How to Fertilize Magnolias: Fertilizer for Little Gem Magnolia Trees

Before I consider the fertilizer for magnolia, it is important to know that the tree will absorb all of the nutrients from fertilizer only in the soil with the pH between 5 and 6. If the soil pH is not right then the tree will not grow properly and flowering will be less. It is better to test the soil pH with a test kit and adjust the pH if not correct. If pH is less than 5 then add dolomite or garden lime in the soil. If the pH is more than 6 then add garden sulfur in the soil. Magnolia requires fertilizer high in nitrogen and potassium. It needs nitrogen to maintain its vigorous glossy green foliage growth. It needs high potassium for producing flowers. You can feed 12-4-8 or 16-4-8 or 25-10 NPK formulation. I use a citrus fertilizer which has NPK equal to 8.8, 1.4 and 8.7 and my magnolia is growing fast with lots of flowers. How much fertilizer? Magnolias are not heavy feeders. Nitrogen is an important fertilizer for magnolias. Feed 45 grams of nitrogen for every inch of trunk diameter of the tree. Calculate the nitrogen required for a magnolia tree depending on its trunk diameter and feed it. Too much nitrogen may cause the burning of the foliage. Early spring is the best time to fertilize magnolia tree before new growth begins. After that you can feed a liquid fertilizer like power feed every three weeks till the end of autumn to stimulate flowering and to promote disease resistance and root development. Do not fertilize your magnolia during the first year after planting. How to fertilize? First remove the weeds or grass around the tree. Feed 1.5 feet away from the trunk to the drip line or canopy of the tree between the white lines shown here. If growing in a pot then fertilize 6 inch away from the trunk. If your magnolia new leaves are smaller than normal with green veins against pale yellow background then it indicates iron deficiency. Add chelated iron as per the recommendation on the label. Magnolia roots are on the surface and they like cool roots. So, mulch well to contain the moisture in the soil. Put the mulch that will keep the roots cool and also promote healthy growth and flowering. Apply cow manure, fish and bone meal powder, sulphate of potash and sugarcane mulch on top of the soil. This is the best mulch for magnolia trees to produce flowers. This magnolia plant is three years old grown from a cutting and producing lots of flower buds. Please like and share the video. Please subscribe to the channel to watch my other videos and to know when the new videos are posted.