Content
- A lush magnolia needs an acid soil
- Optimal pH is between 5.5 and 6.8
- Some breeds are adapted to calcareous soils
- Prepare the soil properly before planting
- Tips & Tricks
A lush magnolia needs an acid soil
It sounds like a truism, but this knowledge is of the utmost importance for the successful cultivation of a magnolia: If the tree is to bloom abundantly in the spring, he needs the pure soil. This not only means the soil conditions preferred by the magnolia, because before planting the soil still wants to be reasonably worked and loosened. Only then does the magnolia literally feel "at home"!
Optimal pH is between 5.5 and 6.8
Magnolias prefer a nutrient- and humus-rich, moist and slightly acidic soil whose pH is optimally between 5.5 and 6.8. With a few exceptions, most species of magnolia do not tolerate calcareous soils. In acidic soils, nutrient absorption is best achieved by plants, which is why deficiency symptoms quickly manifest themselves in neutral to alkaline soils. However, magnolias become less tolerant of age with less favorable soil conditions, provided that soil improvement was initially undertaken at a young age. In addition, the soil should not be too difficult - d. H. loamy - so that the roots, which are shallow under the earth's surface, can spread without problems and absorb nutrients.
Some breeds are adapted to calcareous soils
In particular, the Kobushi magnolia (Magnolia kobus) and the Great Star Magnolia (Magnolia loebneri) are quite insensitive to calcareous soils and can therefore be safely planted in such soils. For this reason, the mentioned varieties are often used as a finishing base for lime-sensitive magnolia. According to experience also the star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) as well as the cucumber magnolia (Magnolia acuminata) show a relative Kalkverträglichkeit.
Prepare the soil properly before planting
Whatever your soil may be, a good pre-plantation preparation will help your magnolia grow and make you feel good. Optimal preparation also involves loosening the soil thoroughly, clearing weeds over a large area and digging a sufficiently large planting hole. This should be about twice as wide and deep as the root ball of magnolia. Adding compost to the planting hole is not necessary, but instead you should improve the soil using commercially available rhododendron or peat soil. This is already pre-fertilized, which is why further fertilization can be omitted.
Tips & Tricks
Protect the roots of freshly planted magnolia from the cold and dehydration by covering the tree disc (ie the root area) with a thick layer of bark mulch and / or brushwood.