Magnolia buds not opening

6 years ago

i live just outside Philadelphia and we had an 8 to 9 foot magnolia tree planted in the fall. It has buds as shown in the photos forming extremely slow and not yet opening-it must be two or three weeks now. A couple weeks ago I used some Holly-Tone on it as directed. Is it normal for them to take so long to open, or were they perhaps damaged by winter cold or have some other problem? A few new leaves are starting to form and I read that usually only happens after bloom time. Thanks

and stay healthy!

jennifer

Featured Answer

dbarron

6 years ago

It was just planted...give it two or three years to settle in.

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Comments (12)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
6 years ago
Those are leaf buds, not flower buds, and it does take little time for them to emerge fully. Magnolia grandiflora pushes new leaf growth in spring....flowers appear sporadically throughout the summer. This is quite different from deciduous magnolias, which do tend to bloom before the leaves appear.
Jenn Hoffman Ambler,PA (7A) thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
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Jenn Hoffman Ambler,PA (7A)
Original Author
6 years ago
Ah, I’m getting ahead of myself! thank you!
sam_md
6 years ago
Here you go Jenn Hoffman, today's pic about one hour south of you. Flower bud by my hand. If you're not seeing these by now unikely you will see them this year. Your young, newly planted trees are concentrating on vegetative growth.
Jenn Hoffman Ambler,PA (7A) thanked sam_md
Jenn Hoffman Ambler,PA (7A)
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks for sharing Sam, your tree is beautiful!
krnuttle
6 years ago
We found a grandaflora magnolia seedling, growing under my daughters air conditioner pad. We took it home and planted it. That was back in about 2014. We got our first bloom last year and there are buds on the tree this year. The trunk is now about three inches in diameter and tree about 12 feet tall. It is scheduled to for the lower branches to be trimmed after it blooms.

So it your tree was just planted, sit back, make sure it gets what it needs and does not get damage. In a couple of year you will get the flowers you expect.
Jenn Hoffman Ambler,PA (7A) thanked krnuttle
Jenn Hoffman Ambler,PA (7A)
Original Author
6 years ago
So we do have these on our other Espaliered Magnolia-they have been like this for a while. They are furry and look a little different than the leaf buds shown above.
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
6 years ago
Yes, those are flower buds.
HU-356589660
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Hi, I’ve bought a 6feet southern magnolia from a nursery. It has very few branches and few leaves. I live in Burma (southeast Asia). all other trees selling at local nurseries are the same less branches less leaves. may I know how can I improve this? Thanks!!
Jenn Hoffman Ambler,PA (7A)
Original Author
5 years ago
Hi, I’m not an expert but try fertilizing with holly tone at half the rate recommended on the bag. Also, try creating your own post as you will likely get more and more knowledgeable replies from those more experienced than me, LOL.
Jenn Hoffman Ambler,PA (7A)
Original Author
5 years ago
And make sure the flare of the tree is an inch or so higher than the ground to avoid settling and the plant being planted too low in the ground.
User
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
it's probably getting too big for that pot.

It needs to be in the ground, planted properly.

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub