Magnolia star, which is called Stellata or Stellata, comes originally from the Japanese island of Honshu. It is a flowering shrub that has pronounced decorative characteristics. The culture is characterized by lush flowering, an unusual crown and attractive leaves. Flowering begins at 5-6 years of crop life. Due to its visual appeal, the plant is often used in landscape design.
Description of the plant
Under natural conditions, this variety of magnolia is a low shrub with a dense crown. It reaches 3 meters in height. This is the smallest species of the magnolia genus. It is widespread in humid climates. This plant is mainly found in mountain forests. Thanks to its small crown and early onset of flowering, this crop has become widespread not only in European countries, but also beyond their borders.
The shrub is characterized by rather large fleshy leaves, which are distinguished by their elongated oval shape. They may have a blunt or pointed apex and a wedge-shaped base. The leaf blades have a shiny surface. The petioles grow up to 3-10 centimeters in length.
The buds reach 1 centimeter in length and 0.3 in diameter. A characteristic feature of the culture is the pronounced pubescence of young shoots and buds. Over time they become smooth. The bush is characterized by a fairly slow plant. Over the course of a year, shoots grow a maximum of 15 centimeters.
A week before flowering begins, the decorative characteristics of the crop increase. At this time, the size of flower buds increases. At the same time, they themselves acquire a pinkish color and lose their protective shell.
Flowering of the plant usually begins in April - before the formation of foliage. It lasts for 3 weeks. The flowers are star-shaped and include 15-40 large ribbon-shaped petals. They reach 12 centimeters in diameter and have a rich, sweet aroma.
After flowering completes, dark green foliage appears on the shrub. It also produces cylindrical fruits up to 5-6 centimeters in size. The crop bears fruit in September. The cone-shaped fruits of the plant look like red cucumbers.
Popular varieties
Today there are many varieties of this crop. They differ in visual characteristics, flowering times and frost resistance.
Dr. Masei
This shrub reaches a height of 2.5 meters. Its characteristic feature is considered to be long and lush flowering. Before they bloom, the buds are pinkish in color. Subsequently, the petals become snow-white. The flowers are semi-double and emit a delicate aroma. This variety easily withstands moderate winters.
Waterlily
This crop is distinguished by a compact, rounded crown. Its height and width reaches 3 meters. The plant is characterized by star-shaped flowers of light pink color and includes 30 petals. The buds have a bright pink hue. The flowers of the crop reach 7-8 centimeters. In addition, the variety is characterized by dark green foliage.
Star magnolia variety Waterlily is characterized by fairly high resistance to frost. It can withstand temperatures down to -29 degrees.
Jane Platt
This is a rather spectacular variety of star magnolia, which is resistant to frost. It is characterized by large fragrant flowers that can reach 20 centimeters in diameter. They include many light pink petals that are arranged in 3-4 rows. This makes the buds especially lush. Magnolia Jane Platt is characterized by lush flowering. It begins in April and lasts approximately 3 weeks.
Royal Star
This is the most common and frost-resistant variety that can withstand temperatures down to -30 degrees. The height of the shrub reaches 3.5 meters. It is characterized by large wide white flowers, which include 18-25 petals. They are located in 2 rows.
The shrub is distinguished by a rounded, spreading crown. In addition, it is densely branched. The leaves in most cases have a light green color and a shiny surface.
Rosea
Magnolia of this variety is a small deciduous shrub, the height of which is 2 meters. It is characterized by a dense branched crown, which is distinguished by an oval or spherical crown.
During the flowering period, light pink flowers appear on the bushes, the diameter of which is 10 centimeters. They include 10-20 petals. The variety is highly resistant to frost and highly decorative. In warm countries, flowering may begin a little earlier - in March.
Landing instructions
In order for the crop to grow and develop normally, as well as maintain its decorative properties, it is important to carry out planting work correctly. In this case, you need to pay attention to choosing a place for planting and preparing the seedling.
Plant preparation
It is recommended to buy young plants in March or autumn. In most cases, magnolia is sold in containers or has an earthen ball on the roots. As a rule, there are no leaves on the bushes. If they exist, it is better to refuse such a purchase. Such plants will not take root when planted in open soil.
Professional gardeners advise buying and replanting young crops in late autumn. This is due to the following factors:
- When a plant is planted in the soil in the spring, shoots will appear on it over the summer, which will not have time to become woody before the arrival of cold weather. As a result, the culture will simply freeze. In autumn seedlings, development slows down, and therefore they are better prepared for winter.
- In spring, young plants are more expensive. At the same time, sellers often offer good discounts in the fall.
Selecting a location
When choosing a place to plant star magnolia, it is recommended to consider the following:
- The most suitable place for the plant will be the south or southwest side. This is due to the fact that the culture needs a lot of lighting.
