Magnolia

[thewoodle]

I am enjoying a holiday at my parents' at the moment and just helped my dad giving their magnolia a "trim" today. It gets these fast growing straight sapears ofnew shoots growing completely vertically. It is quite unsightly and he just chops them off every year. Is this normal? I couldnt find anything on the rhs website about it.

Thanks in anticipation.

[thewoodle]

[Barnowl]

Apparently You can prune most Magnolias twice a year if you want. The traditional time is after the spring flowering, but if you do half then and half in late Autumn you may be able to  get them into a cycle of flowering  twice a year.

I've done this to the grandiflora in the garden but it's in a down cycle at the moment because I had to prune very heavily all round in the spring because of lack of space, I'll be pruning next w.e. if the weather stays cold, to try and start the cycle again.

[saddad]

Winter pruning often results in those new tall growths, cut back shoots after mid summer and they tend to produce fruiting/flowering spurs not structural growth...
:-\

[Barnowl]

Hi Saddad, so you reckon I should do the second pruning earlier?

[saddad]

Yep...
;D

[Barnowl]

I hear and obey :)