Description of magnolia and the rules for its cultivation

Magnolia is an attractive tree that will look beautiful almost anywhere. This plant is considered capricious. But if you take care of it correctly, it will regularly delight the owners of the site with its delicate and fragrant flowers.

Magnolia is a large deciduous shrub or tree. This plant belongs to the magnoliaceae family. Its height can vary from 5 to 25 meters. Magnolia's bark is usually brown or ash gray. The root system of this plant is very sensitive. Therefore, it is afraid of mechanical damage, as well as sudden temperature changes.

When describing magnolia bushes, you need to pay attention to its flowers. Their size is usually in the range of 5-35 centimeters. The buds can be white, pale pink, scarlet or cream. Magnolia blooms can occur both in early spring and in the first days of summer. Flowers smell very sweet. The fruits that form in the place of the inflorescences are cone-shaped. Inside are black seeds. It is with them that the plant reproduces in the natural environment.

The homeland of this delicate plant is China. It was from there that magnolia was introduced to Europe. Now this plant can be seen in many countries. In the natural zone, it is found in East Asia, as well as in America.

There are now many different varieties of magnolia. They look different and differ in their needs.

• Siebold. This tree usually grows to a height of 9-11 meters. It has very large foliage. Flowers grow in diameter up to 8-10 centimeters. This plant belongs to the list of frost-resistant plants. Therefore, it can be grown in Russia or Belarus.
• Inversely ovate. The average height of this tree is 13-15 meters. It has a very strong trunk and branches. The bark of such a magnolia is dark gray. At the ends of all stems are wide and elongated leaves. The flowers of such a magnolia are large and have a memorable aroma. They are creamy in color. Such plants look very good not only during the flowering period, but also during the rest of the year. This magnolia is also frost hardy. It grows well in the shade. But the plant still needs to be properly looked after. It is especially important to water it regularly.
• Pointed. This magnolia is also known as blue. Such a plant spread throughout the world from North America. In nature, it grows in forests, as well as near mountain rivers. This is a very large tree. It reaches a height of 25-30 meters. The young plant has an elongated upward shape. Magnolia grows more round over time. The foliage has a greenish-gray tint. The flowers of this magnolia variety are not very large. But they look very beautiful.
• Medicinal. This magnolia variety originated in China. Its fragrant flowers resemble spectacular water lilies in their appearance. Moreover, their petals are sharper and narrower towards the edges. In Europe and Russia, this plant is quite rare.
• Star-shaped. This magnolia looks very delicate and delicate. She appeared in Japan. Shrub magnolia is small in size. Its branches are brown-gray. The flowers have an average diameter of 10 centimeters. They resemble large stars in their shape. There are such magnolias as pink and white.
• Lily flower. This magnolia is especially popular with gardeners. His homeland is China. In Europe, the lily-flowered magnolia appeared about 200 years ago. Her flowers are lush and very beautiful. Their smell is very light and unobtrusive. The inner surface of the petals is light white, and the outer surface is red. This magnolia blooms in late April or early May.
• Cobus. This plant is common in Japan and South Korea. It got to Europe about 150 years ago. Lower bushes are found in gardens and parks. The leaves of such a magnolia are rich green. The lower part is light in color. Magnolia begins to bloom only at the age of 10-12 years. This happens in the middle of spring. The flowers are large in size and have a pleasant aroma. The diameter of these flowers is 10 centimeters.
• Large-flowered. This luxurious magnolia has a cylindrical trunk. The crown of the tree is very dense. The leaves are dark green and the large flowers are white. They smell very nice and sweet. After flowering, bright fruits appear on the tree. They are cone-shaped and small in size. The plant develops and grows rather slowly. It has good frost resistance. This magnolia grows well in urban environments.
• Soulange. This popular hybrid was bred in the early 19th century. It is named after the scientist who created it. Now these magnolias are popular all over the world. In Russia, they can be grown in the suburbs. They are resistant to temperature changes, and also not very demanding on the composition of the soil. The average height of a magnolia bush is 5-7 meters. Flowers are large in size. Their color can be different. There are both light pink magnolias and dark ones.
• White. This type of magnolia is compact in size. White flowers appear on the shrub in early spring. They have a very pleasant aroma. Magnolia loves sunny places that are well protected from the wind. Such a shrub will look great both alone and next to other plants.
• Brooklyn. Magnolia "Yellow Bird" was bred at the end of the last century. The unique hybrid pleasantly pleases with its spectacular flowers. The tree grows pretty quickly. Its average height is 5-6 meters. The crown of the Brooklyn magnolia is small. It has a beautiful pyramidal shape. The first buds appear on it in late spring, and fruits - in early autumn.

In nature, magnolia grows in places with high humidity and warm climates. Therefore, deciding to grow it on your site, you should take care of the correct choice of the zone for planting. Planting magnolia is in a sunny location. It is recommended to place it away from tall trees with wide crowns. Otherwise, it will constantly be in the shade. The tree should also be well protected from the wind. You need to pay attention to the features of the soil. Magnolia loves neutral and slightly acidic soil. It is very important that she is fertile. Seedlings must also be chosen correctly. Indeed, the quality of the planting material depends on how quickly the plant can take root on the site.

The height of the seedling should be between 90-100 centimeters. On a young trunk of a healthy plant, there are from one to two buds. Magnolia's root system should be well developed and hydrated. You can plant the selected seedling on your site both in spring and in autumn. But many gardeners say that it is best to do this in the second half of October. So the plant will have time to take root even before the onset of frost.In spring, seedlings are planted in April.

The process of planting magnolias itself consists of several stages.

