to cut off the terminal buds and shorten some side branches. Cutting off the terminal buds helps it grow more side branches, more flower buds and more flowers.
5. Fertilizing: During the vigorous growth period of the white magnolia (usually May to June or July to August each year), apply a flower fertilizer to the white magnolia about once every half a month, or apply a little nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer around the 20th, 2 g to 6 g each time. The specific procedure is: first use a small trowel to draw several vertical and horizontal small furrows in the soil in the pot, then slowly sprinkle the fertilizer into the furrows, then cover it with the surface soil in the pot and water a little. Let the fertilizer gradually seep down to the plant's roots with each watering; never sprinkle the fertilizer directly onto the roots, to avoid “burning the roots” caused by excessive fertilizer concentration in the soil around the roots. Apply light fertilizer frequently, with cake fertilizer being preferable; do not fertilize in winter; from after new buds sprout until June, water with fertilizer once every 3-4 days, from July to September water with fertilizer once every 5-6 days, and after applying fertilizer several times, stop applying once.
6. Watering: Whether watering is done properly is the key to caring well for the white magnolia. The white magnolia should not be watered too frequently or too much. The correct watering method should be: moisten the soil in the pot thoroughly in one go, and when the soil in the pot is slightly dry, there is no need to water. Remember not to water every day, but you can often use a small spray bottle to spray water on the leaves. In summer, water thoroughly no fewer than three or four times a month (plus spraying water on the leaves). An easier method to grasp is: as soon as you see the white magnolia's leaves drooping, it is time to water. In autumn, water thoroughly two or three times a month; in winter, water thoroughly once or twice a month. Because the root system is fleshy, it fears waterlogging and is not drought-tolerant. In spring, after moving outdoors, water thoroughly once, then water thoroughly once every other day; in summer, once each morning and evening, and in case of severe drought, spray water on the leaf surface; in autumn, once every 2-3 days; in winter, restrict water, as long as the potting soil is slightly moist; after rain, promptly pour off any accumulated water.
7. Temperature: It is not cold-tolerant; except in South China, it must be moved indoors for care in winter in all other regions, with the lowest room temperature kept above 5°C, and the time to move it outdoors is preferably from Qingming to Guyu.