Magnolia damage
jandenholm
Posts: 2
This magnolia was planted in the soil and did not thrive. Potted it temporarily before finding new position but it's suffering/dying 
even more.
Any ideas why leaves are going black, white, skeleton-like and new growth is dying too.
What to do? Help gardeners, please.
Last edited: 24 August 2017 18:29:40
0
Posts
Where you last planted it, did you water it regularly? Inconsistent watering can cause your tree to look the way it is. Also, was the soil very water logged? The leaves look very dry and suffering from lack of nutrients. For now, I don't think it's a good idea to keep it in that size pot. I think you need to go up a size or two. If you think you are keeping it in a pot for more than 3-4 months, make sure you use a loam based compost. The plant will also need chelated iron feed too, the leaves are looking very yellow.
Make sure the plant is in free draining soil, when young, they are still fragile and need a lighter soil around it, so make sure you dig a hole that is very generous and wide. They will need watering for the first year in the border and in the warmer months more watering. Always mulch the base of longterm shrubs/trees, this will minimise temperature changes and allow them to settle in easier.
Thank you. Should I cut it back now or wait a while?
I think you can prune off the top section to try and encourage more shoots so it starts to spread out a bit. The rest, I would leave alone and start to re-pot into new soil in a larger pot. If you are not planting it into a bed yet, make sure it's kept somewhere away from harsh winds allowing it to recover.