• The soil must be dug well. In the selected area, you need to dig a hole of a suitable size. It should be quite large. The hole is usually three times the size of the rhizome.
• Next, a drainage layer must be laid on the bottom of the pit. For this, you can use broken brick or the remains of ceramic tiles. From above, everything should be covered with a layer of sand, and then with nutritious soil.
• In the center of the hole, you need to fix the seedling. Further, it also needs to be covered with a mixture of soil and nutrients.

After that, the earth must be tamped and watered. After the liquid is completely absorbed, the place near the bottom of the barrel should be mulched. For this, you can use dry sawdust or peat. Timely soil mulching protects the tree roots from drying out.

Both immediately after disembarkation and in the future, magnolia needs special care. Gardeners need to regularly carry out the necessary activities.

• Watering. Magnolia is a moisture-loving plant. She needs regular and adequate hydration. In this case, it is worth closely monitoring the condition of the soil. It should not be waterlogged. It is necessary to water the plants at the root. Always use warm water for this.
• Loosening. If the soil in the near-trunk circle was not covered with mulch, the soil in this place should be loosened regularly. This must be done very carefully. Usually the soil is loosened with a pitchfork. Other gardening tools can easily injure the delicate roots of magnolia.
• Top dressing. In order for the plant to develop quickly and bloom regularly, it must be fertilized regularly. In the first two years, you can do without feeding. The plant has enough nutrients that were introduced into the soil when the bush was planted. Magnolias that grow outdoors are fed, usually in the spring. For work, it is best to use compound fertilizers, which can be purchased at most stores. Having decided to feed the tree, it is important to carefully read the instructions for the drug. It is worth using the fertilizer in the correct dosage. Do not overfeed magnolia. This can cause the foliage to dry out.
• Pruning. When growing magnolia in the garden, it is important to regularly prune the bush. This procedure is carried out after the end of flowering. All loose and dry branches are removed, as well as shoots that thicken the crown. It is very important to properly care for the bush after pruning. Fresh cuts must be carefully greased with garden var. Magnolia bushes are not pruned in spring. This procedure can cause the plant to weaken. Therefore, it will be quite difficult to grow a beautiful and large magnolia.
• Preparing for winter. Both in cold regions and in the middle lane, it is important to properly prepare the bushes for wintering. After all, magnolia is particularly sensitive to cold. In the fall, the bushes can be fed in advance. Before the first frosts, the trunk of the magnolia must be wrapped in burlap. In this case, it is important to try not to injure the branches of the plant. The soil in the near-trunk circle needs to be well mulched. The layer of sawdust or spruce branches should be thick enough.

There are several main ways to propagate magnolia at home.

Magnolia seeds ripen at the very end of summer. At this time, you need to collect fruits from the bushes. They need to be laid out on paper or a newspaper sheet. When the fruits are dry, you need to get the seeds out of them. This planting material is placed in a container with water. They are left there for several days. After that, the seeds are rubbed through a sieve.After rinsing them in clean water, the workpieces are placed in a bag with wet sand. It is placed in the refrigerator for three weeks.

Next, the seeds need to be disinfected and put in a container with moistened moss. It must be covered with cling film. Sprouted seeds are placed in a container with soil. After planting, you need to wait until the young seedlings germinate. Plants can be transplanted to a permanent place of growth only in early spring. The soil should be fertile and very well hydrated.

Planting material is harvested in early spring. For work, you need to choose young branches with a lignified base and a green top. In the second half of July, cuttings, which were previously stored in a cool place, are planted in the planting mixture. It is best to plant them in a greenhouse or greenhouse.

Within a few weeks, the plant will be able to take root. In order for the magnolia to take root quickly, the room must be regularly ventilated, and the soil must be watered. In general, cuttings are a fairly easy way to propagate magnolias, which is suitable even for novice gardeners.

This method is suitable for shrubs. In the spring, you need to choose a branch that is close to the ground surface. At the base, it must be pulled over with copper wire and bent to the ground. The escape must be carefully fixed. A neat circular cut should be made at the edge of the branch.

The cut must be treated with a preparation that accelerates the process of root growth. Next, this section of the branch must be overlaid with moistened moss and wrapped with cling film. After a few weeks, small roots will appear at the cut site. As soon as they become long enough, the layers must be cut off from the base of the bush. They grow it in greenhouse conditions. Already next summer, the plant can be planted in a previously prepared area.

The normal growth and development of magnolia is often hampered by disease. One of the most common diseases is chlorosis, from which magnolia leaves turn yellow. Treatment of this disease is carried out with ordinary copper sulfate. Fungal diseases can also harm an ornamental tree. In order to prevent diseases of shrubs, the soil should not be overfeeded or waterlogged. If you notice signs of fungal diseases, magnolias should be treated with fungicides immediately.

Pests such as aphids, thrips and spider mites are also dangerous to shrubs. You need to fight them using acaricides. If there are rodents in the area, traps or poison can be placed next to magnolias.

Magnolia looks beautiful both at a distance from other trees, and in group plantings. When planning to plant it on your site, you should pay attention to beautiful examples of the use of a tree in landscape design.

• Alleys. If there is enough space on the site, you can plant a whole alley of magnolias there. The main thing is that they all have enough sunlight. Magnolias planted in a row look very beautiful and make the site a truly fabulous place.
• Single landing. Magnolia, planted alone, also looks spectacular. Do not plant flowers or any other plants under it.
• Next to the gazebo. Magnolia blooming beautifully in spring also looks next to the gazebo. Tall trees with branches growing upwards are worth planting in such a place.