A Detailed Guide to the Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods of Magnolia Flower Buds

Magnolia flower buds, also known as Mubi flowers or winter jasmine flowers, are the flower buds of the deciduous shrub Magnolia of the Magnoliaceae family. They are warm in nature and pungent in taste.

Morphological Characteristics of Magnolia Flower Buds

1. Magnolia biondii is a deciduous tree, 6-12 m tall; branchlets hairless. Leaves are simple and alternate, mostly oblong-lanceolate, entire, hairless on both surfaces, papery. Flower buds are covered with grayish-white and yellowish-white long silky hairs, with hairs mostly spreading. Flowers open before the leaves; there are 9 tepals, peach-red, with the outer whorl of 3 sepal-like and linear; the inner 2 whorls of tepals are long-spatulate; stamens are numerous; carpels are numerous and separate, ovary 1-loculed, ovules 2. The aggregate fruit is cylindrical, light brown, and the seeds are red.

2. Magnolia denudata is basically the same as Magnolia biondii. But the leaves are large, leathery, broadly obovate or ovate-elliptic, glossy above and pubescent beneath. The flowers are large and white, with 9 tepals arranged in 3 whorls, 3 per whorl. The pedicel is thick and short, and the pedicel and flower buds are densely covered with grayish-yellow long silky hairs that are appressed.

3. Magnolia wudangensis is basically the same as Magnolia biondii. But the leaves are large and leathery, long obovate, abruptly pointed at the apex and cuneate at the base. The flower buds are obconical and externally covered with pale yellow silky hairs. There are 10-12-15 tepals, nearly similar, obovate-spatulate or broadly spatulate. The flowers are large and peach-red.

I. Growth Habits of Magnolia Flower Buds

Magnolia flower buds prefer a warm climate and a sunny environment. They are slightly cold-tolerant and can overwinter outdoors at -15°C. They are not demanding about soil and can be cultivated on barren hills and wild ridges, in front of and behind houses, along both sides of roads, and on both banks of rivers. Sandy loam with deep, loose, and fertile soil is better for cultivation. Low-lying land, heavy clay, and saline-alkali land are not suitable for cultivation.

II. Land Preparation and Fertilization for Magnolia Flower Buds

Choose a field with high terrain and good drainage and cultivate it intensively. In combination with land preparation, apply sufficient base fertilizer: 300 kg of farmyard manure, 20 kg of urea, and 50 kg of phosphorus-potassium fertilizer per mu. Then make high beds 1.5 m wide and wait for sowing.

III. Propagation of Magnolia Flower Buds

How to Propagate Magnolia Flower Buds

Magnolia flower buds are propagated by seed. They can also be propagated by cuttings, division, and grafting.

Propagation Methods of Magnolia Flower Buds

Seed propagation: Before sowing, first mix the collected seeds with coarse sand and rub them repeatedly to remove the red fleshy seed coat. Then carry out sand storage: mix the seeds with wet sand at a ratio of 1:3, spread them flat in a previously dug pit, cover with weeds, and maintain moisture. When the seeds show white in the following spring, sow them in rows at a row spacing of 25 cm on the prepared bed surface, water to preserve soil moisture, and promote survival. After the seedlings emerge uniformly, strengthen field management. After 1-2 years of cultivation, they can be transplanted.

Cutting propagation: In summer, select robust young branches 1-2 years old, take the middle and lower sections, cut them into 20 cm long cuttings, and each section must have 2-3 nodes. Cut the lower end into a horseshoe-shaped slant. Bundle every 50 cuttings together, soak the lower part in a 500 ppm rooting powder solution for 15 seconds, then insert them on the prepared bed surface at a row spacing of 20 x 7 cm, water to preserve soil moisture, and promote survival. After the seedlings emerge uniformly, strengthen field management. After 1-2 years of cultivation, they can be transplanted.

Division propagation: Around the Beginning of Spring, dig out root suckers from old plants and plant them separately. Water to preserve soil moisture and promote survival.

Grafting propagation: Use 1-2-year-old seedlings of Magnolia liliiflora or Magnolia denudata as rootstock, and use 1-year-old branches from excellent mother plants that have already flowered and fruited as scions. In late May, use shoot grafting with xylem, bud grafting, or T-shaped bud grafting. Grafting from 2-5 p.m. gives a high survival rate. After survival, remove the binding rope. After new buds grow, carry out pruning, remove rootstock buds, and manage as usual. Grafting propagation is the main way to achieve early and high yields of Magnolia flower buds. Transplanting: In spring and autumn, plant Magnolia flower bud seedlings on the prepared bed surface at a row spacing of 3 x 2 m, water to preserve soil moisture, and promote survival.

IV. Field Management of Magnolia Flower Buds

After Magnolia flower bud seedlings emerge uniformly or after transplanting survives, attention should be paid to cultivating and weeding. Water promptly in dry weather and drain immediately in rainy weather. After transplanting, topdress twice each year. The first time is before spring sprouting, apply 25 kg of urea and 50 kg of phosphorus-potassium fertilizer per mu. The second time is in winter, spread a layer of farmyard manure on the bed surface. In order to increase income, in the first few years, annual crops such as melons, fruits, vegetables, and medicinal materials can be appropriately intercropped to achieve the goal of using short-term crops to support long-term ones. During the growth of Magnolia flower buds, shaping and pruning should also be carried out to train the trees into a high-yielding tree shape with an open-center layered form or a natural open-center form.

V. Pest and Disease Control of Magnolia Flower Buds

Magnolia flower buds have relatively few diseases. If found, they can be controlled by conventional methods. The main pests include bagworms, stinging caterpillars, and wood borers. For control, spray with 500-fold phoxim solution mixed with fenvalerate.

VI. Harvesting and Processing of Magnolia Flower Buds

Seedling-propagated plants begin flowering 5-7 years after transplanting. Generally, unopened flower buds are collected from December to February of the following year. The collected flower buds can be sun-dried and then sold for medicinal use. The general yield per mu is 150-250 kg.