Reasons for and Solutions to Leaf Wilting in Michelia maudiae

Mr. Shen Liming of Tongluo Labor Service Company, Wujiang City, Jiangsu Province, wrote in to ask: This year I bought Michelia maudiae bud seedlings from Zhejiang to plant, and their growth is very poor. The symptoms are that the upper leaves wilt while the lower root system is good. May I ask what is causing this? Answer: Michelia maudiae, also known as glossy-leaved whitemagnolia, is an evergreen ornamental flowering tree with great development prospects. Judging from the situation you describe, in which the bud seedlings you bought have wilted leaves but good roots, there are three reasons for the leaf wilting: First, during transplanting and transport of the bud seedlings, the leaves lost a great deal of water. Because the soil around the roots fell away, and no corresponding work was done during transport to spray the leaves to keep them moist, and because the root system of the bud seedlings is relatively tender and brittle and was directly exposed to the air, their fibrous roots were damaged to a certain extent. It has fleshy roots, and damage to the nutrient-absorbing fibrous roots does not readily become obvious quickly. After the bud seedlings were planted, some leaves were not properly pruned off, so while the root system had not yet recovered its absorption function, the leaves could not receive the water supply they should have, which led to their natural shrinkage and wilting. Second, after planting, appropriate misting and moisture-retention measures were not taken. For example, if some leaves had been properly thinned and pruned at planting time, the seedbed sprayed wet after planting, leaf-surface watering also attended to, bamboo strips inserted on both sides of the seedbed, plastic film laid over them to retain moisture, and a shed then built to shade the seedlings, only then would it have been possible for the dehydrated leaves to gradually recover; after the leaves recovered and stood upright, the film could then be removed. Because these measures were not followed through, the leaves ultimately wilted. Third, Michelia maudiae seedlings are relatively shade-tolerant. During care,cultivationthe soil requirement is sandy loam, which must not become waterlogged, and a shade shed must be built in good time. While keeping the seedbed moist, the leaves must also be misted frequently; otherwise, the leaves will likewise continue to wilt. According to my own experience, when transplanting large and medium-sized Michelia maudiae plants, if the soil ball is not well formed, or the plants even become bare-rooted seedlings, as long as the roots are kept moist during transport and the leaves are sprayed with water along the way, and at planting time some branches and most leaves are pruned off according to the specific condition of the root soil ball, and after planting the leaf surfaces are heavily misted, the transplant survival rate is generally fairly high. If, because the root system is poor, most branches and leaves are not pruned off, large numbers of leaves often turn black and then drop, and the branch tips die back, but the main trunk and thick branches, especially the lower part of the stem, generally will not die. It takes 1 to 2 years to restore their original plant form. This point should be given great attention when transplanting large Michelia maudiae seedlings. (Hu Yimin)