What is it about this tree that you like?

The flowers smell so fresh and nice!!!!

How lovely! Thank you for the information!

I live in the East Bay and have trying unsuccessfully to air layer. My most recent attempt has a huge callus but no roots. I re-applied rooting hormone the other day. Based on yr experience, do you think that it will eventually root or is this attempt a lost cause?

Lai, I have been trying so many time to air-layer my michelia alba. Most of the time ,it formed roots, but after you cut it from the mother tree and transplanted to the pot or ground, it died on me. I did try to re-applied rooting hormone on the callus one, but it took a lot longer for it to from roots. You can try it , wish you luck!!!

Mickey

Have you tried these methods:

1. Trying to sprout its seeds or

2. Inserting thin/young branch (coated with hormone powder) in the ground, covering with a plastic bag?

I tried both ways, also with no luck.

Well, they work on the other area with hot or moist weather. I tried both before, but no success! I think the air-layering only work in the Bay Area. It take a lot of patience to be success. Don't give up!!! My michelia alba tree bears seed now. But I tried to sue seed to grow, but no success!!!

By the way, I live in San Francisco .

Mickey

https://www.facebook.com/mickey.kwok/posts/10154432389239236

I have a Michelia alba in a pot. I am going to try and root cuttings of it this spring.

I have two Michelia Albas in my yard (Southern Florida, zone 9b). They love the weather here and have grown like crazy. Both are probably 15-20 feet tall. I would like to prune them in a way so they don't grow any taller. I love the flowers and want to be able to reach the lower branches for the flowers. Can I cut off the top portion of the tree? Does anyone have any other pruning advice for this tree?

this is my champagne now,it grew abt 7 ft in 2 yrs after being chopped down to 3 ft.
I live here in Los Angeles and abt 20 something yrs ago my kids gave me a mother's day present a small M. Champaca since they knw mom loves plants of all kinds and gardening. i know it was my husband's idea of a present/gift, anyway. Since it can get really hot here in the summer time my lil champaca had a hard time getting started, after I put it in the ground. For 2 years it had a permanent golf umbrella protecting it fr hot sun and extreme weather temperatures. And fr then it became a huge fragrant flowering shade for all seasons , its an evergreen here, blooms contineously fr spring to fall, I gather blooms and put all around my house , a fresh potporri. Amazing ! When we renovated the house it was almost sacrificed but I won over the battle of my tree. I'm a sentimental to the core ! The compromise was to cut it small, more than half of the tree was chopped ,limbs are cut, poor tree was almost just a stump. Lo and behold its huge again, so ther you go you can cut it ti size. tried air layering once bec I was almost loosing it fr the renovation, it did not take just calloused. I think the a new growth is the best for air layering. I noticed fr nursery stock , they are mostly skinny , pinkie finger sized specimens. I will try again.

Good luck@

my michelia alba tree about 30 years old and more than 25 feet tall!! Growing on San Francisco.

Hi! I grew up with a Michelin alba tree in my backyard in Los Angeles. I now live in the Bay Area and would love to plant one in my back yard. I miss the smell of the flowers, the scent is nostalgic of when I used to sleep with the windows open and the sweet smell would drift into my room. Does anyone know where I can buy a Michelin alba tree in the Bay Area? I saw one driving around near Saratoga, I was about to knock on the door to see if they might be willing to give me a clipping. Has anyone successfully rooted this from a clipping? Or does anyone know where I can buy a small tree? Many thanks!

I have that michelia alba tree growing in my backyard for more than 30 years. I had tried many time to air-layair-layer. So.So.e of e rooted, but after I planted them to the pots it ground then that died on me. But lucky on 2010 I airair-layered another one. It rooted and transplanted into a pot on 2014. It grows very beautiful ly. It is about 5 to 6 feet tall.

Try the store or nursery: Sourth Pacific Orchid in Giloy, Ca. may have the michelia alba lant for sale. Look it up online. Good luck.

Thank you!! I appreciate your help!

This is the one that I airair-lay michelia alba tree on 2010.

Have you ever tried to root it from a cutting? (Not air layering)

Hi Mickey: i was just looking at the last picture from yr Aug 11, 2015 post. Q: Is that (a) the start of roots from air layering or (b) is that a callous? I am still trying to airlayer in the East Bay (no luck). All my airlayerings produced what is shown on your picture (callous??). The moss was still moist, but with no sign of roots after 6+ months, underwrap. Therefore after all those months, with no sign of roots, I took that growth as mearly a callous, upwrapped it and gave up. I am crossing my fingers that you are not going to tell me that your last picture is indeed the start of the rooting process. If so, I missed my opportunity....again.

Adding...I am sure your tree has already sprouted the red seeds. Have you tried to grow any plants from that state? i was fortunate to have abt 5 red seeds last year. Tried various ways to plant, but nothing.

So was the picture you took the start of the roots or just a callous?

It was just callous but not rooting..

Michelia alba is a wonderful tree. Each every part of the tree has the same fragrant, the leaves, the branches and even the roots. If you rub a leaf, you will smell the distinct fragrant, same as the flowers.

After 6+ months, I only saw callouses so I thought I failed the rooting process and unwrapped all of the air layering packages. I should have waited longer; will try again.Thanks for info.

(a) What should the diameter of the branch be for air layering? I have branches as thin as .5 cm that are full of leaves and flowers. (b) Also where, on the branch, should the cut be? About 6" from the tip or middle of the branch?

On February 2019 I had mmy 30 feet tall michelia alba tree trimmed down . Here it is now. It bloomed a lot of big flowers.

Wow, so you just chopped it off mid way? Could you please provide an update how the tree is doing? Do the branches that got chopped off no longer grow taller? I assume there are other branches popping up from the main branch after the pruning?

I'd like to prune mine. If this works, I'll do this to my tree too.

Hi Jo Deng, if you end up pruning and have any extra cuttings that you’ll throw out, I’d love to try my luck at rooting. I grew up with a beautiful m.a. in my backyard and would love to put one in my backyard

@jo deng. Do you mind sending me some branches you decide to cut off? Would like to try and grow one myself.

@mickey kwok. Are you selling any of your air layered Michelias?

I was in this same tread in 2018.According to Google, "info on line," bc I tried and tried to air layer my M. Alba or Champaca for years! Only less than 5% air layered ones really grow . The choice of propagating this tree is by grafting, So there it is the reason why air layering is out. Mike Kwok got lucky he is one of the less than 5%successful one. Its like winning a lottery!

my M Alba has grown a lot taller reaching passed my 2nd story veranda now. Gorgeous evergreen tree w fragrant blooms.

This is my M Alba now it has doubled its size giving me plenty of fragrant blooms and much needed shade here in SoCal.

If the choice for propagating M alba is grafting, what is used for a rootstock?

@monarda_gw : according to some Chinese info, they used deciduous magnolia as rootstock. Other info on the web suggested using Michelia Champaka aka yellow flowered Michelia

I live In So Cal and have a beautiful 5 year old champaca. I ‘ve started to air layer, and was wondering how long I should keep them wraI’m also trying cutting but I don’t think they are rooting.