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New Magnolia looks dead after 4 weeks
We planted a small magnolia about 4 weeks ago. It looked very healthy and even had a flower on it. Then we went on holiday. On our return we found all the leaves had been eaten. Is there any chance the tree will recover? How does one protect young trees from slugs and insects without using pesticides?
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Oh no, how terrible for you, are you sure that it's bugs ? I would be very tempted to send it back where it came from (perhaps omitting that you've been away, as they may say it's lacked watering !). To test it, just scrape a fingernail down a few branches and if they're green, it's still alive and suggest prune back to a healthy point. Feed, mulch and water. Someone on here will know better than me tho .
It was well watered during our absence, maybe too well watered as it rained non-stop. The plant (tree) is very small so not much in the way of branches. paid over 30 pounds for it from a good garden centre, but they dont take them back. We found a slug on it and the leaves had lots of holes in them. It is a bad year for insects and slugs but hope maybe the tree is still alive.
Thanks all of you. We shall try to get a replacement. Could the tree still be alive?I think there are green shoots on the branches. What do you do about insects?
If there're green shoots then it's alive, with insects it's impossible to eradicate and we must live with them. Do you encourage birds, ladybirds etc in or are you trying to chemical them to death? Lay off the sprays, encourage predators and it all balances out in the end. I can't believe your magnolia deforestation can be purely due to insects anyway must be more of shock on moving to its new home and just needs to get settled in there to start performing and being strong enough to ward off the beasties. Defo alive, so give it a chance, help it along with the right growing conditions and a lot of TLC and it should thrive.
Did you soak the rootball and water extremely throughly when it was planted - i.e. a good couple of buckets of water? Sometimes the compost in the container gets so dry at the nursery that it won't become moist again if you plant it straight into the ground, even if it rains. I've dug plants up in Autumn to find the compost around the roots absolutely bone dry, despite having been planted months ago.
Thanks Flora rosa. We are against pesticides so wouldn't use them. Not many birds round our way, mainly blackbirds. Plenty of other wild life though, grass snakes, frogs, field mice. I cant kill anything, not even slugs and bugs, so would only use something that puts them off.
WillDB, Yes, the roots were soaked and so was the hole, but our soil is full of clay and not very deep, i.e. one soon hits rock. There are plenty of magnolia trees in our neighbours gardens, so we thought it should be o.k. in ours.
I'd wait and see now, leaves being eaten doesn't neccessarily mean death, most plants will grow some new ones. Don't let it dry out but don't over water. The plant won't be using water with no leaves. Don't feed, same reason. Just let it rest and see if it recovers
In the sticks near Peterborough
Hi Bavbulbs. You don't have rabbits in your garden do you? Apparently they love magnolia leaves. I don't have a magnolia but was very upset to find that rabbits had eaten all the leaves off my newly planted roses. If rabbits are the culprit then you could protect the magnolia with a ring of wire mesh until it becomes established.
I'm having the same problem with a magnolia I've recently bought I'm keeping it in a pot until autumn but the slugs or snails have had a good munch of the leaves and some of the leaves have yellowed,it's picked up a bit since I gave it a feed last week so fingers crossed, hopefully yours may pick up but you should at least get a replacement if they're a decent firm, good luck x
Thanks again. No no rabbits. Our leaves were first full of holes then dropped off. We have cleared all around it and shall wait and see now.