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Applegate, Oregon

Ok, I know there are some great horticulturists on this site, and I thought what better place for my little question. I have a "Susan" Magnolia bush, and my wife finally decided where she would like me to plant it. It is in a 5 gallon pot and rather large. My question: is it better to wait till after it blooms to transplant it? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance, Dale

3/23/2004 10:28:57 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

If it is dormant plant it now. We sell lilacs bareroot when they are dormant and the survival rate is close to 100%. Give a good healthy dose of kelp after you have transplanted it, water well. Normally the first year after transplanting we recommend removing all blossoms so the plant concentrates on rooting and not wasting energy on flowering. Shannon

3/24/2004 2:42:16 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I agree with Shannon. If not all, then most of the flowers should be picked. Flowering takes a lot of energy.

Look also at that root ball by teasing the roots out a bit. If it has spent a lot of time in a container, then circling & girdling roots are going to be a problem. If it's very bad, then try to root prune the worst ones before placing it in the hole. Then balance the root pruning with a near equal pruning of branches. But no more than a third of either.

By the time you're done, most of the soil from the container will have fallen away. Therefore plant like a bare-root Rose. The hole for bare-root planting should be fairly shallow with a cone shaped soil pile in the bottom on which the roots can sit & radiate outward.

It's very desirable to do this just as the buds swell.

Shade cloth, mulch, etc while the plant is recovering. Keep an eye on moisture, but don't overwater. No extremes for a while.

No heavy NPK fertilizers for the first 6-12 months. Just kelps.

3/24/2004 6:39:55 AM

mcminnville oregon

Dale: many of my magnolias have bloomed! put it on display while its showing its splender. then plant accordingly, to go the extra mile put some b1 for root stimulante rather than green growth?

4/1/2004 3:43:57 AM