Magnolia is a popular one ornamental, eagerly and often cultivated in gardens. It is a type of long-lived, decorative shrubs or small trees from the magnoliaceae family. These plants grow wild in East Asia and North America.
They feature large, showy flowers that can be white, pink, purple or yellow. They appear in early spring, before the leaves develop. For a magnolia to look beautiful and bloom profusely, it must be properly cared for. Some activities should be completed in March. What exactly is this about?
Magnolia slowly comes to life in March. Most often, these plants bloom only in April, before the leaves develop. However, some varieties repeat in autumn. Starry magnolia and Japanese magnolia are early varieties that can bloom in March, presenting flowers on leafless shoots.
March is therefore the time when these plants should be especially taken care of. The key is to remove the covers at the right time, fertilize and water the plant. However, magnolias should absolutely not be trimmed. The plant does not tolerate this treatment well and loses flower buds. Magnolia should be cut only in late spring or summer, when it has faded.
March is a time of intensive work on magnolias. Winter covers are removed this month, but it must be done at the right time. Removing protection too early may cause the buds to freeze. Damaged buds usually turn brown, dry out and fall off without turning into flowers. There are still frosts in March, so it is worth protecting magnolia against them with agrotextile.
In March, it is worth starting to fertilize magnolias, using, for example, fertilizers for acid-loving plants or dedicated multi-component mixtures. Manure or compost will also work. We start powering at the end of the month and continue every 3-4 weeks until mid-July.
When it comes to watering magnolias, it is best to do it with soft water (rainwater), pouring it directly under the plant – so as not to wet the buds or leaves. When the vegetation begins, the soil around the plant should be constantly moderately moist. Pay special attention to this if the winter was quite dry.