- It is important to avoid constant direct sunlight on the crown. This will cause the leaves to bloom prematurely.
- Experienced gardeners recommend planting magnolia near tall trees or shrubs. Such plants will create the necessary partial shade and diffused lighting.
- When growing a young crop, you should give preference to a place without bright sun. This will ensure faster development. An adult magnolia can withstand the effects of sunlight normally.
- When preparing a place for planting, it is worth considering that over time the bush grows greatly. Many varieties of star magnolia are characterized by a wide and spreading crown.
This crop is considered to be very demanding on the composition of the soil. She prefers loose fertile soil, which has a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. The water permeability of the substrate is of no small importance.
To grow magnolia successfully, it is important to take into account the following features:
- The culture does not take root in calcareous soil. When planted in such a substrate, the root system of the crop will simply stop developing. To reduce the pH parameters, it is necessary to add acidic high-moor peat.
- With a high groundwater level and constant waterlogging of the soil, there is a risk of slowing down the development of the crop.
Planting process
To carry out planting work, it is recommended to do the following:
- Dig a hole for planting. Its diameter should be 2-3 times the size of the roots of the seedling.
- Mix the soil that was removed from the hole with peat and rotted compost. It is recommended to do this in a ratio of 2:1:1. If the substrate is too dense, you can add a small amount of sand to it.
- Place a drainage layer 20 centimeters thick at the bottom of the recess. It may consist of crushed stone, expanded clay or brick. After this, you need to pour sand 15 centimeters thick into the recess, and then the prepared substrate with the addition of compost and peat.
- Transplant a young magnolia into the hole. This is done together with a lump of soil by transferring it from the container in which the plant was sold. It is worth considering that if there are dry roots, the plant most likely will not take root.
- When planting a crop, make sure that the root collar is 3-5 centimeters above the ground surface.
- Completely fill the hole with substrate, compact it well and water the plant generously. After absorbing moisture, place peat mulch in the tree trunk circle and cover it with conifer bark. This will help maintain normal soil moisture parameters.
Aftercare
In order for a culture to grow and develop normally, it needs to be provided with quality care. It includes timely watering, fertilizing, preventing pest attacks and preparing for cold weather.
Watering and fertilizing
The optimal air humidity for this type of magnolia is 55-65%. However, in temperate climates, achieving such parameters can be difficult. Thanks to its adaptive abilities, the shrub can survive in drier air. However, it can hardly withstand prolonged drought.
In hot weather, magnolia needs to be watered systematically as the soil dries out. There is no need to over-wet the soil.The bush can hardly withstand excess moisture and stagnant water.
It is possible to retain moisture in the soil by reducing the volume of evaporation. Mulching the soil with grass, sawdust and pine bark will also help reduce the frequency of watering.
To fertilize the crop, you can use universal mineral preparations. During the season they should be applied every 1-2 months. To do this, you need to prepare a solution of low concentration and add it to the soil during watering. Thus, it is recommended to feed the culture during the first 5 years of life.
If the soil is alkaline, it is necessary to control the iron content in it. With a lack of this element, chlorosis can develop. Therefore, the bushes need to be fed with iron chelate once a week.
Preparing for cold weather
Although star magnolia is considered a winter-hardy crop, in areas with harsh climates the plants may freeze. To avoid this, at the end of autumn the root zone needs to be covered with a mulch layer. Its thickness should be 40 centimeters. Young plants need to be additionally insulated with burlap, agrofibre or ordinary dense fabric.
Star magnolia suffers not only from frost. Thaws pose a great danger to it. In this case, with early warming, buds bloom on the bushes. If the temperature suddenly drops, they may die.
Pest Control
The greatest dangers to magnolia are moles and shrews. They make moves in the soil and damage the root system. The plant is also afraid of voles. They also spoil the roots, making a storage room there for their supplies. To cope with pests, it is recommended to use repellers and turntables.You can also plant plants in special wire baskets.
In summer, plants are attacked by spider mites. They absorb the juices of leaves and shoots. This causes them to dry out and fall off. To destroy such pests, it is worth using acaricides and insectoacaricides.
In simple cases, it is recommended to treat the plant with “Actofit” or “Fitoverm”. For more serious damage, it is necessary to use Actellik. To destroy insects and their eggs, you should use “Neoron”. To get rid of aphids, thrips and mealybugs, it is recommended to use Aktara, Aktofit, Fitoverm.
Star magnolia is a rather spectacular crop that is often used to decorate garden plots. In order for the plant to always look attractive, it needs to be properly cared for. In this case, it is important to pay attention to planting work. Equally important is timely watering, fertilizing, preventing pest attacks and preparing for cold weather.
